Surface tension of liquid ternary Fe-Cu-Mo alloys measured by electromagnetic levitation oscillating drop method

For the liquid Fe-Cu-Mo ternary system, the surface tensions of three selected alloys, i.e., three typical monotectic alloys, were measured by the electromagnetic levitation oscillating drop method over a broad temperature range, including both superheated and undercooled states. The maximum undercooling attained is up to 173 K. The experimental results show a good linear correlation between the surface tension and the temperature. By applying on the Butler equation, the surface tensions were also calculated and they are in good agreement with the measured ones, except that in the undercooled state, the calculated value is slightly larger than the measured results. Interestingly, both the measured and calculated results indicate that the enriched element on the droplet surface is much more conspicuous than other elements in influencing the surface tension. Besides, the viscosity and the density of the liquid Fe-Cu-Mo ternary alloys are also derived on the grounds of the experimentally measured surface tensions. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.