Scope Statement

The committee is interested in all aspects of the phase equilibria, including metastable equilibria and kinetics, in all classes of engineering materials and covering both fundamental and applied topics. To this aim it seeks to co-ordinate critical assessments and experimental work in various organisations and institutions in the UK, to avoid undue overlap of experimental studies and to encourage and nurture international co-operation on phase diagram knowledge. It recognises the vital role that reliable information on both phase diagrams themselves and on the rates of approach to equilibrium play in under-pinning many spheres of materials science and technology. These include extraction, refining, processing and use of materials in traditional large scale industries such as those concerned with steel, aluminium, glass, polymers and ceramics, materials used in the nuclear industry, in high-tech aerospace materials such as superalloys, titanium alloys and advanced composite materials, and in the high value smaller scale materials-based industries concerned with semiconductors, superconductors and advanced engineering materials. The committee encourages all aspects of experimental and theoretical work relating to phase equilibria in materials systems ranging from direct studies of phase diagrams and the determination of thermodynamic mixing parameters, to the thermodynamic modelling of phases and ab initio calculations of phase stability and microstructure.

Objectives

A central role of the committee's activities is to ensure that UK industry and academia are provided with the most up-to-date, accurate and reliable information and data relating to phase equilibria. The committee's membership is a balance between providers and users of such information and continues to benefit from a strong industrial input. The committee provides a forum to identify industrial needs, a discussion group between specialists and a focus within the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining for active international collaboration on the provision of assessed data, on modelling, and on theoretical and computational aspects of phase equilibria in materials. The committee is not directly concerned with the chemical aspects of polymer synthesis nor with the corrosion/degradation of materials but equilibria in aqueous and molten salt systems come within its remit.

Strategy

It is planned to foster the strong working relationships with UK industry, and to build on the strong international links with similar organisations and groups abroad. The committee membership includes members of SGTE, Calphad, European Union Research Programmes and ASM/TMS. The committee also acts as the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining link with APDIC. Liaison with other Institute committees such as the Structure of Materials, and High Temperature Materials Performance will be a high priority. Joint activities are anticipated on biomaterials, electronic materials, environmental aspects of materials and possibly pharmaceutical products. The committee plans to develop links with parallel groups in other professional bodies such as the RSC, IoP and IEEE. It is anticipated that the proposed merger with the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy will provide important opportunities for synergy in the field of metals and minerals. Conference proposals and seminar/discussion meetings are a continuing priority. Materials Science and Technology is seen as the main Institute learned journal for the publication of papers concerned with Materials Chemistry.