Statistical thermodynamics of configurational hardening in a solid solution

Short range order hardening theory for an ordering system is extended to a clustering system within the framework of the cluster variation method of c onfigurational thermodynamics. The correlation between the solubility and s olid solution hardening is discussed for each system. Both analytic and num erical calculations suggest that the smaller the solubility is the more pro nounced is the hardening. In attempting to unify the hardening behavior for both ordering and clustering systems, we propose a concept termed 'configu rational hardening'. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.