Calculation of the linear coefficient of thermal expansion of multi-element, single-phase metal alloys from the first principles

One of the possible ways to calculate the coefficient of thermal expansion is a method based on determining the dependence of the total energy of the electron-ion system on the parameters of the crystal lattice at different temperatures. There is a relationship between the calculated values of the linear coefficients of thermal expansion and the melting point of the material. For metals and multi-element single-phase alloys, the dependence of the function V = α·Tmax on the parameter T/Tmax (α — the linear coefficients of thermal expansion, Tmax — melting point of the material) is obtained from the first principles, which has the same form for all single-phase multi-element metal alloys and is presented analytically. Using the method of pseudopotential and quasiharmonic approximation, the linear coefficients of thermal expansion of multi-element metal alloys are calculated. The temperature dependence of the coefficient of thermal expansion, after approximating the results of the computational experiment, is presented in analytical form. The results were compared with known tabular data. To confirm the reliability of the model, the calculation was performed for a number of pure metals. The consistency of the calculated and experimental data on the coefficient of thermal expansion of single-phase alloys calculated from the first principles is observed. There is a relationship between the calculated values of the linear coefficients of thermal expansion and the melting point of the material. For metals and multi-element single-phase alloys, the dependence of the function V = α·Tmax on the parameter T/ Tmax (α — the linear coefficients of thermal expansion, Tmax — melting point of the material) is obtained from the first principles, which has the same form for all single-phase multi-element metal alloys and is presented analytically. Keywords: Electron-ion system energy, interatomic interaction potential, force constants, quasiharmonic approximation, coefficient of thermal expansion.