Atomistic Interpretation of Solid Solution Hardening from Spectral Analysis

From analysis of a series of vibrational spectra of ir energy absorption and laser Raman, an attempt is made to interpret solid solution hardening from an atomistic point of view for the system CaF(2)/SrF(2). It is shown to be caused by the combined action of three atomic characteristics, i.e., their changes as a function of composition. They are deformation of the atomic coordination polyhedrons, overlap of the outer electron shells of the atom pairs, and the ratio of the ionic to covalent share of binding. A striking nonlinear behavior of the three characteristics, as a function of composition, gives maximum atomic bond strength to the 55/45 position of the system CaF(2)/SrF(2), in agreement with the measured data of the solid solution hardening. The curve for atomic bond strength, derived from the three characteristics, is almost identical to the curve for measured microhardness data. This result suggests that the atomistic interpretation, put forward in this paper, is correct.