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Fusible Alloys
Fusible alloys or low-melting alloys have some interesting
properties, but often are overlooked. Their solidification
characteristics make them useful for tooling applications as well as
components in product design.
Fusible
alloys have low melting points, usually below 300 degrees Fahrenheit or
150 degrees Celsius. Many fusible alloys have eutectic compositions,
which provide an alloy with a distinct melting point similar to a pure
metal. Non-eutectic fusible alloys would melt over a range of
temperature and act slushy between their liquidus and solidus
temperatures. Many fusible alloys are based on bismuth alone or bismuth
in combination with lead, tin, antimony, gallium, cadmium, zinc and
indium. Some fusible alloys are based on gallium or indium.
Bismuth-based
fusible alloys are desirable because of the pure bismuth's
characteristic of expanding 3.3% upon solidification. The bismuth
content in a fusible alloy is adjusted to produce a fusible alloy with
desirable shrinkage or expansion characteristics. Bismuth alloys
containing more than 55% bismuth expand while those with less than 48%
contract during solidification. Alloys with bismuth levels between
48-55% exhibit little change in volume when they solidify.
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