Abstract
In the specific heat versus temperature curve of the superlattice alloy Cu3Au, an anomaly at about 320°C has been observed, in addition to the order-disorder transformation at 390°C. To explain the cause of this anomalous phenomenon, we applied the same procedure as employed in FeCo alloy and studied the disordering process in Cu3Au alloy, i.e., the time of relaxation and the change of electrical resistivity were measured. The change in resistivity as a function of the temperature at a constant rate of heating was also obtained by applying Bragg-Williams’ equation of the rate of approach to the equilibrium state. It was found that the cause of the 320°C change of Cu3Au alloy is the high heating rate in comparison with the diffusion rate, being the same as in the case of FeCo alloy.
