Thermal expansion of Cr and CrV alloys. I. Experiment

Abstract

The linear thermal expansion coefficient alpha of pure Cr and of dilute CrV alloys containing up to 5 at.% V has been measured from 2 to 700K. Paramagnetic Cr95V5 provides a reference to determine the effect of antiferromagnetic ordering in the other samples, whose Neel temperatures TN range from 27K for Cr+3.4 at.% V to 311K for Cr. In each case alpha (T) falls well below the paramagnetic value but returns to the paramagnetic alpha p(T) curve at a temperature somewhat above TN. Below about 20K all the antiferromagnets have large negative alpha linear in T. Beyond about 500K the Gruneisen parameter gamma of Cr is about 1.5, and it remains roughly constant up to 1500K.