The influence of grain boundary segregation on the rate of contact melting in metals

The contact melting of polycrystalline solid solutions with metals is studied. The linear correlations between the average rate of contact melting and (i) the energy of interaction between the impurity atoms and grain boundaries and (ii) differences in properties of constituents of solid solutions (namely differences in surface energies, electron work functions and generalized statistical V.K. Semenchenko moments) are revealed. Found relations demonstrate the importance of grain boundary segregation in the contact melting phenomenon.