In: Mechanical Engineering
Explain clearly the differences in stacking arrangements of the three crystal models constructed. Use the planes of atoms to re-create the FCC and HCP crystal structure.
a. How can the face-centered cubic and hexagonal close-packed structure be converted
from one to the other?
b. Could this happen in “real life” --- if yes, explain how?
Packing efficiency of FCC and FCC crystal system is 0.74. FCC and HCP crystals can be explained in terms of closed packing plane of atoms. Atoms are imagined as spheres. If a plane of atoms are arranged in a plane A. Then it is having cavities B and C. In second layer if atoms atoms can be laid over B or C. In third layer atoms can be over over C or alternatively over first layer. These two arrangements are designated as ABC and ABA stacking respectively.
In FCC crystals ABC stacking and in HCP crystals ABAB stacking is observed. These ABAB planes are (0001).
These close packed fcc planes are (111).
b) This type of stacking can be felt in real life by stacking lemons in ABC or ABAB sequences as explained earlier.