The Iron-Carbon Alloy System (Chapter 18 in Reed-Hill)

Mitra Taheri

Iron-Carbon Phase Diagram

Iron Carbon Phase diagram useful in the study of steels Less than 6.7% carbon considered commercially significant Diagram characterized by 3 invariant points: peritectic, eutectoid, and eutectic Peritectic: (0.17%C, 1495oC) Eutectoid: (0.77%C, 727oC) Eutectic: (4.32%C, 1154oC) Knowledge of the phase diagram is useful in the analysis of mechanical properties of the alloy. Heat treatment => Phase => Properties

Motivation: Commercial Significance

Austenite: Called the gamma phase (), fcc solid solution All compositions less than 2.11%C cooled to RT pass through the Austenite region With < 2wt% C are considered steels With > 2wt% C considered cast irons Significant Difference (besides %C): Cast Irons contain Si to promote development of Graphite. Steels develop cementite
Steels Eutectoid

Diffusional vs. DiffusionlessTransformations

Carbon and alloy steels are Martensitic hardened by heating to the Austenitizing temperature followed by cooling at the appropriate rate. Ms is when the Martensite transformation starts. Mf is transformation finishes. The maximum hardness of carbon and alloy steels, after rapid quenching to avoid the nose of the isothermal transformation curve, is dependent on the carbon content.

Transformations of Austenite
Eutectoid: Assume slow cooling at 0.77wt% C from Austenite region austenite (fcc ), (- ), ( +Fe3C), ( +Fe3C) exist in equilibrium, 4 structures, 3 Phases To determine cooled structure:
What composition w/respect to Euctectoid? What phases at that composition?

Eutectoid Transformations of Austenite

Proeutectoid => Steel Microstructure obtained when austenite slowly cooled depends on original carbon content of steel If C < 0.77% then microstructure primarily contains proeutectoid ferrite and pearlite If C = 0.77% microstructure contains only pearlite If C > 0.77% the microstructure will contain proeutectoid cementite and pearlite

Euctectoid Phases
When cooled austenite in eutectoid region: ferrite, pearlite, cementite Ferrite () : Pure Iron @ 0.22 wt% and high temperature: ~740oC, bcc, magnetic Cementite: Orthorhombic with Fe at bcc sites, C at fcc. Pearlite: Two-phase lamellar structure consisting of ferrite and cementite

Pearlite
Alternating layers of Ferrite () and Cementite (Fe3C) Pearlite consists of (Fe3C) plates in a matrix of ferrite How does it happen?

Cementite

Ferrite

Transformation of Austenite to Pearlite

Pearlite is not a phase - a mixture of 2 phases cementite and ferrite Decomposition of austenite to pearlite occurs by nucleation and growth. Nucleation takes place most often heterogeneously on grain boundaries

Nucleation, Growth of Pearlite

When a pearlite colony nucleates at a grain boundary, it grows into only one of the two grains With no Proeuctectoid cementite the orientation of pearlite structure is controlled by orientation of 1 Motion is into grain 2 since opposite end of Pearlite is higher energy than at GB If pearlite nucleates out of cementite on GB the direction can be both along the GB and also into grain 2 Mobile Boundary, high energy

2
1

Fe 3C
Mobile Boundary, high energy Growth Direction Growth Direction Grain Boundary

2
1
Grain Boundary

Fe 3C

Structures Present
Above Eutectoid T: ferrite bcc , austenite fcc , ( +Fe3C), (+ ) Below Eutectoid T: ferrite bcc , hypoeutectoid, hypereuctectoid, (+pearlite), pearlite, pearlite +cementite, martensite, bainite possible

Structures Present
How to determine eutectoid phase at RT? Hypoeutectoid: Less than eutectoid compositon Hypereutectoid: Greater than eutectoid composition If cooling to hypoeutectoid: higher concentration of ferrite so ferrite and pearlite If cooling to hypereutectoid: higher concentration of cementite, ferrite not prevalent Why the change across the eutectoid?

Structures Across the Eutectoid: Ferrite and Pearlite

From low to high %C: (+pearlite) @ hypoeuctectic, pearlite @ eutectic, (Fe3C+pearlite) @ hypereutectic At given T below eutectic, this change influenced by %C. Adding C to hypoeutectic: promotes the nucleation and growth of Fe3C. Uniform consumed/rearranged to accomodate more Fe3C. Result is still ferrite but as part of the pearlite - a lamellar structure adjacent to other Fe3C/cementite lamellae What does it look like? Popular analogy => Pearlite:Ferrite::Cabbage:Water

Structures Across the Eutectoid: Pearlite

At the Eutectoid T: 0.77 wt% C = > 100% Pearlite. Ferrite and carbon strike a balance. Cementite in ferrite matrix. Sufficient carbon to allow Fe3C to invade the larger fields of ferrite What does it look like? Grains are composed of Pearlite spheres (just cabbage)

Structures Across the Eutectic: Cementite and Pearlite

In the hypereutectoid region: larger concentration of C Not enough ferrite to accomodate continued growth of pearlite To accomodate more C, less ferrite exists independently in the lamellae of pearlite Cementite nucleates preferentially, heterogeously at grain boundary. Stops growing when C has a place to live in ferrite

Slowly Cooled 2 Phase Mixture

Not enough to say hypo or hyper eutectoid What is the composition of phases? Lever Rule!
a) Alloy is austenitic b) Transformation begins with ferrite nuclei at Grain Boundaries C = 0.52wt% c) Continued Slow cooling, ferrite grains grow, reject C into austenite. Each austenite grain surrounded by network of ferrite crystals
0.77 0.52 1 = 0.77 0.022 3 0.52 0.022 2 austenite = = 0.77 0.022 3
(a)

(b) (c) (d) (e)

ferrite =

Time-Temperature-Transformation

Austenite Pearlite Eutectoid Temperature

Pearlite+ Bainite

How to make these structures? Heat treatments involved!!!! Lets look at the TTT diagram again!

Martensite Path: Specimen is held at 250oC for ~100sec. Quench to RT Austenite Fine Pearlite Path: Specimen is at 600oC for ~10sec. Converts austenite completely to fine pearlite. Stable structure will hold at 10000 sec

Fine Pearlite Martensite