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436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia

Phase Transformations in Fe-C System
Fe-C system is chosen to
illustrate some typical
transformations and resulting
microstructures, not to mention its
importance in engineering
applications of steels
Isothermal Transformation
Diagrams
Such a diagram plots the fraction
of transformation versus time
when the alloy is held
isothermally (i. e. at a constant
temperature) at various
temperatures
Example: formation of pearlite in
a eutectoid alloy (0.76C) from the
eutectoid reaction
= + Fe
3
C (at T = T
i
)
fraction of transformation vs time
curves at various temperatures
Reading: 10.5-10.9 (5th & 6th ed)
y = 1 exp( kt
n
) Avrami equation
start time: t
0
completion time: t
100
half time:
t
50
Corresponding to each temperature,
we can find t
0
, t
50
and t
100
.
436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (2)
plot temperature versus
log t
0
, t
50
and t
100
,
respectively
connecting all the
points for t
0
= the
start curve
connecting all the
points for t
50
= the
half curve
connecting all the
points for t
100
= the
completion curve
these curves are also
called TTT curves or C
curves
the rate of transformation
is the fastest at an
intermediate temperature
(the nose)
675
650
no reaction above Te
t
50
= ~28 h
at ~720C
t
50
< 5 s
at 600C
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436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (3)
ABCD = a real heat treatment route
due to high
diffusion rate
due to low
diffusion rate
436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (4)
Coarse
pearlite
Fine
pearlite
Micro-
structures
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436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (5)
Extended (down to ~215C) TTT diagram for the eutectoid steel
at T < ~540C, a new microstructure - bainite - forms as a result of
phase transformation
Bainite takes a needle or a plate shape and consists of elongated
cementite in a matrix of ferrite
cementite
ferrite
bainite
~540C
pearlite
austenite
nose -
fastest
trans-
formation
436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (6)
Complete TTT diagram
for the eutectoid steel
when cooled so fast
that no C diffusion is
possible, a new
phase - martensite -
forms (at even lower
temperatures) from
the austenite phase
the martensite (M)
transformation is
diffusionless, and
thus takes virtully no
time (the amount of M
depends on T only,
NOT on time)
Above M(start),
no M forms
At M(90%), 90% of A
transforms into M
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436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (7)
martensite
Fe forms a body-centred
tetragonal (BCT) unit cell
C atoms remain in the
interstitial sites (no formation of
cementite)
a non-equilibrium phase (not
present in the phase diagram)
Austenite
(FCC)
Martensite
(BCT)
c > a
Dark phase: martensite of needle shape
Light phase: untransformed austenite
hard
and
brittle
further
transfor-
mation
possible
436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (8)
Example 10.1
Fe-C of eutectoid composition
starting microstructure: at
760C
Find: microstructures and
percentages of each
microconstituent after the
following heat treatments
(a) rapid cooling to 350C,
holding for 10000 s, and
quenching to RT
(b) rapid cooling to 250C,
holding for 100 s, and
quenching to RT
(c) rapid cooling to 650C,
holding for 20 s, rapid
cooling to 400C, holding
for 1000 s, and quenching
to RT
No M
forms as
the starting
phase is B
or P
50%B 100%B 100%A A to B
starts
100%A
100%A
A to M starts
50%M
90%M
100%A
A to P
starts 50%P
50%A
no more
transformation
A to B
starts
A to B
completes
These phases
and structures
cannot be
read from the
equilibrium
phase
diagram!!
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436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (9)
Effect of composition
C: non-eutectoid compositions
e. g. a hypereutectoid alloy (C
o
)
proeutectoid cementite may
appear
C
o
T'
T'
Proeutectoid
Fe
3
C
A to C
starts
A & C coexist
C
C +
A to C
starts
A to C
completes
A to P
starts
A to P
completes
436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (10)
other alloying elements
shape and position
of the starting, half
and completion lines
may be different
Fe-0.76C
4340 alloy steel: Fe-0.4C-1.8Ni-
0.7Mn-0.8Cr-0.2Si-0.25Mo
proeutectoid
ferrite
HW: follow isothermal phase transformations
of alloy steel 4340 at 350, 550, 650 and 750C
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436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (11)
Continuous cooling
transformation (CCT)
diagrams
In practice, the cooling is often
continuously carried out at a
certain rate to room
temperature, rather than rapid
cooling to a certain temperature
and holding at the temperature
for a period of time when the
isothermal transformation
diagrams are applicable.
For continuous cooling, the
transformation diagrams are
different: various curves are
usually shifted to lower
temperatures and longer times.
Also, some phases may not
appear at all.
continuous
cooling
isothermal
holding
436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (12)
Example: continuous cooling of a
eutectoid steel
A
P
P + M
M
A to P
starts
A to P
finishes:
100% P
A to P stops:
P +
remaining A
remaining
A to M
starts
A to M
starts
A to P
transfor-
mation
stops at
line AB
Cooling rate determines what
microstructures will be present
following heat treatment
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436-221/223/281 Unit 2: Engineering Materials Dr. K. Xia
Phase Transformations in Fe-C System (13)
Things can certainly get
much more complicated
with alloying, but the
diagram can be read in
the same way.
4340 alloy steel
HW: Try to reach the
final microstructures
following cooling at
different rates