@ Austenite and Its Transformation and Classification of Steels A definite relationship exists between the struc~ ture of steel and its mechanical properties. ‘This being the case, the ability to develop the mechani- cal properties of steel is only as good as our ability to control the microstructure. When austenite transforms, two factors de mine the structural and mechanical properties of steel. These are the amount of carbon present in the steel, or its composition, and the conditions of cooling during the period of transformation, or the cooling rate. By using very slow rates of cool- ing, a ductile and soft structure results when the austenite transforms If a rapid rate of cooling is employed, a hard and strong structure can be secured Whether the structure is controlled by the com- position of the steel or the cooling rate, the changes which take place when the austenite transforms and the resultant structures are of concern. The primary key to understanding all heat treating procedures is the control of austenite and its trans- formation products. This lesson describes how austenite is formed and the effect of carbon and alloying elements on its transformation; how austenite transforms to pearlite, spheroidite, bainite and/or martensite; transformation of austenite under isothermal and continuous cooling conditions, and the reasons why all of the austenite may not fully transform to other products and the effect on the structure. ‘Also discussed in the lesson is the classification of steels, the means of identifying each classification and the steels within a classification. After studying this lesson, the student should have an understanding of the following: «© Austenite is a solid solution of one or more elements in face-centered cubic iron that exists between 2541 F (1394 C) and 1674 F 120. © How austenite, under varying conditions of time, temperature and alloy content, trans- forms to other products, and the relation- ships of these products to the properties of the steel. + The effects of alloying elements other than carbon on the transformation of austenite and, in turn, on the properties of steel. * Classification by composition of the more common grades of carbon, alloy, stainless, tool and maraging steels, and the method of identifying them. Tis material may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form whatsoever. Fully protected by copyeight. (©1981 American Society for Metals3-2 200 eon pure Fe) © 010.020 (2) (00% Fe wo) Ce Fig, 3-1. (a) Constitutional diagram for pure iron; (b) effect of carbon on the iron diagram. Formation of Austenite In metallurgy, a constitutional diagram of an alloy system containing two metals is a ruled sheet whose ordinates are temperatures (shown verti- cally) and compositions (shown horizontally, the units being percentage of one of the metals). In further simplification, the constitutional diagram for a single metal or element is merely a straight, vertical line. The constitutional diagram for pure iron, and consequently its thermal history, is con- tained in a single vertical line (Fig. 3-14). As iron cools from the liquid state, solidifica- tion suddenly occurs at the single temperature of 2800 F or 1538 C. (Only in alloy systems does metal freeze over a range of temperature.) The iron atoms attach to one another in a specific crystal pattern, such that a cube is formed having one atom at each of its eight corners and a ninth atom at its center. This crystalline pattern is called body-centered cubic (bec), and is illustrated in Fig. 3-2a. This crystalline form of iron is known as delta ferrite (GF). On further cooling, these atoms rearrange themselves by diffusing into a somewhat altered arrangement, such that the atoms are spaced around an atom at the geometric center of each of the six cube faces, This arrangement is called face- centered cubic (fcc), and is illustrated in Fig. 3-2c. This crystalline form of iron is known as austen or gamma iron (y-Fe). The temperature at ‘which Metals Engineering Institute this change occurs is 2541 F or 1394 C (denoted as ‘Agin Fig. 3-1a). At 1674 F or 912 C, the austenite structure (Fec) reverts to ferrite (bcc), the stable form down to room temperature and below. The temperature at which this crystalline change occurs is denoted as Ag in Fig. 3-La. This body-centered cubic form is known as alpha ferrite (o-Fe) The technical name for the power to adopt more than one crystal form by a solid is allotropy. The role of allotropy in elevating iron-base alloys to a position of importance in engineering follows from the fact that the face-centered cubic allotrope known as austenite exists in a range of red heat where the metal is workable. The metal then re- verts again on cooling to body-centered cubic ferrite. The atoms are less densely packed in fer- rite, 60 this transformation causes an expansion in all dimensions, and the structure may at times have difficulty in accommodating this change in size. More important, in this atomic shifting from the face-centered cubic structure to the body-cen- tered cubic structure, foreign atoms in the iron matrix, particularly those in the interstices, might become trapped and jammed, causing great distor- tion and irregularities in the atomic architecture Such irregular atomic arrangements accompany high strength and hardness Influence of Carbon Returning now to the constitutional diagram for pure iron shown in Fig. 3-1a, carbon is added as a second variable, horizontally and to the right (Fig. 3-1b). Immediately, the transformation tempera- tures which characterize pure iron are altered pro- gressively as the carbon content increases. This is indicated in Fig. 3-1b. For any fixed rate of cooling the metal (with a carbon addition it is now steel) remains liquid longer, transforms to delta ferrite earlier, and hesitates in reverting to alpha ferrite from austenite. Carbon actually dissolves; that is, the individual atoms of carbon lose themselves in the interstices of the iron atoms — unlike metallic alloying ele- ments which replace iron atoms in their positions on the cube, It becomes evident that the interstices within the face-centered cubie structure (austenite)Fig. 3-2. Three possible crystal structures of steel. (a) Bec, body-centered cubic, characteristic of ferrite; (b) bet, body-centered tetragonal structure, characteristic of martensite; (c) fee, face-centered structure, charac- teristic of austenite 33 are larger or more accommodating to carbon than are those of ferrite, the other allotrope. However, this performance should not be interpreted only on the mechanical basis of size of opening, for it is also a fundamental matter involving electron bond- ing and the balance of these attractive and repul- sive forces which underlie the allotropic phenomenon. In Fig, 3-3 the iron-iron carbide constitutional diagram initiated in Fig. 3-1b is completed up to 7% carbon. In this illustration note: 1. The size and relative position of the austenite field, 2. The changes imposed by carbon on the A; line, 3. The carbon content at point E, which is the eutectoid (0.77% C), and 4, Point Bin the austenite field, which is 2.11% C of the maximum that dissolves in austenite and at a temperature of 2098 F or 1148 C. It should be noted that carbon is quite soluble in austenite, while it is of very limited solubility in ferrite; also, the very narrow terminal solid solu- tion ferrite field at the left of Fig. 3-3. Here it is seen that there exists very little solubility in ferrite (approximately 0.022% at 1341 F or 727 C), and then further decreases until the solubility of car- bon in ferrite is approximately 0.008% at room temperature. ‘The presence of other elements in the steel also affects the A; line as well as other areas in the iron- iron carbide diagram, but to a much lesser amount compared with the effects of carbon. Hardening, full annealing and normalizing of steels are achieved only by first heating the steel so that it is austenitic. The control of mechanical properties is achieved by controlling the transfor- mation of austenite in terms of time and tempera- ture into various transformation products. Transformation and Products Formed Carbon will dissolve in austenite up to about 0.77% at 1341 F (727 C), and in greater amounts up to 2098 F (1148 C), as indicated in Fig. 3-3. Since carbon is of very limited solubility in ferrite, ‘Metals Engineering Institute