TIME-TEMPERATURE-

TRANSFORMATION DIAGRAM
 0.8C

Spring 2001 Dr. Ken Lewis ISAT 430 2

 Phase diagram and TTT diagram

Which informations are obtained from phase diagram or

TTT diagram?

• Phase diagram :
– Describes equilibrium microstructural development that is
obtained at extremely sow cooling or heating conditions.
– Provides no information on time to take to form phase and on
shapes, size and distribution of phase → importance of kinetics

• TTT diagram
– For a given alloy composition, the percentage completion of a
given phase transformation on temperature-time axes is
described.
 Nucleation And Growth
• For a eutectic reaction :
L (XE) → + at TE

(experiment)
(1) Quench the liquid from Tm to some
lower temperature
(2) Measure the time for solidification, to
go to completion at that temperature

• TTT diagram
– The time required for the liquid to
transform to the eutectic
microstructure is function of time
 Description of new phase from melt
• Homogeneous nucleation : occurs within a homogeneous
medium.
• Heterogeneous nucleation : nucleation occurs at some structural
imperfection such as foreign surface, and hence with reduced
surface energy

local atomic fluctuation

formation of many small

nuclei

growth of nuclei with

critical size or greater
 Change in free energy for homogeneous nucleation

For the transformation of liquid to

solid ;
H T
L→S ; GV
Tm

and for forming a spherical Solid

nucleus
4 3 Solid-liquid
GT r GV 4 r2
3 interface
Liquid
GT = total free energy change
r = radius of embryo or nucleus
= specific surface free energy
GV = volume free energy change
 d GT 2r
0 at r = r* r*
dr GV

* 16 r 3 16 rTm2 n* : number of spherical

G nucleus of radius r*
3( GV ) 2 3 H T2

* G*
n s exp( )
kT

Nuclei larger than critical

size (r*) are stable and can
continue to grow.
 Nucleation rate
• Nucleation rate, N. : number of nuclei / unit volume / unit time
. G* ED ,where G* : energy barrier to form a
N exp( ) exp( )
kT kT nucleus stable to grow.
1 1
G*
(Tm T ) 2 T2
• At T just below Tm, ED : activation energy for diffusion
– Diffusion rate is rapid but very few
nuclei are formed.
∵ G* ↑
• At very low T ( T ↑)
– Diffusion rate is extremely low but
many nuclei are formed
∵ G* ↓
• At intermediate
.
T
– Max. N
 Growth of nuclei
• Growth of Nuclei
– Growth of nuclei is a diffusional process
. QD
RT
G ce , where QD : activation energy for self diffusion
. .
• Transformation rate of a phase : N G
 TTT Diagram
• Temperature-time-transformation curve
• TTT diagrams represent specific thermal
histories for the given microstructure.
Isothermal transformation of eutectoid steel
TTT diagram for eutectoid steel
 Transformations of austenite : → + Fe3C
pearlite
A. Diffusional transformations
1) At slightly lower T below 727 ℃ : T <<
• Coarse pearlite
: nucleation rate is very low.
: diffusion rate is very high.
2) As the Tt (trans. temp.) decreases to 655 600
℃ ℃
500 ℃
• Fine pearlite
: nucleation rate increases.
: diffusion rate decreases.
Strength : (MPa) = 139 + 46.4 S-1
S : intermetallic spacing
534 487
℃ ℃
 A. Diffusional transformations
3) 250 ℃ < Tt < 500 ℃, below the nose in TTT diagram.
• Driving force for the transformation ( → + Fe3C) is very high.
• Diffusion rate is very low.
• Nucleation rate is very high.
→ + Fe3C
: Bainite ; cementite in the form of needle type.

495 ℃ 410 ℃
bainite
 B. Diffusionless Transformations - Martensitic trans.
: When the austenite is quenched to temp. below Ms
→ ’ (martensite)
: Driving force for trans. of austenite → extremely high.
Diffusoin rate is extremely slow.
: instead of the diffusional migration of carbon atoms to produce
separate and Fe3C phases, the matensite transformation involves
the sudden reorientation of C and Fe atoms from the austenite (FCC)
to a body centered tetragonal (bct) solid solution.

→ ’ (martensite), a solid solution

: super saturated carbon atoms
in ’ + shearlike transformation
→ very hard and brittle phase

martensite
1) Diffusionless transformation → no compositional change during
transformation.
2) The trans. of → ’ starts at Ms temp. and finishes at Mf temp.
3) → ’ (BCT) ;
c/a increases as the carbon content increases.
 The Time – Temperature –
Transformation Curve (TTT)
• At slow cooling rates the trajectory
can pass through the Pearlite and
Bainite regions
• Pearlite is formed by slow cooling
– Trajectory passes through Ps
above the nose of the TTT
curve
• Bainite
– Produced by rapid cooling to a
temperature above Ms
– Nose of cooling curve avoided.

Spring 2001 Dr. Ken Lewis ISAT 430 18

 The Time – Temperature –
Transformation Curve (TTT)
• If cooling is rapid enough
austenite is transformed into
Martensite.
– FCC > BCT
– Time dependent diffusion
separation of ferrite and iron
carbide is not necessary
• Transformation begins at Ms and
ends at Mf.
– If cooling stopped it will
transition into bainite and
Martensite.

Spring 2001 Dr. Ken Lewis ISAT 430 19

 The Time – Temperature –
Transformation Curve (TTT)

• Composition Specific
– Here 0.8% carbon

• At different compositions,
shape is different

Spring 2001 Dr. Ken Lewis ISAT 430 20

 Full TTT Diagram

The complete TTT

diagram for an iron-
carbon alloy of eutectoid
composition.
A: austenite
B: bainite
M: martensite
P: pearlite
 Martensite

• Diffusionless
transformation
of FCC to BCT (more
volume!)
• Lenticular structure
• Very hard & very brittle.
TTT Diagrams
TTT diagram for Hypo-eutectoid steel.
TTT diagram for a hypereutectoid Steel
(1.13 wt% C)
 So What’s a CCT Diagram?

• Phase Transformations and Production of

Microconstituents takes TIME.
• Higher Temperature = Less Time.
• If you don’t hold at one temperature and allow time
to change, you are “Continuously Cooling”.
• Therefore, a CCT diagram’s transition lines will be
different than a TTT diagram.
Slow Cooling

Time in region
indicates amount of
microconstituent!
Medium Cooling

Cooling Rate, R, is
Change in Temp /
Time °C/s
Fast Cooling

This steel is very

hardenable… 100%
Martensite in ~ 1
minute of cooling!
Continuous cooling transformation diagram for eutectoid steels

• Normalizing : heat the steel

into region → cool it in air →
fine pearlite
• Annealing : heat the steel into
region → cool it in furnace
(power off) → coarse pearlite
• THANKS