Iron-Iron Carbide (Fe-Fe3C) Phase Diagram: M. Tech. (FFT) Technology of Ferrous Casting
Iron-Iron Carbide (Fe-Fe3C) Phase Diagram: M. Tech. (FFT) Technology of Ferrous Casting
Iron-Iron Carbide (Fe-Fe3C) Phase Diagram: M. Tech. (FFT) Technology of Ferrous Casting
(FFT)
Technology of Ferrous Casting
Iron–Iron Carbide (Fe–Fe3C) Phase Diagram
In their simplest form, steels are alloys of Iron (Fe) and Carbon (C). The Fe-C phase diagram is a
fairly complex one, but we will only consider the steel part of the diagram, up to around 7% carbon.
Phases in Fe–Fe3C Phase Diagram
α-ferrite - solid solution of C in BCC Fe
• Stable form of iron at room temperature.
• The maximum solubility of C is 0.022 wt%.
• Transforms to FCC γ-austenite at 912 °C.
L ↔ γ + Fe3C
Eutectic and eutectoid reactions are very important in heat treatment of steel.
Development of Microstructure in Iron
Carbon alloys Microstructure depends on composition (carbon content) and heat treatment. In
the discussion below we consider slow cooling in which equilibrium is maintained.
Application of the lever rule with tie line that extends from the eutectoid composition (0.76 wt% C) to
α – (α + Fe3C) boundary (0.022 wt% C) for hypo eutectoid alloys and to (α + Fe3C) – Fe3C boundary (6.7
wt% C) for hypereutectoid alloys.
Fraction of α phase is determined by application of the lever rule across the entire (α + Fe3C) phase field
References:-
Wikipedia
Callister (material science and engineering)
Nptel.