MATERIALS AND PROCESSES

5103MECH

Iron carbon Phase diagram

 Learning Outcomes

• Understand the Fe-Fe3C phase diagram

• Be able to sketch the phase present and the microstructures of plain carbon
steels during cooling according to Fe-Fe3C diagrams
• Be able to determine the amount of each phase in a plain carbon steel
 Contents

• Fe-Fe3C phase diagram

• Eutectoid reaction
• Microstructures of eutectoid steel
• Microstructures of hyper-eutectoid steels
• Microstructures of hypo-eutectoid steels
 Fe-Fe3C Phase Diagram

A study of the constitution and structure of all steels and irons must first start with the iron-
carbon equilibrium diagram. Many of the basic features of this system influence the
behaviour of even the most complex alloy steels.
The iron-carbon diagram provides a valuable foundation on which to build knowledge of
both plain carbon and alloy steels in their immense variety.

• Introduction to the Fe-Fe3C Equilibrium Diagram

• Phases in Fe-Fe3C Diagram
• Transformations and Microstructures of Slowly Cooled Steels in Fe-Fe3C
Equilibrium Diagram
 Fe-Fe3C Phase Diagram

L+Austenite
L+Fe3C
γ

Austenite + Fe3C
Ferrite +
α+γ Cementite
Austenite

α
Ferrite + Fe3C
6.7?

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 Fe-Fe3C Phase Diagram

• Solvus line: indicate the maximum concentration with regards to the solid
solution . (solid solubility line)
• Phase transformation line: Phase transitions occur along lines of equilibrium
 Carbon in Cementite
Example 1 How much carbon does cementite (Fe3C) contain?

Solution:
atomic weight (g/mol)
Weight of one atom(g/atom) =
Avogadro’s constant (atom/mol)

12.001/6.02×1023
wt%C =
3×55.845/(6.02×1023)+12.001/(6.02×1023)

So, the weight fraction of carbon in cementite can be calculated as:

12.011
wt %C  100%  6.7%
3  55.845  12.011
Cementite contains one carbon atom and three iron atoms.

So, the atom fraction of carbon in cementite can be calculated as:

1
𝑎𝑡%𝐶 = × 100% = 25%
3+1
 Phases in Fe-Fe3C Phase Diagram
 α-ferrite – solid solution of C in BCC Fe

• Ferrite or α-iron. Stable form of iron at room temperature.

• Interstitial solid solution of C in BCC iron. The maximum solubility of carbon in
ferrite is 0.02% at 727°C, which decreases with the fall of temperature to negligible
amount at 0°C (< 0.00005% at 20°C).
• Soft, weak and ductile
• Pure Fe transforms to γ-austenite at 912 °C.

Alpha (α) Ferrite (Callister, 1994)

 Phases in Fe-Fe3C Phase Diagram
 Austenite – solid solution of C in FCC Fe
• Temperature above the A3, α-iron (ferrite) undergoes a phase transition from
BCC to FCC to become austenite, also known as γ-iron (γ-phase iron )
• Austenite is soft and ductile , it can dissolve up to 2.14wt% C at 1147 °C
• Carbon atoms form interstitial impurity in γ-iron
• Austenite if cooled slowly will transform to a solid solution of ferrite and Fe3C

Acm

A3
• A3: Austenite transforms to ferrite on cooling, and
ferrite transforms to austenite on heating.
• Acm: Austenite transforms to cementite on cooling, and
cementite transforms to austenite on heating.
 Phases inFe-Fe3C Phase Diagram

 Fe3C (iron carbide or cementite)

• Cementite is a chemical compound of iron and carbon, with the formula Fe3C.
Contains 6.7wt% carbon.
• cementite is a hard, brittle material, normally classified as a ceramic in its pure
form.
• Cementite remains as a compound indefinitely at room temperature, but
decomposes (very slowly, within several years) into α-Fe and C (graphite) at 650 -
700 C
 Phases inFe-Fe3C Phase Diagram

 δ-ferrite solid solution of C in BCC Fe

• The same structure as a-ferrite
• Stable only at high Temperature, above 1394 C
• Melts at 1538 C
 Eutectoid point and eutectoid composition

Eutectoid
point

Eutectoid
temperature

Eutectoid
reaction line
Eutectoid
composition
0.76wt%C
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 Eutectoid reaction and eutectoid structure

Eutectoid reaction is where, within a solid, the material cools enough to undergo
a phase transformation. e.g. austenite to cementite and ferrite.

Eutectoid temperature
Austenite Ferrite + Fe3C
cooling
Heating

Pearlite
 Eutectoid product – Pearlite

The eutectoid composition of austenite is 0.76 wt % C. When it cools slowly it forms

perlite, a lamellar or layered structure of two phases: eutectoid α-ferrite and eutectoid
cementite (Fe3C).

• Pearlite is a two-phased, lamellar (or layered) structure composed of alternating

layers of ferrite (around 88 wt%) and cementite (around 12 wt%) that occurs in
some steels and cast irons.
• Decomposition of austenite to pearlite occurs by nucleation and growth
• Nucleation takes place most often heterogeneously on grain boundaries
 Microstructure of steels

According to eutectoid composition, and microstructure, three types of steels are

defined:

 Eutectoid steel: carbon content 0.76wt% (eutectoid composition)

 Hyper-eutectoid steels: carbon content is greater than 0.76wt%

 Hypo-eutectoid steels: carbon content is less than 0.76wt%

 Eutectoid steel

 Microstructure of Eutectoid steel

 100% pearlite forms by eutectoid reaction with composition of 0.76wt%C

 It has properties intermediate to soft, ductile ferrite and hard, brittle cementite
and is very tough.

Ferrite
(white)

Cementite
(grey)

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es/civil_structures/1-1/answers.html

Pearlite (laminated structure)

 Hypereutectoid steel
 Microstructure of a Hypereutectoid steel

 Pro-eutectoid cementite (formed temperature is above eutectoid temperature

 Pearlite (formed by eutectoid reaction)

• Eutectoid ferrite

• Eutectoid cementite

Pro-eutectoid
cementite

Pearlite Eutectoid α

Fe, C 1.0 (wt%), hypereutectoid alloy http://core.materials.ac.uk/search/detail.php?id=1087

 Hypereutectoid steels
Example 2 Sketch the microstructure of a steel contains 1.20wt% carbon at temperature
is just below 727°C (point E).

Liquid

A
Liquid +
austenite γ B

C
Austenite

Austenite + D
cementite
E

Pearlite +
cementite
 Hypoeutectoid steels
 Microstructure of a Hypoeutectoid steel

a) Pro-eutectoid ferrite (formed temperature is above eutectoid temperature

b) Pearlite (formed by eutectoid reaction)

• Eutectoid ferrite

• Eutectoid cementite

Pearlite Pro-eutectoid ferrite

or Pro-α

Eutectoid

matwis/amat/iss/kap_7/backbone/r7_2_1.html
 Hypoeutectoid steels

Example 3 Sketch the microstructure of a steel contains 0.65wt% carbon at temperature

is just below 727°C.

?
 Hypoeutectoid steels

Liquid

Liquid + γ
austenite

Austenite

γ
Austenite +
pro-α
A

?
Pearlite+ Ferrite
 Hypoeutectoid steels
Example4: In microstructure, what is the difference between steels contain 0.3wt%
carbon and 0.65wt% carbon.

Solution:

(a) Carbon content is different. Steel 1 contains

0.3wt%caron, and steel 2 contains 0.65wt%
carbon

(b) Microstructure is different

a b

More pearlite structure is in the steel contains 0.65wt%c. 0.3 0.65

wt% C
 Hypoeutectoid steels
Solution (cont.):

(c) Pro-eutectoid α in steel 1(0.3wt%C)

0.76  0.3
wt %  100%  62.33%
0.76  0.022
Steel 1 contains 62.33wt% pro-eutectoid
ferrite, and 37.67wt%pearlite

Pro-eutectoid α in steel 2 (0.65wt%C) 0.76

0.022
0.76  0.65
wt %  100%  14.91%
0.76  0.022

Steel 2 contains 14.19wt% pro-eutectoid

ferrite and 85.81wt% pearlite
wt% C
 * Peritectic point

Peritectic Point is where a liquid and a solid phase cool sufficiently to solidify.

Peritectic temperature
Liquid phase +Solid Phase cooling Solid Phase 3
Heating

Can you write down the peritectic reaction in Fe-C system?

 Summary

• Eutectic point, Eutectic temperature, Eutectic composition, Eutectic reaction, Eutectic

structure
• Steels can be defined by microstructure as:
a) Hypoeutectoid steels: contain pro-eutectoid ferrite and pearlite
b) Eutectoid steel: contains 100% pearlite
c) Hypereutectoid steels: contain pro-eutectoid cementite and pearlite

• Microstructures affect the mechanical properties of the steels

• Eutectoid reaction is reversible

Eutectoid temperature
Solid Phase 1 cooling Solid Phase 2 + Solid Phase 3
Heating

• Eutectoid product (during cooling) – Pearlite