IRON-CARBON EQUILIBRIUM
DIAGRAM
Cooling curve for pure iron
Ferrite, BCC structure
Ferromagnetic,
Fairly ductile
Austenite, FCC
structure, Non-magnetic,
ductile
Iron, BCC
structure
Paramagnetic
Different structures
Various phases that appear on the Iron-
Carbon equilibrium phase diagram are as
under:
• Ferrite
• Austenite
• Cementite
Definition of structures
Ferrite is known as α solid solution.
It is an interstitial solid solution of a
small amount of carbon dissolved in α (BCC)
iron.
stable form of iron below 912 deg.C
The maximum solubility is 0.025 % C at
723C and it dissolves only 0.008 % C at
room temperature.
It is the softest structure that appears on the
diagram.
Definition of structures
Austenite is an solid solution of
Carbon dissolved in (F.C.C.) iron.
Maximum solubility is 2.0 % C at 1130°C.
High formability, most of heat
treatments begin with this single phase.
Definition of structures
Cementite or iron carbide, is very hard,
brittle intermetallic compound of iron &
carbon, as Fe3C, contains 6.67 % C.
It is the hardest structure that appears on the
diagram, exact melting point unknown.
Principal phases of steel and their
Characteristics
Crystal
Phase Characteristics
structure
Ferrite BCC Soft, ductile, magnetic
Soft, moderate
Austenite FCC strength, non-
magnetic
Compound of Iron
Cementite & Carbon Fe3C Hard &brittle
CARBON LINE
EUTECTOID EUTECTIC
HYPO HYPER HYPO HYPER
0 0.8 2.1 4.3 6.67
STEEL CAST-IRON
The Iron Carbon Diagram
A map of the temperature at which different
phase changes occur on very slow heating
and cooling in relation to Carbon, is called
Iron- Carbon Diagram.
Iron- Carbon diagram shows
the typeof alloys formed under
very slow cooling,
proper heat-treatment temperature and
how the properties of steels and cast
irons
can be radically changed by heat-treatment.
The Iron Carbon
It is the graphical representation of the effect of temperature and
Diagram
composition upon the phase present in alloy.
An equilibrium diagram is constructed by plotting temp. along Y
axis and % of C along X axis.
This diagram shows range of temp & composition within which
the various phases change are stable and also the boundaries at
which the phase change occurs.
It establish a correlation between the micro structure and
properties of steel and cast iron and provide a basis for heat
treatment process.
Iron carbon diagram form a basis for differentiating b/w hypo
eutectoid steel (0-0.8%C), hyper eutectoid steel (0.8- 2%C), hypo
eutectic Cast iron (2-4.2%C) and hyper eutectic Cast iron (4.2-
6.67%C)
PERITECTIC
EUTECTIC
EUTECTOID
The Iron Carbon Diagram
The Austenite to ferrite / cementite transformation in
relation to Fe-C diagram
Various Features of Fe-C diagram
Phases present
Reactions
Peritectic L + = ferrite
BCC structure
BCC structure
Eutectic L = + Fe 3C Paramagnetic
Ferromagnetic
Eutectoid = + Fe3C Fairly ductile
austenite Fe3C cementite
FCC structure Orthorhombic
Max. solubility of C in
Non- Hard
ferrite=0.022% magnetic brittle
ductile
Max. solubility of
C in
austenite=2.11%
Three Phase
Reactions
Peritectic, at 1490 deg.C, with low 0.16 wt% C alloys
(almost no engineering importance).
Eutectic, at 1130 deg.C, with 4.3wt% C, alloys called
cast irons.
Eutectoid, at 723 deg.C with eutectoid composition of
0.8wt% C, two-phase mixture (ferrite & cementite).
They are steels.
The Iron-Iron Carbide Diagram
The diagram shows three horizontal lines which indicate
isothermal reactions (on cooling / heating):
First horizontal line is at 1490°C, and with low 0.16 %C
where
PERITECTIC reaction takes place:
Liquid + iron ↔ austenite or (L + = )
or L + Solis1 ↔ Solid2
Second horizontal line is at 1130°C, and
with 4.3wt% C where
EUTECTIC reaction takes place:
liquid ↔ austenite + cementite or (L = +
Fe 3C) or
Third horizontal line is at 723°C, and 0.8% C where
L↔ Solis1 + Solid2
EUTECTOID reaction takes place:
austenite ↔ ferrite + cementite or = + Fe3C or
Solis1 ↔ Solid2 + Solis3
The Austenite to ferrite / cementite transformation in
relation to Fe-C diagram
Hypo-eutectoid steels: Steels having less than
0.8% carbon are called hypo-eutectoid steels
(hypo means "less than").
Consider the cooling of a typical hypo-
eutectoid alloy along line y-y‘.
At high temperatures the material is
entirely austenite.
Upon cooling it enters a region where the stable
phases are ferrite and austenite.
The low-carbon ferrite nucleates and
grows,
The Austenite to ferrite / cementite
transformation in relation to Fe-C
Hypo-eutectoid
diagram steels-
At 723°C, the remaining
austenite will have assumed
the eutectoid composition
(0.8% carbon), and further
cooling transforms it to
pearlite.
The resulting structure, is a
mixture of primary or pro-
eutectoid ferrite (ferrite that
forms before the eutectoid
reaction) and regions of
pearlite.
The Austenite to ferrite / cementite transformation
in relation to Fe-C diagram
Hyper-eutectoid steels (hyper
means
"greater than") are those that contain more
than the eutectoid amount of Carbon.
When such a steel cools, as along line z-z' ,
the process is similar to the hypo-eutectoid
steel, except that the primary or pro-eutectoid
phase is now cementite instead of ferrite.
The Austenite to ferrite / cementite transformation in
relation to Fe-C diagram
As the carbon-rich phase nucleates and grows,
the remaining austenite decreases in carbon
content, again reaching the eutectoid
composition at 723°C.
This austenite transforms to pearlite upon slow
cooling through the eutectoid temperature.
The resulting structure consists of primary
cementite and pearlite.
The continuous network of primary cementite
will cause the material to be extremely brittle.
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