Redistribution of carbon during intermediate austentic transformation

Conclusions

• 1. It has been experimentally established that carbon redistribution in austenite is a prerequisite forγ→α transformation in the intermediate range.

• 2. The redistribution of carbon leads to the formation of regions with varying carbon concentration. The regions with the lowest carbon concentration assure the possibility for martensitic transformation to take place at the intermediate range temperatures. The peculiarities of carbon redistribution in austenite depend on the initial carbon contents in steel and the character of alloying.

• 3. Carbon redistribution and the presence of regions with an altered parameter of the austenite lattice may be observed only if they are relatively stable and the formation of carbides is inhibited. At 0.8–1% C contents in alloyed, as well as carbon steels, carbides form, apparently, fairly rapidly and the lattice spacing of undecomposed austenite remains, therefore, unchanged.