UNSW Australia

School of Materials Science and Engineering

Practical Laboratory Exercise

Steel Microstructures

I declare that this is my own work.

Name: Muhammad Amir Bin

Muhammad Arif
Date: 31 July 2023
Student No: z5441371
Group: Tuesday (25 July 2023) Mark:

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Microstructures and properties of materials
In this course, we have spent a lot of time discussing the mechanical properties of materials.
These properties are determined by both features at the atomic scale (e.g. the type, stiffness and
strength of the interatomic bonding, atomic packing arrangement) and larger-scale structural
features – the material’s microstructure. The important aspects of the microstructure include:
1. What are the phases present?
2. What is the grain size of each phase?
3. How are the phases distributed? i.e. are there alternating layers of two phases, as in a
eutectic or pearlite microstructure, are there particles of one phase surrounded by another
phase, etc.

These aspects of the microstructure are important for determining the mechanical properties of a
material for a number of reasons. For example, different phases have different intrinsic properties
(e.g. due to having different compositions and/or crystal structures), while an increased number
of grain boundaries or boundaries between phases (e.g. due to a smaller grain size or different
distribution of the phases) increases resistance to dislocation movement and hence increases
strength and hardness.

The microstructure of a material will be determined by both the composition and the way the
material has been processed (e.g. to what temperature has it been heated and what heating and
cooling rates have been used in processing). A phase diagram can be used to determine the
phases that would be expected to be present for a particular material composition if it has been
processed under equilibrium conditions. However, the phase diagram cannot predict grain sizes
and distribution of phases, and also cannot be used to predict the phases present under non-
equilibrium conditions.

Microstructures of steel
In the case of plain carbon steel, if it is heated to high temperatures (>~900°C) under equilibrium
conditions, austenite (γ-phase) should be the only phase present (see phase diagram below). Most
plain carbon steels have carbon contents < 0.76 wt%. Therefore, during slow cooling to room
temperature (i.e. under equilibrium conditions), the phase diagram tells us that initially some
austenite will transform to ferrite (α-phase) and then, at a temperature of 727°C, the remaining
austenite will transform to ferrite (α-phase) and cementite (Fe 3C). The austenite that transforms
at 727°C to a mixture of ferrite and cementite forms the pearlite microstructure – alternating
layers of ferrite and cementite. The ferrite that forms before the temperature reaches 727°C is
called primary or proeutectoid ferrite.

The ferrite and cementite phases have very different atomic structures and compositions, and
hence different mechanical properties. Ferrite has a low carbon content and is relatively soft and
ductile, while cementite has a higher carbon content and is hard and brittle. The properties of a
plain carbon steel that has been cooled slowly therefore depend on the carbon content of the
steel, which determines the relative amounts of ferrite and cementite in the final microstructure.

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At high temperatures, the microstructure of plain carbon steel consists of one single phase –
austenite – with uniform carbon content. The transformation from austenite to ferrite and
cementite requires diffusion of atoms, as the ferrite has a low carbon content, due to the low
solubility limit of carbon in ferrite, and the cementite has a high carbon content. Therefore,
during the phase transformation the carbon in the austenite phase has to be redistributed, with the
majority of the carbon atoms moving to the points in the microstructure where cementite is
forming from the austenite.

If the steel is cooled very quickly, there is not sufficient time for this movement (diffusion) of
atoms to occur. In this case, non-equilibrium phases can form. Martensite and bainite are
examples of a non-equilibrium phases that is often seen for plain carbon steels that have been
cooled very rapidly from high temperatures. Like austenite, martensite has a uniform carbon
content, but the carbon content is much higher than would be expected at room temperature – it
is a supersaturated solid solution of iron and carbon. This excess amount of carbon in the solid
solution makes the crystal structure very distorted, which makes movement of dislocations very
difficult. This means that martensite has high strength and hardness. Hence, a plain carbon steel
that has been cooled quickly has a very different microstructure and different mechanical
properties than one that has been cooled slowly.

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Laboratory Exercise
The aim of this laboratory activity is to observe the microstructure of three different plain carbon
steel samples and explain the difference in the microstructure based on the composition and heat
treatment that has been applied. The hardness of the three samples will also be measured and
explained.

The three samples to be studied are:

1. Plain carbon steel with a low carbon content of 0.25 wt% that has been heated to ~ 950°C
and cooled slowly in air
2. Plain carbon steel with a higher carbon content of 0.4 wt% that has been heated to
~ 950°C and cooled slowly in air
3. Plain carbon steel with a carbon content of 0.4 wt% that has been heated to 950°C and
quenched in water.

PART 1: Microstructures of steel

1. Sketch the microstructures of the three steel samples and identify the components present
(i.e. proeutectoid ferrite, pearlite, martensite). (3 pts)
2. For the two samples cooled in air:
a) use the Lever Rule to estimate from the phase diagram how much proeutectoid
ferrite and pearlite would be expected for the two samples. (4 pts)
b) making reference to the phase diagram, describe the phase transformations that
would occur as the samples were cooled from 950°C. (4 pts)

PART 2: Hardness testing

1. Make a table showing the measured hardness values of the three samples. (2 pts)
2. For the two samples cooled in air, explain the difference in the hardness in terms of the
difference in the relative amounts of the phases present in the microstructure. (3 pts)
3. For the sample quenched in water:
a) explain in terms of the microstructure why the hardness is higher than for the
sample with the same carbon content that was cooled in air. (3 pts)
b) identify the mechanical property of steel that may be adversely affected by
quenching. (1 pt)

Submission Instructions
1. Complete and sign the front page.
2. Your report should include the answers to the five questions listed above (two for Part 1 and
three for Part 2). A well-written, concise report should be no more than two pages (excluding
cover page and sketches of microstructures). Submit the report electronically using the
submission link on Moodle. The report is due one week after your laboratory.

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Answer:

PART 1: Microstructures of steel

1. Sketch the microstructures of the three steel samples and identify the components present
(i.e., proeutectoid ferrite, pearlite, martensite). (3 pts)

Figure 1: Sketch of the microstructure

2. For the two samples cooled in air:

a) use the Lever Rule to estimate from the phase diagram how much proeutectoid
ferrite and pearlite would be expected for the two samples. (4 pts)
 = 0.022 wt%

Fe3C = 6.70 wt%

Lever Rule:

0.4−0.022
Fe3C = = 0.057
6.7−0.022

Fe3C = 5.7% = 94.3%

b.) Referring to the phase diagram, describe the phase transformations that would
occur as the samples were cooled from 950°C. (4 pts)

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 -Starting at 950°C, the sample would be at the austenite phase. As it cooled down,
around 723 °C, it would begin to transform into mixture of ferrite and cementite,
also known as pearlite. The sample that cooled down form 950°C will get the
martensite structure if the temperature is at 250°C and being hold for 3 or 5
seconds.

PART 2: Hardness testing

1. Make a table showing the measured hardness values of the three samples. (2 pts)

Sample Hardness Value

proeutectoid ferrite 201.6
pearlite 234.8
martensite 394.6

2. For the two samples cooled in air, explain the difference in the hardness in terms of the
difference in the relative amounts of the phases present in the microstructure. (3 pts)

- Proeutectoid ferrite sample have ferrite phase microstructure, which is soft, when
these are cooled in air these ferrite phase microstructures are becoming fine because
interlamellar spacing distribute is reduced so it will have higher hardness value after
air cooled as compared to the before air cooled. Besides, pearlite have microstructure
of ferrite and cementite and after cooled in air, distance between ferrite and cementite
decrease. Due to presence of cementite microstructure in pearlite, pearlite have higher
hardness than proeutectoid ferrite sample.

3. For the sample quenched in water:

a) explain in terms of the microstructure why the hardness is higher than for the
sample with the same carbon content that was cooled in air. (3 pts)

When the sample is water quenched, FCC austenite experience a polymorphic

transformation to body-centered tetragonal (BCT) martensite forming super
saturated solid solution without diffusion. Such that, all the carbon atom remains
as interstitial impurities in the martensite, these carbon atoms hindered the
dislocation motion having very few slips system. Thus, hardness of quenched
sample(martensite) is higher than air cooled but during air cooling, there is
enough time available and carbon atom are easily diffuse inside sample hence it
formed pearlite microstructure, so it has less hardness.

b) identify the mechanical property of steel that may be adversely affected by

quenching. (1 pts)

Ductility and toughness of steel are the mechanical property which has decreased
by quenching due to dislocation motion are hindered by interstitial carbon atom
and it have fewer active slips system.

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