The Iron Carbon Phase Diagram

Describe Fe-C diagram?

There is more to the iron-carbon phase diagram than related in the

backbone. In particular, there is some nomenclature that I avoided in the
main text but that is important for understanding other writings about iron
and steel.

The important boundaries (the lines) separating phases have some

universally used abbreviations:

A1: The upper limit of the ferrite / cementite phase field (horizontal line going
through the eutectoid point).

A2: The temperature where iron looses its magnetism (so-called Curie
temperature).

Note that for pure iron this is still in the a-phase.

A3: The boundary between the g austenite and the austenite/ ferrite field.

A4: The point in this case where a changes to d at high temperatures.

ACM: The boundary between the g austenite and the austenite / cementite
field.

In their simplest form, steels are alloys of Iron (Fe) and Carbon (C). The study
of the constitution and structure of iron and steel start

with the iron-carbon phase diagram. It is also the basis understanding of the
heat treatment of steels.

There are some important metallurgical phases and micro constituents in thr
iron carbon system. At the low-carbon end is the ferrite (alpha-iron)

and austenite (gamma iron). Ferrite can at most dissolve 0.028 wt% C at 727
deg C and austenite (Gamma iron) can dissolve 2.11 wt% C at 1148 deg C.

At the carbon-rich side there is cementite (Fe3C).

Between the single-phase fields are found regions with mixtures of two
phases, such as ferrite & cementite, austenite & cementite, and ferrite &
austenite.
At the highest temperatures, the liquid phase field can be found and below
this are the two phase fields liquid & austenite, liquid & cementite, and liquid
& ferrite. In heat treating of steels, the liquid phase is always avoided. Some
important boundaries at single-phase fields have been given special names
that facilitate the understanding of the diagram.

Main micro-structures of iron and steels in equilibrium are

1. Austenite or gammairon phase – Austenite is a high temperature phase

and has a Face Centred Cubic (FCC) structure (which is a close packed
structure). gamma-iron is having good strength and toughness but it is
unstable below 723 deg C.

2. Ferrite or alpha-iron phase – It is relatively soft low temperature phase and

is a stable equilibrium phase. Ferrite is a common constituent in steels and
has a Body Centred Cubic (BCC) structure (which is less densely packed than
FCC). ?-iron is soft , ductile and has low strength and good toughness.

3. Cementite – It is Fe3C or iron carbide. It is intermediate compound of Fe

and C. It has a complex orthorhombic structure and is a metastable phase. It
is hard, brittle and has low tensile strength, good compression strength and
low toughness

4. Pearlite is the ferrite-cementite phase mixture. It has a characteristic

appearance and can be treated as a micro structural entity or micro
constituent. It is an aggregate of alternating ferrite and cementite lamellae
that degenerates (“spheroidizes” or “coarsens”) into cementite particles
dispersed with a ferrite matrix after extended holding below 723 deg C. It is
a eutectoid and has BCC structure. It is a partially soluble solution of Fe and
C. It has high strength and low toughness.

In case of non-equilibrium solidification of Fe-C system the following main

micro structures may be formed.

• Bainite is a phase between pearlite and marten site. It is hard metastable

micro constituent; non lamellar mixture of ferrite and cementite on an
extremely fine scale. Upper bainite is formed at higher temperatures has a
feathery appearance. Lower bainite is formed at lower temperatures has an
acicular appearance. The hardness of bainite increases with decreasing
temperature of formation. It is having good strength and toughness.

• Martensite is formed by rapid cooling and is hard and brittle. It is super

saturated solution of C atoms in ferrite. It has a bct structure and a hard
metastable phase. It has lath morphology when 1.0 wt% C and mixture of
those in between. It is having high strength and hardness and low toughness.

• Sorbite / troostite

There are many temperatures and critical points in the Iron-C diagram which
are important both from the basic and the practical point of view.

• The A1 temperature at which the eutectoid reaction occurs, which is 723

Deg. C in the diagram. A1 is called eutectoid temperature and is the
minimum temperature for austenite.

• At the lower-temperature boundary of the austenite region at low carbon

contents is the ?/? + ? boundary.

• Acm is the counterpart boundary for high carbon contents, that is, the ?/?
+ Fe3C boundary (Pearlite boundary). The carbon content at which the
minimum austenite temperature is attained is called the eutectoid carbon
content (0.77 wt% C).

• The A4 temperature at which austenite transforms to ?-iron, 1390 Deg. C in

pure iron but this temperature is increased as carbon is added.

• The A2 temperature is the Curie point when iron changes from the ferro to
the paramagnetic condition. This temperature is 769 Deg. C for pure iron, but
no change in crystal structure is involved.

• Accm is the temperature when in hypereutectoid steel at which the

solution of cementite in austenite is completed during heating.

• Ac1 is the temperature at which austenite begins to form during heating,

with the c being derived from the French chauffant.

• Ac3 is the temperature at which transformation of ferrite to austenite is

completed during heating.

• Aecm, Ae1, Ae3 are the temperatures of phase changes at equilibrium.

• Arcm is the temperature when in hypereutectoid steel, the temperature at

which precipitation of cementite starts during cooling, with the r being
derived from the French refroidissant.

• Ar1 is the temperature at which transformation of austenite to ferrite or to

ferrite plus cementite is completed during cooling.

• Ar3 is the temperature at which austenite begins to transform to ferrite

during cooling.
• Ar4 is the temperature at which delta ferrite transforms to austenite during
cooling.

• Ms (or Ar”) is the temperature at which transformation of austenite to

martensite starts during cooling.

• Mf is the temperature at which martensite formation finishes during

cooling.

All of the changes, except the formation of martensite, occur at lower

temperatures during cooling than during heating and depend on the rate of
change of temperature.

The austenite- ferrite transformation

Under equilibrium conditions, pro-eutectoid ferrite will form in iron-carbon

alloys containing up to 0.8 per cent carbon. The reaction occurs at 910 Deg.
C in pure iron, but takes place between 910 Deg. C and 723 Deg. C in iron-
carbon alloys.

However, by quenching from the austenitic state to temperatures below the

eutectoid temperature Ae1, ferrite can be formed down to temperatures as
low as 600 Deg. C. There are pronounced morphological changes as the
transformation temperature is lowered, which it should be emphasized apply
in general to hypo-and hyper-eutectoid phases, although in each case there
will be variations due to the precise crystallography of the phases involved.
For example, the same principles apply to the formation of cementite from
austenite, but it is not difficult to distinguish ferrite from cementite
morphologically.

The austenite-cementite transformation

The Dube classification applies equally well to the various morphologies of

cementite formed at progressively lower transformation temperatures. The
initial development of grain boundary allotriomorphs is very similar to that of
ferrite, and the growth of side plates or Widmanstaten cementite follows the
same pattern. The cementite plates are more rigorously crystallographic in
form, despite the fact that the orientation relationship with austenite is a
more complex one.

As in the case of ferrite, most of the side plates originate from grain
boundary allotriomorphs, but in the cementite reaction more side plates
nucleate at twin boundaries in austenite.

The austenite-pearlite reaction

Pearlite is the most familiar micro structural feature in the whole science of
metallography. It was discovered by Sorby over a century ago, who correctly
assumed it to be a lamellar mixture of iron and iron carbide.

Pearlite is a very common constituent of a wide variety of steels, where it

provides a substantial contribution to strength. Lamellar eutectoid structures
of this type are widespread in metallurgy, and frequently pearlite is used as a
generic term to describe them.

These structures have much in common with the cellular precipitation

reactions. Both types of reaction occur by nucleation and growth, and are,
therefore, diffusion controlled. Pearlite nuclei occur on austenite grain
boundaries, but it is clear that they can also be associated with both pro-
eutectoid ferrite and cementite. In commercial steels, pearlite nodules can
nucleate on inclusions.

It may be seen that the normal Iron carbon equilibrium diagram represents
the metastable equilibrium between iron and iron carbide. Cementite is
metastable as the true equilibrium is between iron and graphite. Although
graphite occurs extensively in cast irons (2 to 4 wt per cent carbon), it is
usually difficult to obtain this equilibrium phase in steels (0.03 to1.5 wt per
cent carbon). Therefore, the metastable equilibrium between iron and iron
carbide is normally considered, since it is relevant to the behavior of a
variety of steels in practice.

On comparing austenite (gamma iron) with ferrite (alpha-iron) it is noticed

that solubility of carbon is more in austenite with a maximum value of just
over 2 wt per cent at 1147 Deg. C. This high solubility of carbon in austenite
is extremely important in heat treatment, when solution treatment in the
austenite followed by rapid quenching to room temperature allows formation
of a supersaturated solid solution of carbon in iron.

The ferrite phase is restricted with a maximum carbon solubility of 0.02 wt

per cent at 723 Deg. C. Since the carbon range available in common steels is
from 0.05 to 1.5 wt per cent, ferrite is normally associated with cementite in
one or other form. Similarly, the ?-phase is very restricted and is in the
temperature range between 1390 and 1534 Deg. C and disappears
completely when the carbon content reaches 0.5 wt per cent.