Iron-Carbon Phase Diagram

Jairo Andres Coral Campa na Ingenieria de Materiales Facutad de Ingenieria Quimica. Universidad de America (Dated: October 26, 2010) Iron is by far the least expensive of all the metals and, next to aluminum, the most plentiful. Iron and its many alloys constitutes abot 90 percent of the

world s production of metals. Pure iron itself is used only for a relatively few special applications. Most iron is used in the form of plain-carbon steels, which are alloys of iron and carbon with small amounts of other elements. In this paper the study of iron-carbon (Fe C) alloys starts from their phase diagram. Keywords: Iron, carbon,

alloys, steel, cast iron. 1. ELEMENTAL IRON Very pure iron is produced only in small quantities and is used principally for research purposes. By zone refining, it can be made more than 99.99 percent pure. The yield strength of this pure iron is very low, being about 7500 psi. Slightly less pure iron (99.9 percent) i sproduced commercially

and has a higher yield strength (10000 to 20000 psi). Small quantities of elements such as carbon, manganese, phosphorus, and sufur produce this great increase in the strength of elemental iron. Pure iron exists in three allotropic forms: alpha (), gamma ) (, and delta (). From room temperature to 910o C, pure iron has a body-centered cubic (BCC)

crystal structure, and is called a iron. a iron is ferromagntc, but on hatingto 768oC (Curie Point), the ferromagnetism disappears but the crystal structure remanins BCC. Nonferromagnetic a iron is stable up tp 910oC and then is transformed into face-centered cubic (FCC) . iron. Upon heating to 1403oC, the . iron is transformed back again into the BCC structure as

d iron, which is stable up to the mlting point of pure iron, 1535oC. The high-temperature BCC iron has a longer cube edge than BCC a iron.[2] 2. THE Fe Fe3C ALLOY SYSTEM Fe C alloys containing from a trace to about 1.2% carbon (abbreviated 1.2% C ) and with only minor amounts of other elements are

termed plain-carbon steels. However, the plain-carbon steels will be treated as essentially binary Fe C alloys. 2.1. Fe F3C Phase Diagram The phases present at varios temperatures for vey slowly cooled Fe-C alloys with up to 6.67% C are shown in the phase diagram of figure 1. This phase diagram is not a true equilibriumdiagram since

the intermetallic compound iron carbide (Fe3C), or cementite as it is called, is not a true equilibrium phase. Under certain email: jacoralc@unal.edu.co conditions cementite will descompose into the more stable phases of graphite and iron. However, once Fe3C is formed, it is for all practical purposes very stable and therefore can be treated as an equilibrium

phase diagram.

FIG. 1 Diagrama de Fases Hiero-Carburo de hierro.[1] 2.2. Solid Phases in the Fe Fe3C Phase Diagram The Fe Fe3C phase diagram contains four solid phases: a ferrite, austenite, cementite (Fe3C), and d ferrite. A description of each of these phases follows. a Ferrite: The solid solution of carbon

in a iron is termed a ferrite, or simply ferrite. This phase has a BCC crystal structure, and at 0% C it corresponds to a iron. Austenite: The solid solution of carbon in . iron is designated austenite. It has a FCC crystal structure and a much greater solid solubility for carbon than a ferrite. The difference in

the solid solubility of carbon in austenite and a ferrite is the basis for the hardening of most steels. Cementite: The intermetallic Fe-C compound F3C is called cementite. Iron carbide (Fe3C) has negligible solubility limits and contains 6.67% C and 93.3% Fe.

Cementite, wich is a hard and brittle compound, has an orthorhombic crystal structure with 12 iron atoms and four carbon atoms per unit cell (2). d Ferrite: The solid solution of carbon in d iron is called d ferrite. It has a BCC crystal structure, but with a different lattice parameter than a ferrite.

FIG. 2 The atomic structure of cementite (Fe3C). Positions of the carbon atoms are indicated by the small solid spheres. [3] 2.3. Eutectoid, Hypoeutectoid, and Hypereutectoid Plain-Carbon Steels A plain-carbon steel containing 0.8% C is termed a eutectoid steel since the eutectoid transformation of austenite to cementite and ferrite occurs at this composition. If the carbon content of

the steel is less than 0.8% C, it is designated a hypoeutectoid steel. Most steels produced commercially are hypoeutectoid steels. Steels containing more than 0.8% C are called hypereutectoid steels. Hypereutectoid steels with up to about 1.2% C are produced commercially. When the carbon content of the steel goes beyond 1.2 percnt, the steel becomes very brittle, and thus few

steels are made with more than 1.2% C. In order to increase the strength of steels, other alloying elements are added which increase the strength as well as maintaining ductility and toughness.[2] Structural forms of steels are commonly classified by the amount of carbon in steel. Steel that has very little carbon is called ferrite. Steel containing 0.8%

C is called pearlite. Steel that has a carbon content above 0.8% contains some cementite (figure 3). Pearlite is a mixture of ferrite and cementite. It exists at room temperature and is magnetic. Under a microscope, pearlite appears as a series of layers, resembling an aerial view of newly plowed fields. See figure 4. The

FIG. 3 Steel can be classified as ferrite, pearlite or cementite, depending on its percentage of carbon. Cast iron contains more than aproximately 2% carbon.[4] black ridges are cementite, and the white ridges are ferrite. Thus, the pearlite is made up of alternating layers of ferrite and cementite. In steel with 0.8% C, the ferrite and cementite are

sufficiently balanced so the entire microscopic view contains ridges. If there is less than 0.8% C, the steel will b a mixture of ferrite and pearlite, and only certain parts of the view will appear as ridges. If the steel has more than 0.8% C, it will be a mixture of cemntite and pearlite. Figure 5 shows the relationship the

composition of steel at various percentages of carbon.

FIG. 4 This microscope view reveals the pearlite structure of 1095 steel.[4] 3. IRON-CARBON PHASE DIAGRAM (STEELS) The iron-carbon phase diagram is used to identify the different structures of steel that occurs at various temperatures for a given percentage of carbon. A simplified version of the diagram

is shown in figure 6. From the iron-carbon phase diagram you can tell what structure iron takes at any given temperature if you know the percentage of carbon present. The diagrams allows you to determinate whether the steel is ferrite, pearlite, cementite, austenite or any combination of these

FIG.5Thischartshowstheeffectofdifferentpercentagesofcarbononthepresenseofferrite ,pearliteandcementiteinsteel.[4] FIG.6Abasiciron-carbonphasediagram.[4] fourstructures.First,however,youmustknowthefollowinginformation: Thetemperatureofsteel. Thepercentageofcarboninsteel. Thehistoryoftheheattreatmentforthesteel. upper transformation temperature line. At the lower transformation temperature, the transformation of iron to austenite begins. At the upper transformation temperature, the transition to austenite is complete. Any steel structure that occurs above the upper transformation line is pure austenite, figure 7. Any steel structure that occurs

below the lower transformation line contains no austenite. Iron structures that occur below the lower transformation temperature line are ferrite, pearlite, cementite, of combinations of these structures. See figure 8.

FIG. 8 Different structures of ferrite, pearlite and cementite occur below the lower transformation temperature line. The material depicted in this diagram not have been previously heat

treated or quenched.[4] In the two triangular areas between the upper and lower transformations temperature lines, a mixture of austenite with either ferrite, pearlite or cementite occurs. See figure 9. To the left of the ferrite and austenite transformation region is a smaller triangular area. This is the 100% ferrite region. In this area, all of the carbon

added is dissolved in the iron. There is not pearlite or cementite. FIG.7Abovetheuppertransformationtemperatureline,steeltakesthestructureofaustenit e.[4] Thearetwoimportantlinesshownonaniron-carbonphasediagram.Thelowerofthetwolinesist helowertransformationtemperatureline.Theupperlineisthe FIG.9Amixtureofaustnitewithferrite,pearlite,and/orcementiteoccursbetweentheupper andthelowertransformationtemperaturelines.Thematerialdepictedinthisdiagramnothavebeenpreviouslyheattr eatedorquenched.[4]

3.1. Using an Iron-Carbon Phase Diagram One the best ways to learn to use an iron-carbon phase diagram is to take a sample of steel and follow its journey through the diagram. The following steps illustrate how to read a typical diagram and identify different structures of steel. 1. Assume that the steel is at room temperature

and contains 0.4% carbon. This is represented by point A en figure 10. Since the steel is below th lower transformations temperature, it contains no austnite. Point A is nearly midway between the 100% ferrite limiting line and the 100% pearlite line. The material is approximately half ferrite and half pearlite. 2. Next, assume the material is heated to above

540oC at poit B. What structure is it now? Since the steel is still below th lower transformation temperature line, no austenite is present. Point B is slightly closer to the 100% ferrite limiting line than it is to the 100% pearlite line, since the 100% ferrite line has moved slightly to the right. This structure contains 50%-51% ferrite and

49%-50% pearlite. 3. Now assume the material is heated to 720oC at point C. At 720oC, the structure is 52% ferrite and 48% pearlite (point C falls just to the left of the 50% ferrite/pearlite line). However, at this temperature, some key changes start to take place. Above 720oC, the pearlite changes to austenite. Theoretically, all of the pearlite suddenly

changes to austenite at temperature near 720oC. In reality, the change occurs over a small range of temperatures near 720oC. 4. Next, the material is heated to 740oC at point D. All of the parlite as changed to austenite. The structuure is now approximately 52% ferrite and 48% austenita. 5. At 760oC, the steel is at point E. It is

closer to the 100% austenite limiting line than it is to the 100% ferrite limiting line. Therefore, the material now contains more austenite than ferrite. It is approximately 63% austenite and 37% ferrite. 6. Just before the steel reaches the upper transformation temperature line, at point F (at approximately 790oC), it has almost completely changed to austenite. Perhaps 10% ferrite

is left, and the rest of the material has changed to austenite. Thus, the steel is now approximately 90% austenite and 10% ferrite. 7. At 840oC, the matrial is at point G. It has been completely transformed into austenite. No ferrite or pearlite remains. 8. As the material is heated higher to 930oC at point H, there is no further

structural change. It remains 100% austenite. Now, assume the steel is slowly cooled back to room temperature, figure 11. If the material is slowly cooled from 930oC to 840oC to 760oC and all the way down to

FIG. 10 This iron-carbon phase diagram shows the journey of 0.4% C steel when it is heated to an elevated

temperature. The material depicted in this diagram not have been previously heat treated or quenched. (63% Ferrite/37% austenite. * 48% Ferrite/ 52% pearlite).[4] 540oC, it will change back to ferrite and pearlite. The structures occuring at variious temperatures during cooling are the same that occur when steel is heated (in reverse order). Thus, when the steel is

coole and reaches 840oC, the structure is still 100% austenite. At point E, the steel again is 63% austenite and 37% ferrite. At point D, there is again 48% austenite and 52% ferrite. At point B, the entiresteel structure has changed back to ferrite and pearlite and no austenite remains.

FIG. 11 The diagrams follows the path

of 0.4% carbon-steel when it is cooled to room temperature. The material depicted in this diagram not have been previously heat treated or quenched.[4] References [1] Callister, William. Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, 6th Edition John Wiley and Sons Inc. New York. 2003. [2] Smith, William. Structure and Properties of Enginering Alloys, Second Edition McGraw

Hill Book Co. 1993. [3] http://www.wikipedia.org [4] Warner, J.C. and Brandt Daniel. Metallurgy Fundamentals, The Goodheart-Willcox Company Inc. USA. 2005