Martensite

Cast Iron

Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The colour of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due to its carbide impurities which allow cracks to pass straight through. Grey cast iron is named after its grey fractured surface, which occurs because the graphitic flakes deflect a passing crack and initiate countless new cracks as the material breaks.

Cast Iron Auto Part

Carbon (C) and silicon (Si) are the main alloying elements, with the amount ranging from 2.1 to 4 wt% and 1 to 3 wt%, respectively. Iron alloys with less carbon content are known as steel.

(continue reading…)

Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) is...

Foundry and Casting A foundry is a factory that produces...

Phase Diagram of Steel Fe-Fe3C Phase Diagram, Materials Science...

Aluminum alloy Aluminum Alloy Wheel An alloy is a material...

Cast Iron

Martensite Formation

Martensite is a hard, brittle form of steel with a tetragonal crystalline structure, created by a process called martensitic transformation. It is named after metallurgist Adolf Martens (1850-1914), who discovered its structure under his microscope during his metallographic research and explained how the physical properties of different types of steel were affected by their microscopic crystalline structures. Martensite commonly is found in tools such as hammers and chisels and in swords.

Figure 1 - The martensite is formed by rapid cooling

The martensite is formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of austenite which traps carbon atoms that do not have time to diffuse out of the crystal structure. This martensitic reaction begins during cooling when the austenite reaches the martensite start temperature (Ms) and the parent austenite becomes mechanically unstable. At a constant temperature below Ms, a fraction of the parent austenite transforms rapidly, then no further transformation will occur. When the temperature is decreased, more of the austenite transforms to martensite. Finally, when the martensite finish temperature (Mf) is reached, the transformation is complete.

(continue reading…)