An Atom-Probe Study of Bainite

H. K. D. H. Bhadeshia and A. R Waugh

Abstract

This research paper details a specialized atom-probe investigation into the bainite transformation process within steel alloys. By utilizing high-resolution spectrometry, the authors examined compositional changes at phase interfaces to determine how carbon and substitutional alloying elements redistribute during growth. The findings suggest that bainitic-ferrite initially forms with a high level of carbon supersaturation, similar to a martensitic mechanism, rather than through immediate diffusion. This study confirms the existence of an incomplete-reaction phenomenon and provides a thermodynamic framework to explain the non-uniform carbon levels observed in the remaining austenite. Ultimately, the evidence supports a model where sub-units of bainite grow rapidly and subsequently expel excess carbon into the surrounding material.

Proc. of the International Solid-Solid Phase Transformations Conference, Pittsburgh, 1981, pp. 993-998. Published by The Metallurgical Society of the A. I. M. E., Warrendale, PA, USA.

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