Kinetics and Crystallography of Intragranular Pearlite Transformation Nucleated at (MnS+VC) Complex Precipitates in Hypereutectoid Fe-Mn-C Alloys

Abstract

Kinetics and crystallography of intragranular pearlite nucleated at the surface of (MnS+VC) complex precipitate were studied in hypereutectoid Fe-Mn-C steels. The incoherent MnS embedded in the austenite does not act as a strong nucleation site of pearlite unless the transformation time is prolonged. The intragranular pearlite transformation is promoted effectively by the addition of vanadium (V). EPMA analysis showed that the intragranular pearlite nucleates on the (MnS+VC) complex precipitate in the V-added alloy. As the transformation temperature decreases, the intragranular pearlite formation occurs more frequently. A single intragranular pearlite is composed of several colonies, indicating that multiple pearlite colonies nucleate on a (MnS+VC) complex precipitate for intragranular pearlite transformation. There is no specific orientation relationship (OR) between ferrite in intragranular pearlite and austenite matrix while there is a specific OR (Pitsch-Petch OR) between pearlitic ferrite and cementite in the intragranular pearlite.