Quantitative Characterization of the Structural Alignment in Fe-0.4C Alloy Transformed in High Magnetic Field

Abstract

Structural alignment in Fe–0.4C alloy transformed in high magnetic field has been evaluated by quantitative microscopy analysis. An aligned two-phase structure is formed in high magnetic field by austenite to ferrite transformation during slow cooling. Ferrite grains are elongated and connected with each other along the direction of magnetic field. The degree of alignment can be evaluated by measuring the number of intersections between test lines and ferrite/austenite phase boundaries. Results of measurement show that the degree of alignment increases continuously with increasing magnetic field strength up to 10 Tesla.