The effect of the deoxidation and desulfurization products of Ce
2O
3 (the mean planar diameter,
dA=1.6 to 2.1 μm) and CeS (
dA=2.2 to 2.8 μm) particles on the austenite grain growth was studied in Fe-0.20 (0.09 and 0.53) mass%C-0.02 mass%P alloys. The melts at 1873 K were continuously cooled to 1673, 1573 and 1473 K and then were held for 0 to 180 min in the austenite single phase region. Grain growth in the presence of particles was strongly inhibited by the pinning effect and the mean grain size was independent of the carbon content for a given holding time, holding temperature, and volume fraction of Ce
2O
3 particles (
fV=0.08 to 0.12 %). The planar limiting grain diameter,
DA, obtained at holding times of more than 60 min, was found to be significantly smaller than that predicted from the Zener relation, and the deviation from this relation increased with increasing the
dA/
fV value. The fraction of particles at the grain boundaries, Φ
A=0.07 to 0.23, was about 20 to 60 times higher than that estimated from the random distribution from the Zener limit. Based on these values for Φ
A, the limiting grain size was discussed as a function of
fV value, and the present results for Ce
2O
3 and CeS particles were compared with those obtained for the MgO and ZrO
2 particles in Fe-0.20 mass%C-0.02 mass%P and Fe-10 mass%Ni alloys.
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