The chemical analysis of alloying elements in carbides and ferrite in special steels were carried out by electrolytic isolation method, and the adaptability of Nernst’s partition law to the distribution of alloying elements between ferrite and carbides in annealed steel was proved experimentally. From the balance of the alloying element in steel (M%), in cementite (〈M〉%) and in ferrite ([M]%), the following partition equations may be deduced:
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where Cm represents the percentage of cementite in steel, and the partition coefficient 〈M〉⁄[M] is determined experimentally as follows: Cr; 28, Mn; 10.5, V; 9.0, Mo; 7.5, W; 2.0, Ni; 0.34, Co; 0.23, Si; 0.03. It is evident from the above values that the carbide-forming elements have 〈M〉⁄M>1, that is they concentrate in cementite, particularly in the case of low carbon steel, and on the contrary, the non carbide-forming elements have 〈M〉⁄M<1, or are pooly distributed in cementite, especially in low carbon steel.
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