An accurate consideration is given on the carburizing of iron by gases which has heretofore been wrongly represented thus:
3Fe+2CO=Fe3C+CO
2……(1)
Since solid cementite is unstable and is decomposed at all temperatures into graphite, the reaction
Fe
3C→3Fe+C……(2)
is complete. Then by adding the equilibrium (3), i.e.,
2CO C+CO
2……(3)
to (2), we obtain
Fe
3C+CO
2→3Fe+2CO……(4)
which does not permit solid cementite to be produced by the reaction of iron with CO.
The carburizing reaction must be represented as follows:-
(Solid soln.)+2CO C(Solid soln.)+CO
2The carbon content in the solid solution rises with the increase in the partial pressure of CO, until it becomes saturated with carbon. The equilibrium taking place over the saturated solid solution CO-existing with carbon is
2CO C+CO
2……(5)
These behaviors are shown in Fig. 2. Combining Fig. 2 with the Fe-C diagram, in which the solid solubility of oxygen may be neglected, the carburizing equilibria may be understood.
From the above considerations, it is possible to determine, by resorting to a method where thin iron plates are carburized and the saturation content of carbon analyzed, the solubility curve of carbon in Austenite, that is, the ES curve in the Fe-C diagram which has already been obtained by thermal analyses. The experimental results are shown in Fig. 4.
The solubility of carbon in α-iron is so small that below the eutectoid temperature carburizing can scarcely occur and only up to 0·03% C. Consequently, at these temperatures, decarburizing of steel is inevitable in spite of the reducing nature of the atmosphere.
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