Multiphase field modeling of austenite to pearlite–ferrite transformation in hypoeutectoid steel

Abstract

Hypoeutectoid steel, a crucial metal structural material, is characterized by the coexisting microstructure of ferrite and pearlite. Driven by multiphase competition and multicomponent characteristics, the intricate interplay among its composition, processing conditions, and microstructure substantially complicates the understanding of austenite decomposition kinetics and elemental diffusion mechanisms during phase transformations. The present study explores the effects of cooling rate, prior austenite grain size, and C content on the component distribution and microstructure evolution during the austenite decomposition of hypoeutectoid steels to address the aforementioned complexities. Results of a multiphase field model reveal that an increase in the cooling rate from 1.0 to 7.0°C/s leads to a reduction in the ferrite proportion and fine pearlite lamellae spacing from 52vol% to 22vol% at 400°C and from 1.01 to 0.67 µm at 660°C, respectively. Concurrently, a decreased prior austenite grain size from 25.23 to 8.91 µm enhances the phase transformation driving force, resulting in small average grain sizes of pearlite clusters and proeutectoid ferrite. Moreover, increasing the C content from 0.22wt% to 0.37wt% decreases the phase transition temperature from 795 to 750°C and enhances the proportion of pearlite phases from 27vol% to 61vol% at 500°C, concurrently refining the spacing of pearlite layers from 1.25 to 0.87 µm at 600°C. Overall, this work aims to elucidate the complex dynamics governing the microstructural transformations of hypoeutectoid steels, thereby facilitating their wide application across different industrial scenes.

Keywords

hypoeutectoid steels / phase-field simulation / cooling rate / prior austenite grain size / carbon content

References

[1] Bhadeshia H, Honeycombe R. Steels: Microstructure and Properties. 20174th ed.Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann

[2] Zhou DS, Shiflet GJ. Ferrite: Cementite crystallography in pearlite. Metall. Trans. A. 1992, 2341259.

[3] Hawbolt EB, Chau B, Brimacombe JK. Kinetics of austenite–ferrite and austenite–pearlite transformations in a 1025 carbon steel. Metall. Trans. A. 1985, 164565.

[4] Sim HJ, Lee YB, Nam WJ. Ductility of hypo-eutectoid steels with ferrite–pearlite structures. J. Mater. Sci.. 2004, 3951849.

[5] Bae CM, Nam WJ, Lee CS. Effect of microstructural features on ductility in hypo-eutectoid steels. Scripta Mater.. 1999, 416605.

[6] Gladman T, Mclvor ID, Pickering FB. Some aspects of the structure-property relationships in high-carbon ferrite–pearlite steels. J. Iron Steel Inst.. 1972, 21012916

[7] Ray KK, Mondal D. The effect of interlamellar spacing on strength of pearlite in annealed eutectoid and hypoeutectoid plain carbon steels. Acta Metall. Mater.. 1991, 39102201.

[8] Houin JP, Simon A, Beck G. Relationship between structure and mechanical properties of pearlite between 0.2% and 0.8%C. Trans. Iron Steel Inst. Jpn.. 1981, 2110726.

[9] Lee SI, Kang JY, Lee SY, Hwang B. Effect of microstructural factors on strength and ductility in hypoeutectoid steels with ferrite–pearlite structure. J. Korean Soc. Heat Treat.. 2016, 2918.

[10] Zhang CL, Liu YZ, Zhou LY. Transformation conditions-microstructures–mechanical properties relationship in 0.60%C hypoeutectoid steel. Steel Res. Int.. 2011, 82101207.

[11] Thompson SW, Howell PR. Factors influencing ferrite/pearlite banding and origin of large pearlite nodules in a hypoeutectoid plate steel. Mater. Sci. Technol.. 1992, 89777.

[12] Schindler I, Němec J, Kawulok Pet al. . The combined effect of chemical composition and cooling rate on transformation temperatures of hypoeutectoid steels. Kovove Mater.. 2018, 563163.

[13] Parashivamurthy KI, Mallikarjuna C. Effect of manganese on the microstructure and TiC precipitation in hypoeutectoid steel. Mater. Manuf. Process.. 2013, 28111161.

[14] Rożniata E, Dziurka R. Analysis of the microstructure of 37MnMo6-3 hypoeutectoid steel. Arch. Mater. Sci. Eng.. 2012, 582125

[15] Maji S, Subhani AR, Show BK, Maity J. Effect of cooling rate on microstructure and mechanical properties of eutectoid steel under cyclic heat treatment. J. Mater. Eng. Perform.. 2017, 2673058.

[16] Kop TA, Sietsma J, Zwaag SVD. Dilatometric analysis of phase transformations in hypo-eutectoid steels. J. Mater. Sci.. 2001, 362519.

[17] Liu T, Long MJ, Fan HLet al. . Dilatometric determination of four critical temperatures and phase transition fraction for austenite decomposition in hypo-eutectoid steels using peak separation method. J. Mater. Res.. 2018, 338967.

[18] Dey I, Ghosh SK, Saha R. Effects of cooling rate and strain rate on phase transformation, microstructure and mechanical behaviour of thermomechanically processed pearlitic steel. J. Mater. Res. Technol.. 2019, 832685.

[19] Serajzadeh S, Taheri AK. A study on austenite decomposition during continuous cooling of a low carbon steel. Mater. Des.. 2004, 258673.

[20] Hu CL, Chen LQ, Zhao Z, Gong AJ, Shi WB. Effects of controlled cooling-induced ferrite–pearlite microstructure on the cold forgeability of XC45 steel. J. Mater. Eng. Perform.. 2018, 2762772.

[21] Feng HB, Li SH, Wang KXet al. . Effect of deformation parameters on the austenite dynamic recrystallization behavior of a eutectoid pearlite rail steel. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater.. 2024, 315833.

[22] Wang XL, Xie ZJ, Li XC, Shang CJ. Recent progress in visualization and digitization of coherent transformation structures and application in high-strength steel. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater.. 2024, 3161298.

[23] Liu ZQ, Miyamoto G, Yang ZG, Furuhara T. Volume fractions of proeutectoid ferrite/pearlite and their dependence on prior austenite grain size in hypoeutectoid Fe–Mn–C alloys. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 2013, 44125456.

[24] Hu Y, Chen WQ, Han HB, Bai RJ. Effect of proeutectoid ferrite morphology on the microstructure and mechanical properties of hot rolled 60Si2MnA spring steel. High Temp. Mater. Process.. 2017, 362127.

[25] Tomota Y, Watanabe O, Kanie A, Moriai A, Minakawa N, Moriai Y. Effect of carbon concentration on tensile behaviour of pearlitic steels. Mater. Sci. Technol.. 2003, 19121715.

[26] B. Su, Q.X. Ma, and Z.Q. Han, Modeling of austenite decomposition during continuous cooling process in heat treatment of hypoeutectoid steel with cellular automaton method, Steel Res. Int., 88(2017), No. 9, art. No. 1600490.

[27] Mecozzi MG, Bos C, Sietsma J. A mixed-mode model for the ferrite-to-austenite transformation in a ferrite/pearlite microstructure. Acta Mater.. 2015, 88302.

[28] Serajzadeh S. Modelling of temperature history and phase transformations during cooling of steel. J. Mater. Process. Technol.. 2004, 1463311.

[29] Thiessen RG, Richardson IM, Sietsma J. Physically based modelling of phase transformations during welding of low-carbon steel. Mater. Sci. Eng. A. 2006, 4271–2223.

[30] J. Teixeira, M. Moreno, S.Y.P. Allain, C. Oberbillig, G. Geandier, and F. Bonnet, Intercritical annealing of cold-rolled ferrite–pearlite steel: Microstructure evolutions and phase transformation kinetics, Acta Mater., 212(2021), art. No. 116920.

[31] C. Dulucheanu, T.L. Severin, A. Potorac, and L. Irimescu, Determination of the critical points in solid-state phase transformation of some hypoeutectoid steels, E3S Web Conf., 95(2019), art. No. 04004.

[32] Geng XY, Chen HC, Wang JJ, Zhang Y, Luo Q, Li Q. Description of martensitic transformation kinetics in Fe-C-X (X = Ni, Cr, Mn, Si) system by a modified model. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater.. 2024, 3151026.

[33] Pan GF, Wang FY, Shang CLet al. . Advances in machine learning- and artificial intelligence-assisted material design of steels. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater.. 2023, 3061003.

[34] N.P. Anufriev, M.V. Maisuradze, and Y.V. Yudin, Numerical simulation of structural transformations in hypoeutectoid low-alloy steels, Met. Sci. Heat Treat., 53(2011), No. 3, art. No. 189.

[35] Rudnizki J, Böttger B, Prahl U, Bleck W. Phase-field modeling of austenite formation from a ferrite plus pearlite microstructure during annealing of cold-rolled dual-phase steel. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 2011, 4282516.

[36] Steinbach I, Pezzolla F, Nestler Bet al. . A phase field concept for multiphase systems. Physica D. 1996, 943135.

[37] Choi S. Model for estimation of transformation kinetics from the dilatation data during a cooling of hypoeutectoid steels. Mater. Sci. Eng. A. 2003, 3631–272.

[38] Al-Abbasi FM. Micromechanical modeling of ferrite–pearlite steels. Mater. Sci. Eng. A. 2010, 527266904.

[39] I. Steinbach, Phase-field models in materials science, Model. Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng., 17(2009), No. 7, art. No. 073001.

[40] J. Eiken, B. Böttger, and I. Steinbach, Multiphase-field approach for multicomponent alloys with extrapolation scheme for numerical application, Phys. Rev. E, 73(2006), No. 6, art. No. 066122.

[41] Wang KY, Lv SJ, Wu HHet al. . Recent research progress on the phase-field model of microstructural evolution during metal solidification. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater.. 2023, 30112095.

[42] Lv SJ, Wu HH, Wang KYet al. . The austenite to polygonal ferrite transformation in low-alloy steel: Multi-phase-field simulation. J. Mater. Res. Technol.. 2023, 249630.

[43] S.J. Lv, H.H. Wu, K.Y. Wang, et al., The microstructure evolution and influence factors of acicular ferrite in low alloy steels, Comput. Mater. Sci., 218(2023), art. No. 111989.

[44] Lv SJ, Wu HH, Wang KYet al. . Phase field simulation of eutectoid microstructure during austenite–pearlite phase transformation. J. Mater. Res. Technol.. 2023, 268922.

[45] Andersson JO, Helander T, Höglund L, Shi PF, Sundman B. Thermo-Calc & DICTRA, computational tools for materials science. Calphad. 2002, 262273.

[46] Borgenstam A, Höglund L, Ågren J, Engström A. DICTRA, a tool for simulation of diffusional transformations in alloys. J. Phase Equilib.. 2000, 213269.

[47] V.M. Ferreira, M.G. Mecozzi, R.H. Petrov, and J. Sietsma, Details of pearlite to austenite transformation in steel: Experiments and phase-field modeling, Comput. Mater. Sci., 228(2023), art. No. 112368.

[48] Aranda MM, Kim B, Rementeria R, Capdevila C, de Andres CG. Effect of prior austenite grain size on pearlite transformation in a hypoeuctectoid Fe–C–Mn steel. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 2014, 4541778.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

University of Science and Technology Beijing