Solidification of Steel Alloys

Exercise 1:

Generate the FeC 0.3 Cr 2 and FeC 0.3 Ni 1 phase diagrams. Use ONE PROJECT, with TWO equilibrium
phase diagram successors – this will give you TWO plot renderers, which you can compare next to
each other.

(a) The EQUILIBRIUM freezing range ∆T𝑓 is given as:

For FeC 0.3 Cr 2 : 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 ∆T𝑓 = 𝑇𝑙 − 𝑇𝑠 = 1510 °C − 1470 °C = 40 °C

For FeC 0.3 Ni 1 : 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 ∆T𝑓 = 𝑇𝑙 − 𝑇𝑠 = 1509 °C − 1467 °C = 42 °C

It can be seen that hyperperitectic steels have longer freezing ranges compared to hypoperitectic steels,
and high carbon steels (C > 0.53%) have even longer freezing ranges.

(b)

Material 𝑘𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑙𝑙

FeC 0.3 0.17 0.53 %𝑤𝑤 C
FeC 0.3 Cr 2 0.19 Increases solubility in the solid phase. 0.53 %𝑤𝑤 C
Higher % ferrite (Cr is a ferrite stabiliser).
FeC 0.3 Ni 1 0.16 Decreases solubility in the solid phases. 0.44 %𝑤𝑤 C
Higher level of microsegregation.

(c) Nickel reduces the peritectic range siginificantly.

Exercise 2:

Cequivalent = 0.30 + 0.0230[Ni] ≥ 𝐶𝑙𝑙

0.30 + 0.0230[Ni] = 0.53
[Ni] = 10 𝑤𝑤%

Generate phase diagram for FeC 0.3 Ni 10

The value of 𝐶𝑙𝑙 is much lower than 0.3 𝑤𝑤% C

Try FeC 0.3 Ni 3

Exercise 3:

a) Generate the phase diagram using Thermocalc.

b) Determine the liquidus temperature.

From the phase diagram: 𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙 = 1514 °𝐶

c) At 𝑇 = 1500 °𝐶, what is the C composition in the 𝛿-ferrite phase and the liquid phase?

From the phase diagram: 𝐶𝛿 = 0.082 %𝑤𝑤 C 𝐶𝑙 = 0.466 %𝑤𝑤 C

Determine the phase distribution (using Lever Rule).

𝐶𝑙 − 𝐶0 0.466 − 0.300
𝑔𝛿, 1500°𝐶 = = = 0.43
𝐶𝑙 − 𝐶𝛿 0.466 − 0.082

d) From the phase diagram, at the peritectic temperature 𝑇𝑝𝑝𝑝 = 1495 °𝐶, the solubility limit of C in
𝛿-ferrite increases to 𝐶𝛿 = 0.093 %𝑤𝑤 C.

Determine the phase distributions?

𝐶𝑙 − 𝐶0 0.526 − 0.300
𝑔𝛿 = = = 0.52 𝑔𝑙 = 1 − 𝑔𝛿 = 0.48
𝐶𝑙 − 𝐶𝛿 0.526 − 0.093
Exercise 4:

(a) Plot the solid fraction versus temperature curve for the peritectic Fe-C alloy with 𝐶 = 0.3 %𝑤𝑤

𝐶𝑙 −𝐶0
Use 𝑔𝛿 = where 𝐶0 = 0.3 𝑤𝑤%
𝐶𝑙 −𝐶𝑠

Temperature 𝑇 𝐶𝑙 𝐶𝑠 Solid Fraction 𝑔𝑠

𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙 = 1514 °𝐶 0.300 0.00
𝑇 = 1510 °𝐶 0.061 0.338 0.14
𝑇 = 1503 °𝐶 0.076 0.428 0.36
𝑇𝑝𝑝𝑝 = 1495 °𝐶 0.092 0.527 0.52
𝑇𝑝𝑝𝑝+ = 1495 °𝐶 0.171 0.527 0.64
𝑇 = 1486 °𝐶 0.236 0.705 0.86
𝑇 = 1475 °𝐶 0.280 0.821 0.96
𝑇𝑠𝑠𝑠 = 1471 °𝐶 0.300 0.874 1.00

1520
1515
1510
1505
1500
1495
1490
1485
1480
1475
1470
1465
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00

Can choose more data points to improve interpolation accuracy.

(b) Derive the lever rule in terms of temperature (assume equilibrium temperature conditions):

𝐶𝑙 − 𝐶0
𝑔𝛿 =
𝐶𝑙 − 𝐶𝑠

1 − 𝐶0 ⁄𝐶𝑙
𝑔𝛿 =
1 − 𝐶𝑠 ⁄𝐶𝑙

Substitute distribution coefficient: 𝑘𝛿 = 𝐶𝑠 ⁄𝐶𝑙

1 − 𝐶0 ⁄𝐶𝑙 1
→ 𝑔𝛿 = → 𝑔𝛿 = (1 − 𝐶0 ⁄𝐶𝑙 )
1 − 𝑘𝛿 1 − 𝑘𝛿

Substitute liquidus line equation: 𝑇𝑙 = 𝑇𝛿 + 𝑚𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑙

3
 1 𝑚𝑙𝑙 𝐶0 1 𝑇𝑙 − 𝑇𝛿 − 𝑚𝑙𝑙 𝐶0
→ 𝑔𝛿 = �1 − � → 𝑔𝛿 = � �
1 − 𝑘𝛿 𝑇𝑙 − 𝑇𝛿 1 − 𝑘𝛿 𝑇𝑙 − 𝑇𝛿

1 𝑇𝑙 − (𝑇𝛿 + 𝑚𝑙𝑙 𝐶0 ) 1 𝑇 − 𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙

→ 𝑔𝛿 = � � → 𝑔𝛿 = � �
1 − 𝑘𝛿 𝑇𝑙 − 𝑇𝛿 1 − 𝑘𝛿 𝑇 − 𝑇𝛿

Similarly:
1 𝑇 − 𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙
𝑔𝛾 = � �
1 − 𝑘𝛾 𝑇 − 𝑇𝛾

To solve these equations, you need to establish the following parameters:

For 𝛿-ferrite: Melting point of the pure material: 𝑇𝛿 = 1537 °𝐶

Distribution coefficient: 𝑘𝛿 = 0.093⁄0.526 = 0.177

For 𝛾-austenite: Distribution coefficient: 𝑘𝛾 = 0.171⁄0.526 = 0.325

Liquidus slope: 𝑚𝑙𝑙 = −
Solidus slope: 𝑚𝑠𝑠 = −

Melting point of the pure material: 𝑇𝛾 = °𝐶

in order to plot the temperature versus solid fraction curve, as in (a).

Exercise 5:

Show that the Gulliver-Scheil equation: 𝐶𝑠 = 𝑘𝛿 𝐶0 (1 − 𝑔𝑠 )𝑘𝛿−1 can be written in terms of

temperature as:
1
𝑇 − 𝑇𝛿 𝑘𝛿−1
𝑔𝛿 = 1 − � �
𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙 − 𝑇𝛿

𝑘 −1
We use the form: 𝐶𝑙 = 𝐶0 𝑔𝑙 𝛿
1
𝐶 𝑘 −1 𝐶 𝑘 −1
𝑙𝑙 � 𝑙 � = 𝑙𝑙𝑔𝑙 𝛿 → 𝑙𝑙 � 𝑙 � 𝛿 = 𝑙𝑙𝑔𝑙
𝐶0 𝐶0

1
𝐶 𝑘 −1
� 𝑙� 𝛿 = 𝑔𝑙
𝐶0

Substitute liquidus line equation: 𝑇 = 𝑇𝛿 + 𝑚𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑙

1
𝑇−𝑇𝛿 𝑘𝛿−1
gives: � � = 𝑔𝑙
𝑚𝑙𝑙 𝐶0

Since: 𝑚𝑙𝑙 𝐶0 = 𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙 − 𝑇𝛿 (note that 𝑚𝑙𝑙 is negative)

1 1
𝑇−𝑇𝛿 𝑘𝛿 −1 𝑇−𝑇𝛿 𝑘𝛿−1
we have: � � = 𝑔𝑙 → 1− � � = 𝑔𝛿
𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙 −𝑇𝛿 𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙 −𝑇𝛿

4
Exercise 6:

For the Fe-C alloy with 𝐶 = 0.3 %𝑤𝑤:

Compare the values of solid fraction at the critical points: 𝑇𝑝𝑝𝑝 , 𝑇𝑝𝑝𝑝+ , 𝑇𝑠𝑠𝑠 (for Lever Rule only) and
𝑇𝑒𝑒𝑒 (for Scheil only).

For Scheil comparison, use the Table Renderer in ThermoCalc.

Exercise 7:

Compare the diffusion through the FCC 𝛾-austenite layer to that through the BCC 𝛿-ferrite layer
across a 500 µm layer in 10 seconds. The initial solute gradient is from 0.1 %𝑤𝑤 C to 0.3 %𝑤𝑤 C.