On Peritectic Reactions and Transformations in Low-Alloy Steels

Differential thermal analysis (DTA) experiments on low-alloy steels with varying C, Si, Cr, and Mo contents indicated an increase in the difference between the liquidus and peritectic temperatures during solidification with the decrease in C and increase in Mo contents. In a number of the quenched samples, massive transformations of ferrite to austenite were observed. Electron microprobe analysis of the diffusion across a massive transformation front, along with the high growth rates estimated, gives strong reason to believe that these growths are uncontrolled by diffusion. As ferrite transforms to austenite during the peritectic reaction, shrinkage in volume occurs, causing elastic straining at the interface separating the two phases. It was shown through thermodynamic analysis of the equilibrium at the triple point that the increase in energy of the two phases due to this strain can result in undercooling below the equilibrium peritectic temperature and decreases in the equilibrium peritectic concentrations.