Technical Notes - Effect of Carbon on the Volume Fractions and Lattice Parameters of Retained Austenite and Martensite

THE advent of a sensitive X-ray method of analysis recently has allowed the determination of retained austenite in amounts as low as 0.3 pct.' As a result this phase has been found in quenched low carbon steels where its presence has not been generally suspected. In the course of a study of the tempering process,' retained austenite determinations were made by the X-ray method on a series of high purity Fe-C alloys and plain carbon steels. The chemical analyses of these materials and details of the hardening procedure are given in Table I. Results were obtained after quenching to 72°F (22°C) and — 321 °F (—196°C). Austenitizing temperatures were between 100" and 150°F above A, or Acm. All proeutec-toid cementite or ferrite was in solution. The combination of the results with those of Averbach, Castleman, and Cohen,' and earlier results of Esser