Following individual grains during solid-state phase transformations with 3DXRD microscopy

The mechanical properties of metals strongly depend on the microstructure, which is formed during their production and processing. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of the nucleation and growth kinetics during solid-state phase transformations in steel is of vital importance to control its microstructure. The kinetics of individual grains in the bulk of steel can be measured in situ with the three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy (3DXRD) at the European synchrotron radiation facility (ESRF). Simultaneously the fraction transformed, the nucleation rate, and the growth rate of individual grains can be measured. Unique in situ measurements of nucleation and growth rates of individual austenite and ferrite grains are presented.