Crystallography and structural evolution during reverse transformation in an Fe–17Cr–0.5C tempered martensite Original Research Article

The mechanism and the crystallography of austenite and δ-ferrite formation from tempered martensite at temperatures of 900–1200°C have been studied by means of transmission electron microscopy in an Fe–17Cr–0.55C alloy. It was found that austenite nucleates within ferrite at low angle, high angle and twin-related lath boundaries as well as at high angle equiaxed grain boundaries in contact with M23C6 grain/lath boundary carbides. The austenite grains are in a cube–cube relationship with the M23C6 carbide particles and bear the Kurdjumov–Sachs orientation relationship with at least one of the adjacent ferrite grains. They are often in the Kurdjumov–Sachs relationship with both ferrite laths separated by a high angle boundary as far as the laths had formed from the same austenite. The {111}A close packed plane of γ precipitate is parallel to the {110}F plane most parallel to the grain boundary. The close packed planes of some austenite grains nucleating at the high angle lath boundaries are parallel to the close packed planes of both ferrite laths. These crystallographic features often result in a single variant of austenite orientation at a grain boundary. After nucleation, the austenite grains grow by the migration of both semicoherent and incoherent interfaces. These results demonstrate that a specific orientation relationship is preferred for the austenite nucleation, but is not necessary for the subsequent growth. The kinetics of austenite growth are controlled by chromium diffusion. The δ-ferrite particles precipitate at high temperatures as a non-equilibrium phase. No rational orientation relationship between δ-ferrite and retained austenite was found. The experimental results are discussed qualitatively in terms of the thermodynamic predictions using the software ThermoCalc, assuming local equilibrium at the moving interfaces.