Teach Yourself Phase Diagrams

The Iron-Carbon Phase Diagram

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• Introduction
• 1. The eutectoid reaction
• 2. Eutectoid microstructure
• 3. The hypo-eutectoid microstructure

The hypo-eutectoid microstructure

Some commercial steels have a eutectoid composition - steel for railway track is an example of a "pearlitic steel". Most steels are "hypo-eutectoid", containing less than 0.8 wt% C. Mild steels contain 0.1-0.2 wt% C, medium carbon steels around 0.4 wt% C. Here we will look at how the equilibrium structures relate to the phase diagram.

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