Thermodynamic analysis of the effect of C, Mn and Al on microstructural evolution of lightweight steels

Abstract

The effect of alloying elements carbon, manganese and aluminum on the microstructural evolution of lightweight steels during a typical steel production process has been investigated experimentally and on the basis of a thermodynamic calculation. It is proposed how the information from thermodynamic calculations should be utilized for the interpretation of microstructural evolution during a real steel production process. It is demonstrated that the equilibrium thermodynamic calculation can be successfully utilized for the interpretation of non-equilibrium microstructural evolution after some calibration. (C) 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.