- Bainite
Bainite is a
phase that exists insteel microstructures after certainheat treatment s. First described by Davenport E. S. andEdgar Bain , it is one of the decomposition products that may form whenaustenite (theface centered cubic crystal structure ofiron ) is cooled past a critical temperature of 723 °C (about 1333 °F). Davenport and Bain originally described the microstructure as being similar in appearance to tempered martensite.A fine non-lamellar structure, bainite commonly consists of ferrite, carbide, and retained austenite. In these cases it is similar in constitution to
pearlite , but with the ferrite forming by adisplacive mechanism similar tomartensite formation, usually followed by precipitation of carbides from the supersaturated ferrite or austenite.The temperature range for transformation to bainite is between those for
pearlite andmartensite . When formed during continuous cooling, the cooling rate to form bainite is higher than that required to formpearlite , but lower than that to form martensite, in steel of the same composition.The microstructures of
martensite and bainite at first seem quite similar; this is a consequence of the two phases sharing many aspects of their transformation mechanisms. However, morphological differences do exist on the resolution level of theTEM and can be used in microstructural evaluation. Under a simple light microscope, the microstructure of bainite appears dark (i.e., it has low reflectability).Bainite is generally stronger but less ductile than
pearlite .External links
* [http://www.msm.cam.ac.uk/phase-trans/newbainite.html Online textbook devoted to bainite] , from
Cambridge University Press and theInstitute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
* [http://www.msm.cam.ac.uk/phase-trans/2004/Bain.Alloying/ecbain.html The Alloying Elements in Steel, by Edgar C. Bain]
* [http://www.msm.cam.ac.uk/phase-trans/bainite.html Overview of Bainite in multiple languages]
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