Upper acicular ferrite formation in a medium-carbon microalloyed steel by isothermal transformation: Nucleation enhancement by CuS

The isothermal transformation vs time of a medium-carbon microalloyed steel at 450 degrees C, following austenitization at 1250 degrees C for 45 minutes, has been investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At short times, the fine microstructure of acicular ferrite is nucleated at MnS inclusions, which are covered by a shell of a hexagonal CuS phase. The special orientation between MnS and the CuS crystals of this shell enables the formation of a low-energy interface between the fenite and the inclusion with, at the same time, the ferrite satisfying one of the 24 variants of the orientation relationship into the Bain region with austenite. As the treatment times are increased, the increase in the volume fraction of acicular ferrite being formed raises the carbon concentration of the austenite, such that some retained austenite instead of martensite is observed for these intermediate treatment times. This retained austenite transforms to fenite plus carbides at long treatment times, resulting in a final microstructure of acicular ferrite, very similar in nature to those encountered in the case of upper bainite formation.