On the disappearance of fine, disc-like features from thin foils of steel

Abstract

Fine carbide particles form in quenched-and-aged specimens of iron containing a small amount of carbon. Similar precipitation occurs in ferrite grains within dual-phase steels. The particles have been described as discs or loops, typically about 20 run in diameter and 2 nm thick, which lie on ﹛100﹜ planes within ferrite grains. The precipitates are believed to form in association with vacancies and produce increases in hardness and yield strength. Two studies showed that these features disappeared after heating specimens in the transmission electron microscope (TEM), and this note reports further on this phenomenon.Continuously annealed and cold-rolled sheet steel (provided by Inland Steel Company) contained (in wt pet) 0.087 C, 0.97 Mn, 0.27 Si, 0.034 Al, 0.008 S, and 0.005 N. Specimens were intercritically annealed at 770°C for five minutes and quenched in iced water. Tensile testing was conducted within one day of heat treatment, and then specimens were stored at room temperature for about six months. Thin foils were produced by conventional thinning methods and jet polished at 75 V and 80 mA in an electrolyte containing 95% acetic acid and 5% perchloric acid. Specimens were examined in a Philips EM400 operated at 120 kV.