A combined model for the description of austenitization, homogenization and grain growth in hypoeutectoid Fe–C steels during heating

Abstract

A combined model which allows one to simulate all the steps of the reaustenitization process of ferrito-pearlitic plain carbon steel has been developed. The dissolution of pearlite, the transformation of ferrite into austenite and the homogenization of the carbon distribution is described with a finite volume method. The simulation is performed on a bidimensional domain where ferrite ( α), pearlite (P) and austenite ( γ) grains are represented. The dissolution of pearlite is described by the growth of spherical grains and simple nucleation and growth laws. The movement of α/ γ interfaces is calculated by solving the diffusion equation for carbon in the α and γ phases and accounting for the solute flux balance at the interface using a pseudo-front tracking method. The diffusion model is coupled with a Monte Carlo simulation which describes the grain growth occurring in austenite at a later stage of austenitization. The evolution of the volume fractions of pearlite and ferrite, the maximum and minimum carbon concentrations in the domain and the mean austenite grain size are represented as a function of the temperature for a typical case of constant heating rate. The influence of the different steps of the austenitization process on the global kinetics is discussed.