Crystallography of grain boundary proeutectoid ferrite

Abstract

A study has been made of the crystallography of proeutectoid ferrite precipitated at high angle austenite grain boundaries in an Fe-0.47 pct C alloy, isothermally transformed above the eutectoid temperature. Using the Kossel X-ray microdiffraction technique, ferrite orientations have been determined in relation to the orientations of both matrix grains at the grain boundary; the austenite orientations were derived indirectly. It has been observed that the ferrite, irrespective of morphology, possessed an orientation relationship with respect to at least one matrix grain which approximated to the Kurdjumov-Sachs and, to a lesser extent, the Nishiyama relationships. At several of the boundaries the ferrite was allowed to possess an orientation relationship with both matrix grains and it has been shown that the ferrite orientation at these boundaries was often influenced by the orientation of both matrix grains. Several instances have been observed in which preferential growth occurred into the austenite grain with which the precipitate did not have a specific orientation relationship. The results have been compared with the work of Ryder, Pitsch and Mehl,5 and factors governing the observation of Widmanstatten sideplates have been discussed.