Techniques to reveal the austenite grain boundaries in medium carbon microalloyed steels

Abstract

The prior austenite grain size (PAGS) exerts an important influence on the microstructures forged by continuous cooling in the steel and on their mechanical properties. Since microalloyed steels have received considerable attention in the last years and enormous difficulties have been repetitively to reveal the austenite grain boundaries in these steels, this work analyzes the different techniques effective in that sense, which enable thus an accurate determination of the PAGS. This paper presents results obtained applying different conventional techniques such us chemical etching of quenched microstructures, the application of thermal cycles that enable the formation of phases around the prior austenite grain boundaries or oxidation etching which reveals the austenite grain boundaries by the preferential accumulation of oxides. Finally, an innovative and effective technique to reveal the prior austenite grain boundaries is presented. This technique is based on the preferential transfer of matter from the grain boundaries to the surrounding austenite by complicated mechanisms such as evaporation-condensation and volume and surface diffusion of atoms.