Influence of substitutional atoms on the Snoek peak of carbon in b.c.c. iron

The influence of substitutional atoms (Mn, P, Si, Al, Cr, Co) on the C Snoek peak in b.c.c. iron was investigated. In the dilute range of the substitutes, the addition of Co, Mn, Cr, Si, P and Al resulted in the decreases in Snoek peak height in this ascending order. However, the addition of Mn to the Fe-C-P alloy hardly changes Snoek peak height. There is even a case that Snoek peak height is increased by further Mn addition to this alloy. They can be explained systematically by the proposed model wherein the solute carbon present in the influence region where the lattice distortion around the substitute is greater than the threshold value cannot contribute to the Snoek peak. The strain field generated by a substitutional atom due to the difference in atomic size is concluded to be the main reason for the reduction in Snoek peak height. (C) 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.