Kinetic transition during the growth of proeutectoid ferrite in Fe-C-Mn-Si quaternary steel

The kinetics of ferrite growth in Fe-0.1C-1.5Mn-0.94Si (mass pct) quaternary steel is investigated through the characterization of isothermal growth behavior, the thermodynamic prediction of kinetic boundary and the diffusional growth simulations using DICTRA. The change in microstructural evolution from slow growth to fast one is consistent with the calculated change of interface condition from the partitioning local equilibrium (PLE) to the negligible partitioning local equilibrium (NPLE). Compared with the DICTRA simulation, the observed growth kinetics of ferrite are between the calculated ones assuming local equilibrium (LE) and paraequilibrium (PE) criterions. At temperatures below the PLE/NPLE kinetic boundary, the observed growth behavior can be reasonably described by kinetic transition from PE to NPLE condition as isothermal time elapses, taking into account the critical velocity of interface at which trans-interface diffusion of subsitutional element permits the transition from PE to NPLE growth.