Calculation of Microstructure in Vacuum Carburizing Incorporating Kinetics Modeling of Grain-boundary Cementite

In the vacuum carburization of steels, short-time carburization is usually followed by a diffusion period to eliminate the filmy cementite (θ) grown on austenite (γ) grain boundaries. The surface C content in γ was found to increase past the solubility of θ due to radical reaction with decomposed hydro-carbon gas. The thermodynamic condition was recognized as the metastable equilibrium of supersaturated γ with graphite. Based on these results, a calculation model for not only C concentration profiles but also quantitative evaluation of grain-boundary θ was developed.The existing model estimates the amount of θ with the equilibrium fractions for local C contents in a framework of the finite difference method (FDM). However, with the corresponding surface condition of equilibrium γ plus θ with graphite, it overrates the amount of θ observed after several minutes of carburization. In the developed model, a parabolic law was assumed for the thickening of θ and a rate controlling process was considered for partitioning of Si. The local Si concentrations at the γ/θ interface were determined from the C isoactivity condition with supersaturated γ. The change in the rate coefficient (αSi) was also validated using multicomponent diffusion simulations. Coupled with the CALPHAD software, a one-dimensional FDM program calculates the increment of θ using the updated local equilibrium. Predictions of the C profile and θ volume fraction corresponded much better with the experimental results than existing models.