Abstract:
The morphology and crystal structure of the secondary carbides precipitated in as-cast Fe-30.8Ni-26.6Cr alloy were characterized by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with EDS. The as-cast microstructures consisted of austenite dendrite matrix and two types of primary carbides; chromium carbide and niobium carbide, which precipitated at the austenite grain boundary. After aging at 900 ํC and 1,000 ํC for 24, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1,000 hours, the cube secondary carbide, the needlelike-cylinder secondary carbide and the G-phase precipitated in the austenite matrix. The cube and needlelike-cylinder secondary carbides were found near the primary carbide. The chemical analysis by EDS and lattice parameter analysis by TEM illustrated that the cube and needlelike-cylinder secondary carbide are chromium carbide, M[subscript 23] C[subscript 6], which is the same as primary carbide. According to electron diffraction pattern and lattice parameter calculation, the crystal structures of austenite, primary carbide, cube secondary carbide, needle-cylinder secondary carbide and G-phase are Face Center Cubic. The results confirmed that the mechanism of secondary carbide precipitation described by Johnson-Mehl and Avrami. The first stage of precipitation having n is identical 1.0-1.5 is the growth of particle applicable initial volume which agrees with the presence of the cube secondary carbide. The second state of precipitation having n is identical 0.5-1.0 is the thickening of long cylindrical needles or very large plates which agrees with the presence of the needlelike-cylinder secondary carbide.