Copper precipitation in Widmanstaetten and bainitic structure of steels

The Cu precipitation in the auricular microstructures of steels has been examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The unusual precipitation of copper was detected not only in the Widmanstaetten and beautician ferrite ferrite but also in the Widmanstaetten cementite and iron carbide nucleated at the inter-lath boundaries of beautician structures during temperature. The sequence of copper particle nucleation in both ferrite and cementite phases of the microstructure were considered to highlight their growth morphology during isothermal transformation. (author)