Abstract
The temperature and composition for the peritectic reaction have been evaluated thermodynamically for Fe–C-base ternary alloys containing a small amount of the third element. The peritectic temperature is significantly reduced by alloying elements having a strong tendency to segregation, such as sulphur and phosphorus, which are characterized by small coefficients of partition between solid and liquid. The effect of an alloying element on the temperature and composition for the peritectic reaction relates to the atomic number of the element. Alloying elements with larger or smaller atomic numbers in a periodic row have a significant influence on the peritectic temperature. The liquidus and solidus temperatures of plain carbon steels were also evaluated; the solidus temperature showed an explicit linear relationship with the ductile–brittle transition temperature of the steels.
MST/342
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