Deformation Texture of Bulk Cementite Investigated by Neutron Diffraction

Understanding the deformation mechanism of cementite such as on a slip plane is important with regard to revealing and improving the mechanical property of steels. However, the deformation behavior of cementite has not been well investigated because of the difficulty of sample preparation given the single phase structure of cementite. In this study, by fabricating bulk single phase cementite samples using the method developed by the authors, the deformation texture formed by uniaxial compression was investigated using both electron back scatter diffraction and neutron diffraction. The fabricated sample had a random texture before the compression. After applying a compressive strain of 0.5 at 833 K, (010) fiber texture was formed along the compressive axis. It has been suggested from this trend that the primary slip plane of cementite is (010).

Automated summary

Understanding the deformation mechanism of cementite is crucial for improving the mechanical properties of steels. However, due to the challenges in preparing single phase cementite samples, its deformation behavior has not been well studied. In this study, the deformation texture of bulk single phase cementite samples under uniaxial compression was investigated. The results suggest that under specific temperature and compression conditions, cementite forms a specific fiber texture, indicating the primary slip plane.