Non-destructive 3-D reconstruction of the martensitic phase in a dual-phase steel using synchrotron holotomography

This paper presents the first non-destructive three-dimensional characterization of a dual-phase ferrite/martensite steel. The martensitic phase was imaged using the holotomography technique based on phase contrast. The visualization and the study of the volume distribution of the martensitic phase confirmed that the martensite forms a partial network around the ferritic grains. The simultaneous visualization of ductile damage induced by tensile deformation using the same technique was also performed, but proved to be more challenging. (C) 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.