The effect of boron on the stereological characteristics of the structural phases present in the structure of the 13% Cr white iron

In this paper, the results of the examination of the effect of boron, in the amounts of 0.26, 0.39 and 0.59 wt%, on the stereological characteristics of the structural phases present in the structure of 13% Cr-2.3%C white iron, are reviewed. The examined stereological characteristics were: volume fraction of phases, dendrite arm spacing-DAS and size of eutectic carbides. It has been concluded that with the increasing of boron content, the volume fraction of the matrix of austenite partially transformed into martensite decreases, whereas the volume fraction of the eutectic carbides increases. The increasing of the boron content also decreases the value of DAS, but at the same time the eutectic carbides become coarser. (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers.