Atom probe study on the ductility of drawn pearlitic steels

The microstructural change with increased strain in dry- and wet-drawn pearlitic steels was investigated by atom probe field ion microscopy. The comparison of the measured ductility with atom probe results suggests that the local increase of carbon concentration in the lamellar ferrite within the steels is the main reason for the degradation of ductility. (C) 2002 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.