Autocatalysis in bainite transformations

The objective of the study is to provide a better account of the autocatalysis phenomenon in bainite transformation in steels. The phenomenon of autocatalysis is related to the nucleation of ferrite subunits at the surfaces of bainite sheaves during transformation. The analytical forms of the effective nucleation rate are derived based on two different morphologies of bainite sheaves. The first type of morphology of the bainite sheaves is assumed to take the spherical shape. In the second model, the bainite sheaves resemble the morphology of the ferrite subunits that are wedge-shaped. Results are obtained pertaining to the effects of autocatalysis and the overall kinetics of bainite transformation by using a model steel of high silicon content. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science S.A.