Time Temperature Transformation

(TTT) Diagrams for Steel

 Time Temperature Transformation (TTT) Diagrams for Steel

History:

o The TTT diagram for eutectoid steel was first created by Davenport and
Bain.
o In contrast, (Christian, 1981) Cohen later adjusted his findings and included
MS and MF temps for Martensite in addition to pearlite and bainite sections.

Definition:

o The term "time-temperature-transformation" diagram is referred to as a TTT

diagram.
o This diagram is also known as an isothermal transformation diagram.
o Thermal transition kinetics can be illustrated with TTT diagrams.

Number of methods to determine TTT diagrams.

o For example, in situ diffraction (X-ray, neutron), acoustic emission

measurements, temperature and density measurements, and thermodynamic
predictions can all be done in the salt bath, as well as metallography and
hardness tests and dilatometry studies.
o It's best to employ a salt bath procedure in combination with metallography
and hardness data to accurately determine a TTT diagram.

Molten salt bath technique:

o The molten salt bath treatment employs two salt baths and a water bath.
o When working with eutectoid steel, the salt bath should be kept at an
austenitizing temperature (780°C).
 o When determining the transformation temperature (below Ae1), the salt bath
II is kept at a range of temperatures between 700°C and 250°C for eutectoid
steel.
o The temperature of Bath III, a cold water bath, is kept constant.
o About an hour is spent austenitizing a variety of steels, including eutectoid,
hypereutectoid, and hypoeutectoid, in a bath with AC1+20-40 C.
o As a result, the samples in bath I are taken out and placed in bath II, where
they are individually held for a varied amount of time, such as time intervals
of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 minutes.
o The samples are taken and quenched in water according to predetermined
times.
o All samples are examined for microstructure using metallographic methods.
o Each sample is used to determine the type and number of phases.

Transformation start time:

o When calculating the transformation start time, use the time required to
complete a 1% transformation, such as to pearlite or bainite.

Transformation finish time:

o This is the amount of time it takes to complete 99 percent of the changes.

Explanations:

 Austenite becomes a marten site when it is quenched in water.

 However, below 230 C, the change appears to be time independent and just
temperature dependent.
 In order to distinguish freshly formed martensite from initially transformed
martensite, the material is heated above 230 C for a short period of time after
being immersed in bath II. This causes the material to become tempered and
appear dark under an optical microscope (white appearance in optical
microscope).

 Samples are water quenched after they have been heated to a temperature in
excess of 230 C. Since changed martensite is black in microstructure, and
 the remaining austenite is transformed into fresh martensite, the situation
gets complicated (white).
 Various etching martensite quantities are calculated, including dark and light
varieties.
 This temperature is used as the martensite start temperature because it
produces a small amount of dark martensite when bath II's temperature (230
C for plain carbon eutectoid steel) is exceeded.
 The martensite finish temperature is the temperature at which 99 percent of
the martensite crystals have formed in bath II (the last bath) ( MF).
 The TTT diagram is created by plotting austenite transformation over time
as a function of temperature.
 The diagram's shape resembles a S or a C.

Figure 1: shows the schematic TTT diagram for eutectoid plain

Once the incubation period for pearlite is over, the pearlite will be ready to be
harvested at T2.

At the very front of the TTT diagram, there is a minimum incubation period of t0,
and MS stands for the starting temperature of martensite.

M50 is the temperature required to produce martensite to a thickness of 50%.

temperature at which martensite reaches its final state

 Coarse pearlite forms at temperatures close to Ae1 because of a weak

driving force or nucleation rate.
 Finer pearlite is formed when the temperature is lowered or raised during
cooling.
 Very fine pearlite occurs at the TTT diagram's nose.
 Undercooling is low at the eutectoid temperature, hence the transformation's
driving force is minimal. As the undercooling grows, the process speeds up
until it reaches its maximum velocity at the point closest to the "nose" of the
curve.
 Below this point, the transformation-inducing force increases, but the
reaction has now delayed due to sluggish diffusivity.. A "C" shape appears
on the TTT curve at a mid-temperature point, indicating the most fast overall
change.

Pearlite Formations:

I. It is possible to re-create the original structure after undergoing pearlitic

transformation. After an incubation period at a specific temperature (let's say
T1), the transformation begins (t2, at T1 ).
II. The location of the t2 transformation start line changes depending on the
temperature.
III. The 50 percent transformation line is the time (t3) at which that time (T1)
has undergone a 50% transformation for various temperatures.
 IV. During the time (t4 at T1) when the transformation is complete, it is referred
to as the transformation finish line.
V. As a result, the TTT diagram is made up of multiple isopercentage lines,
with transformation lines of 1%, 50%, and 99% displayed in the diagram.
VI. When heated to a high temperature, low-form coarse pearlite forms while
underlooling.
VII. Fine pearlite and higher bainite both form at the same time when heated to
the same temperature, despite the fact that their production methods are
completely different.
VIII. The nose is made by superimposing two transformation noses, one for the
pearlitic reaction and the other for the bainitic reaction, as shown
schematically below.

Figure 2: Optical micrograph showing colonies

Bainite Formations:
 I. At high temperatures at the nose of the TTT diagram, upper bainite forms; at
lower temperatures, lower bainite forms, although steel's melting point is
still exceeded (MS).
II. Eutectoid steel goes through the banitic transition between 550 and 250
degrees Celsius. Higher temperatures lead to the creation of upper bainite,
while lower temperatures lead to the formation of lower bainite.
III. As C increases, austenite to ferrite transition grows more difficult.
IV. Ferrite nucleation occurs during bainitic transition, increasing the
temperature and time range for banitic transformation.
V. Carbon content rises cause an increase in carbide content in upper bainite's
interlath region, and carbides become a continuous phase.
VI. The amount of carbide in both forms of bainites will be less at a lower
carbon content, though.
VII. The temperatures at the beginning and end of the reaction for both types of
bainites decrease dramatically as the carbon concentration increases.
VIII. In contrast, as the carbon content rises, the likelihood of reduced bainite
formation increases.

Martensite Formations:

1) On cooling metastable austenite, 1% of martensite produced.

2) The transition is a non-thermal process. For example, transformation is not
time-dependent, but only temperature-dependent (a typical amount of
transformation is completed in a relatively short period of time).
3) The martensite start temperature (MS) is the name given to this temperature.
4) Lower than Ms, the amount of martensite increases as the temperature
decreases, but it remains constant over time.
5) Martensite completion temperature (MF) is the temperature at which 99
percent of martensite forms.
6) The right Y-axis shows the varying degrees of hardness. As a result, the
phase mix's mechanical properties may be estimated with some accuracy.

Significance of Time Temperature Transformation (TTT) Diagrams for Steel

TTT diagram gives

 Is it isothermal, athermal, or a combination of the two?

  Transformative type: reconstructive or displacing
 Transformative change rate
 Isothermal phase transformation phase stability
 time and/or temperature needed to begin or complete a conversion
 Qualitative data on the product's size range
 Transformed-goods brittleness

Factors affecting TTT diagram:

 Steel composition: (a) carbon weight percentage, (b) alloying weight

percentage
 the size of the austenite grains
 Austenite's genetic diversity

Applications of TTT diagrams:

 Martempering\sAustempering\sIsothermal Annealing\sPatenting

Martempering :

 In order to produce martensite with the least amount of thermal and

transformation stress and hence minimize deformation and cracking, this
heat treatment is applied to oil-hardenable and air-hardenable steels as well
as narrow sections of water-hardenable steel samples
 When looking at the steel's TTT diagram, it should have a fair incubation
period and a lengthy bainitic bay.
 Thermal stress is minimized by quenching the sample in a salt bath above
MS temperature (instead of cooling below MF directly).
 Figure 3:Martempering heat treatment superimposed on TTT diagram

Austempering:

 Steel is subjected to an austempering heat treatment to reduce bainite content

without distorting or shattering the sample.
 To equalize surface and center temperatures, a bainitic bath is used to
rapidly cool austenite and keep it at a higher bainitic temperature until the
bainitic finish time is attained (see Fig. 45). The sample is allowed to cool to
room temperature after the bainitic reaction.
 Fully lower bainite microstructure is present. Low alloy steel and carbon
steel are subjected to this heat treatment, which ranges from 0.5 to 1.2
weight percent.
 The ductility, toughness, and consistency of the material's mechanical
properties are comparable to those of hardened and tempered martensite in
terms of hardness and strength.
 Tempering isn't necessary for these products.
 Figure 4:Austempering heat treatment superimposed on TTT diagram

The basis of calculating TTT diagram for ferrous sytem

 Making an effort to figure out e3 The lowest temperature at which

thermodynamic ferrite production is feasible.
 The bainite commencement temperature is the temperature at which bainite
converts (BS).
 below the starting temperature of martensite transformation MS
 Reverse morphing set of C-curves (allotriomorphic ferrite and pearlite).
 There are a number of C-curves that are used in displacement transformation
Fractional change of 50/50 set of C-curves
 Temperature dependence of martensite fraction.
References:

1) J. W. Christian (1981) The Theory of Transformations in Metals and Alloys,

Part I: Equilibrium and General Kinetic Theory, 2nd edn., Oxford:
Pergamon Press.

2) V.D. Sadovski and A.A. Popov (1955) Physical Metallurgy and Heat-
Treatment Handbook, 2nd edn., Moscow: Metall.

3) M.K. Kang and S.P. Yang (1990) 'Bainite in Steel (Extra Issue)', in M.K.
Kang and S.P. Yang (ed.) Practical Heat Treating. People’s Republic of
China: Northwestern Polytechnical University Press, pp. 82–92..

4) K.M. Rolls, T.H. Countney, and J. Wulff (2008) AAn Introduction to

Materials Science and Engineering, 2nd edn., New York: John Wiley.

5) H.N. Oppenheimer (1999) 'Heat Treatment of Carbon Steels', Practical Heat

Treating, 5 (4), pp. 172–292.

6) F. Vander Voort, (1999) 'Atlas of Time-Temperature Diagrams for Irons and

Steels', ASM International, 8 (2), pp. 785-797.
END