Revisiting Temperature and Magnetic Effects on the Fe-30 Wt Pct Ni Martensite Transformation Curve

This work revisits the relationship between the volume fraction of martensite and the transformed microstructure. This relationship is analyzed by considering that although thermodynamic principles determine the possibility of transformation, the size and arrangement of the martensite units over the austenite grains is determined by the local surroundings. The proposed equation for the transformation curve incorporates the probabilistic aspect of the initial transformation in a limited number of scattered austenite grains and autocatalysis. The validation of the model, already verified with data typical of FeC steels, FeNiC and FeNiMn alloys, is extended in this study to a transformation that exhibits microstructure diversity. Finally, we show that the model fits the transformation curves typical of “18Cr-8Ni” stainless steel; this finding demonstrates that the model is applicable to transformation curves characteristic of other systems due to a conceptualization based on the intrinsic aspects of martensite transformation in steels.