An in situ observation technique using scanning ion microscopy (SIM) to investigate the behaviour of phase transformation from austenite to ferrite in low-alloy steel is proposed. The most important advantage of the technique is the combined observation by SIM and fabrication by focused ion beam (FIB) at a wide range of temperature, from room temperature to 1673 K. Using this advantage, we have developed a new technique for observing intragranular ferrite (IGF) transformation in low-alloy steel, which is the phase transformation occurring at an inclusion existing inside a grain of austenite phase. We successfully observed the IGF transformation at 873 K by examining an inclusion exposed to the specimen surface by FIB fabrication at 1073 K during cooling from 1673 K. From the results of the in situ observation, we determined the role of Mn depletion due to precipitation of MnS for IGF transformation in steel.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.