Phase Diagrams

The Iron-Carbon System

· A technically important set of alloys is formed by the iron-carbon system.
· This set of materials includes low, medium, and high carbon steels, and cast irons.
· Only a partial phase diagram is needed to show the carbon content range for these different alloys. Pure iron and the compound Fe₃C bound the diagram's composition range.

After: Guy and Hren,
"Elements of Physical Metallurgy," Addison Wesley (1974)