Kinetics of the austenitization in the Fe-Mo-C ternary alloys during continuous heating

The influence of molybdenum on the microstructure and kinetics of the austenization of the Fe-Mo-C ternary alloys is analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov model (JMAK) in the temperature range from 293 K to 1373 K. The as-cast microstructure and microstructure after DSC test are obtained using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was seen that with an increasing Mo concentration, the lamellar pearlite is spherized and the austenite grain size decreases. In addition, both DSC curves and the JMAK model show that the initial (Ac1) and the final (Ac3) temperature of the phase transition increases with an increasing Mo concentration. It was also seen that increasing the Mo concentration, the diffusion activation energy (DAE) increases and the pre-exponential factor of diffusion (DPEF) decreases due to a change in both the austenitic nucleation rate and the diffusion of the elements caused by the introduction of Mo.