Effect of copper additions on the isothermal bainitic transformation in hypereutectoid copper and copper-nickel steels

During the isothermal bainitic transformation in hypereutectoid steels alloyed with copper or copper and nickel, it was found that at all the transformation temperatures studied, the formation of equally copper supersaturated bainitic ferrite and cementite always occurred. This observation implies the formation of bainitic ferrite and cementite from the parent austenite phase without redistribution of the alloying elements, since the solubility of copper in cementite is negligible and very low in bainitic ferrite. By carefully designing suitable tempering treatments, it is possible to produce copper precipitation not only within tempered bainitic ferrite in both types of steel using low tempering temperatures, but also within the tempered bainitic cementite of the copper steel at higher tempering temperatures. The interpretation of these experimental data strongly supports the theory that bainite formation is promoted through a shear controlled type of mechanism.