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Pearlitic Transformation

The lamellar precipitation of ferrite and cementite from undercooled austenite at moderate cooling rates. This structure enhances the strength of unalloyed steels compared to pure ferrite.

Pearlite forms when the steel cools slowly enough through the critical range after welding. Then the typical lamellar structure of ferrite and cementite develops, giving the steel a good combination of strength and toughness. If you cool too fast, you get martensite, which is hard and prone to cracking. If you cool too slowly, the structure becomes coarse and the steel loses toughness. In welding, that means: keep an eye on the cooling rate in the part, then the structure will be fine.

MetallurgieSchweißtechnik

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