Analysis of decarburization of hypereutectoid Fe-C alloys and its application in evaluating the processing steps used to make Damascus steel swords

Journal Article · Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Materials Characterization; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/1044-5803(90)90012-9· OSTI ID:6555146

Verhoeven, John D ^[1]

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1. Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (USA). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering

The decarburization of a hyperecutectoid Fe-C alloy at temperatures below the solubility limit of cementite ( the A{sub cm} composition of the alloy) and above the pearlite temperature will produce two distinct diffusion layers at the decarburized surface. The first layer will be pure ferrite and the second layer will be austenite which will have transformed into pearlite on cooling (or martensite in quenched samples). A mathematical solution is presented for diffusion control of this decarburization process and it is shown that the relative thickness of the two layers is a fairly strong function of the temperature at which the decarburization is carried out. Damascus swords have a decarburized fold down their back side and this analysis is applied to one Damascus blade. It is demonstrated that metallographic analysis of the fold region allows an estimation of the forging temperature and the forging time for this blade.

• OSTI ID: 6555146
• Journal Information: Materials Characterization; (USA), Vol. 25:2; ISSN 1044-5803
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
CARBON COMPOUNDS
DECARBURIZATION
IRON ALLOYS
AUSTENITIC STEELS
CEMENTITE
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DIFFUSION
FORGING
LAYERS
MARTENSITIC STEELS
METALLOGRAPHY
PEARLITE
PROCESS CONTROL
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THICKNESS
ALLOYS
CARBIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTROL
DIMENSIONS
FABRICATION
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
IRON CARBIDES
IRON COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS WORKING
STEELS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
360102* - Metals & Alloys- Structure & Phase Studies
360101 - Metals & Alloys- Preparation & Fabrication
400201 - Chemical & Physicochemical Properties