Acceleration of the super bainite transformation through a coarse austenite grain size

The effect of austenite grain size on the kinetics of the isothermal bainitic transformation in a high-carbon super-bainitic steel was investigated. Experimental results showed that the transformation of super bainite was accelerated by a coarse austenite grain size. This is because while coarse austenite grains provide less nucleation sites, it is beneficial for bainite sheaf growth. Meanwhile, there is a critical austenite grain size below which there is a distinct grain size effect and above which it is not evident. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.