A thermodynamic model for carbon trapping in lattice defects

A thermodynamic model in the framework of the CALPHAD method is proposed to describe the distribution of interstitial solute (carbon) atoms in bcc-iron during tempering of martensite. In the model, the crystal defects are introduced as a separate sublattice, which is a highly favored lattice position for carbon compared to undisturbed interstitial sites or precipitate sites in cementite. With the model, which is convenient for multicomponent, multiphase systems, the fraction of carbon atoms trapped by the defects during tempering can be calculated. It is demonstrated that, when martensite is heavily dislocated, the precipitation of cementite on tempering is greatly suppressed because the high dislocation density provides a sufficient number of stressed sites which can trap most of the carbon atoms. The calculations for an alloy steel show that, unlike cementite, the defect density and carbon trapping phenomenon influence the precipitation of stable carbides only marginally.