TY - JOUR

T1 - The Fe-C diagram

T2 - History of its evolution

AU - Gutnyk, Maryna

AU - Nürnberger, Florian

N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank the German Academic Exchang Service (DAAD) for funding within the project "OER with Ukraine" (Ukraine digital: Ensuring academic success in times of crisis, duration 01.06–31.12.2022).

PY - 2023/12/23

Y1 - 2023/12/23

N2 - The evolution of concepts and methods of physical and chemical science that contributed to the formation of the Fe-C diagram during the previous centuries is considered. Despite the classical knowledge, there are still differences in the representation of the Fe-C diagram by scientists from different countries, in particular, the data of scientists from Germany, Poland, Ukraine, the USA, and Australia are somewhat mismatched. The authors tried to understand the reasons for this discrepancy. To conduct the research, general scientific methods of cognition were used: comparative analysis and synthesis, as well as a chronological one. It is claimed that the first studies of carbon content in steel were carried out in 1802. Further research development began in 1827–1829 when it was established that graphite is pure carbon. It is emphasized that further studies of carbon content in steel and cast iron are connected with attempts to create the first graphs of dependence on content and temperature. This, in turn, contributed to the development of the industrial revolution. It is believed that the first complete diagram was presented in 1897 by Roberts-Austen. Later, with the use of X-ray methods and microscopy, the Fe-C diagram gradually took on a new form. At the beginning of the 20th century, scientists actively proposed their phase diagrams. Studies conducted by scientists of different countries during 1909–1911 gained a consolidation, which was produced at the 6th Congress of the International Association for testing materials meeting into the unification of the names of phase transformations. Further research until the beginning of the Second World War was aimed at the creation of “pure” steel, that is, without harmful impurities, and clarifying the transformation temperatures. The period of the Great Depression in the USA and the war in Europe did not contribute to scientific research. At the same time, for the mass production of steel and cast iron, errors in critical points of a few degrees did not have a significant impact, that is, refining the temperatures of phase transformations were not considered appropriate. Today’s trend in scientific research is aimed at solving environmental problems caused by the industrial revolution.

AB - The evolution of concepts and methods of physical and chemical science that contributed to the formation of the Fe-C diagram during the previous centuries is considered. Despite the classical knowledge, there are still differences in the representation of the Fe-C diagram by scientists from different countries, in particular, the data of scientists from Germany, Poland, Ukraine, the USA, and Australia are somewhat mismatched. The authors tried to understand the reasons for this discrepancy. To conduct the research, general scientific methods of cognition were used: comparative analysis and synthesis, as well as a chronological one. It is claimed that the first studies of carbon content in steel were carried out in 1802. Further research development began in 1827–1829 when it was established that graphite is pure carbon. It is emphasized that further studies of carbon content in steel and cast iron are connected with attempts to create the first graphs of dependence on content and temperature. This, in turn, contributed to the development of the industrial revolution. It is believed that the first complete diagram was presented in 1897 by Roberts-Austen. Later, with the use of X-ray methods and microscopy, the Fe-C diagram gradually took on a new form. At the beginning of the 20th century, scientists actively proposed their phase diagrams. Studies conducted by scientists of different countries during 1909–1911 gained a consolidation, which was produced at the 6th Congress of the International Association for testing materials meeting into the unification of the names of phase transformations. Further research until the beginning of the Second World War was aimed at the creation of “pure” steel, that is, without harmful impurities, and clarifying the transformation temperatures. The period of the Great Depression in the USA and the war in Europe did not contribute to scientific research. At the same time, for the mass production of steel and cast iron, errors in critical points of a few degrees did not have a significant impact, that is, refining the temperatures of phase transformations were not considered appropriate. Today’s trend in scientific research is aimed at solving environmental problems caused by the industrial revolution.

KW - consolidation of science

KW - Fe-C diagram

KW - material science

KW - unification of transformation modes in Fe-C binary alloys

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85180828490&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.32703/2415-7422-2023-13-2-243-262

DO - 10.32703/2415-7422-2023-13-2-243-262

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85180828490

VL - 13

SP - 243

EP - 262

JO - History of Science and Technology

JF - History of Science and Technology

SN - 2415-7422

IS - 2

ER -