<Original Papers>Dissolution of Solid Iron into Molten Fe-C Alloy

The rates of dissolution of solid iron (low carbon steel and pure iron) into molten Fe-C alloy, containing 2.2～4.2wt.% carbon, were investigated in the temperature range from 1,190° to 1,510℃ In this experiment, the sample was sheathed in an alumina tube of 4.5mm inner diameter, to minimize the natural convection, and was brought in contact with molten Fe-C alloy. The results obtained are as follows : 1) The dissolved length of the sample X increased in proportion to the square root of the soaking time t, and the X/t^ values, determined as a parameter for the rate of dissolution, were 0.08～2.8×10^ (cm/sec^) 2) The effective diffusion coefficients D_e, calculated from X/t^ for pure iron, were fairly scattered between 0.8 and 2.5×10^ (cm^2/sec) and the values D_e obtained for the melt of 4.15wt.% carbon were expressed by the following equation : D_e=1.7_6×10^ exp (-15,000/RT). 3) It was found that the rate of dissolution of the sample under the present experimental condition was controlled by the interdiffusion in the melt