A phase-field model for interphase precipitation in V-micro-alloyed structural steels

A multi-component phase field model was developed based on CALPHAD method and directly coupled with the CALPHAD thermodynamic database using a four-sublattice model. Interphase carbide precipitation at the γ/α interface is simulated and the predictions are tested against reported experimental results for a medium carbon, vanadium micro-alloyed steel during an isothermal γ→α+MC transformation at 973 K. The model is found to be able to accurately predict: interphase precipitate composition, morphology and size of the precipitates. Furthermore, the tip-to-tip pairing of interphase precipitates in γ/α interphase boundaries is elucidated and found to be attributable to the minimisation of interfacial energy