Experimental evidence for non-cubic bainitic ferrite

The first evidence is provided for the existence of a tetragonal or slightly orthorhombic unit cell of bainitic ferrite. It supports the hypothesis that the excess carbon that persists in the ferrite, which is in contact with austenite, is a consequence of an increased solubility due to the change in symmetry from the conventional cubic unit cell. The deviations from the cubic cell are maintained to elevated temperatures, as expected from an increased solubility of carbon in the ferrite.