Modeling of Nucleation and Growth of M23C6 Carbide in Multi-component Fe-based Alloy

Three-dimensional atom probe (3DAP) technique has been used to study the nucleation and growth of M23C6 carbide in a supersaturated multi-component Fe-based alloy aged at 800°C. 3D images indicate that the radius of M23C6 carbide after ageing for 10 min is about 9 nm. Concentration profiles of alloy elements in the carbide are also obtained. Combined with PANDAT and Thermo-Calc software, attempts to model the early stages of precipitation are present. The calculated particle size and composition of M23C6 carbide is in good agreement with 3DAP data.