austenite

American  

[aw-stuh-nahyt] / ˈɔ stəˌnaɪt /

noun

Metallurgy.

1. a solid solution of carbon or of carbon and other elements in gamma iron, having a face-centered cubic lattice at all temperatures.

2. an allotrope of iron, stable between 910°C and 1400°C and having a face-centered cubic lattice; gamma iron.

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austenite British  

/ ˌɔːstəˈnɪtɪk, ˈɔːstəˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a solid solution of carbon in face-centred-cubic gamma iron, usually existing above 723°C

2. the gamma phase of iron, stabilized at low temperatures by the addition of such elements as nickel

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Other Word Forms

• austenitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of austenite

1900–05; named after Sir W. C. Roberts- Austen (1843–1902), English metallurgist; -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Any of these operations not only allows the transformations from austenite to pearlite to proceed, but also relieves internal stresses in the steel.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

Subsequent cooling gives a coarse texture, or an arrangement of ferrite, cementite and pearlite grains which is greatly coarsened, reflecting the condition of the austenite crystals from which they were born.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

Chromium steels are therefore capable of great hardness, due to the rapid cooling being able to retard the decomposition of the austenite.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

It may be said immediately that above the upper critical the carbon exists in the iron as a "solid solution," called "austenite" by metallographers.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

However, if the heating has gone above the critical very far, the austenite crystals start to grow; a very short time at an extreme temperature will cause a large grain growth.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)