cementite

American  

[si-men-tahyt] / sɪˈmɛn taɪt /

noun

Metallurgy.

1. an iron carbide, Fe 3 C, a constituent of steel and cast iron, sometimes with part of its iron replaced by another metal, as manganese.

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cementite British  

/ sɪˈmɛntaɪt /

noun

1. the hard brittle compound of iron and carbon that forms in carbon steels and some cast irons. Formula: Fe 3 C

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Etymology

Origin of cementite

First recorded in 1885–90; cement + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cementite

The ferrite i.e., the iron is increased in strength by the resistance offered by the cementite which is the simple iron-carbon combination known to metallurgists as Fe3C.

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

A final steel will be composed of pearlite; ferrite and pearlite; or cementite and pearlite, according to the carbon content.

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

At that moment, in fact, the ferrite, cementite or Page 110 pearlite which previously existed has lost its identity by everything going into the solid solution called austenite.

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

Chromium when alloyed with steel, has the characteristic function of opposing the disintegration and reconstruction of cementite.

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

A quickly quenched carbon steel is mostly martensitic which, as noted, is a solid solution of beta iron and Page 113 cementite, hard and brittle.

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