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

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 Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

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 Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

One of these is pure iron, and the other is pure cementite.

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

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 Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

In fact, the difference between the hard, brittle cementite and the soft, greasy graphite, accounts for many of the differences between steel and gray cast iron.

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