pearlite

American  

[pur-lahyt] / ˈpɜr laɪt /

noun

1. Metallurgy. a microscopic lamellar structure found in iron or steel, composed of alternating layers of ferrite and cementite.

2. Petrography. perlite.

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pearlite British  

/ ˈpɜːlaɪt, pɜːˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. the lamellar structure in carbon steels and some cast irons that consists of alternate plates of pure iron and iron carbide

2. a variant spelling of perlite

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pearlitic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of pearlite

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

Example Sentences

If the brand of available potting soil doesn’t contain pearlite, she lightens it with some so that pearlite is as much as one-quarter of the blend.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 9, 2023

Its components are tending to coagulate into pearlite, and will do so in a fairly short time at temperatures near the lower critical, which heat will furnish the necessary molecular freedom.

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

Sorbite is softer and tougher than troostite, and is habitually associated with pearlite.

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)

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)