Morphology of Sulfide Formed in the Fe-Cr-S Ternary Alloys

The evolution of sulfide morphology in the Fe-(0.3-18)mass%Cr-(0.05-0.3)mass%S alloys during solidifi-cation and heat treatment was investigated by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, analytical electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In situ observation of the formation of the fine particle sulfide was also conducted at elevated temperatures by confocal scanning laser microscopy. The morphology of sulfide in the Fe-Cr-S ternary alloys was found to change from a cell wall type to a globular type with increasing Cr content. Accompanying the phase transformation of the matrix from the δ phase to the γ phase, two types of transgranular fine particle sulfide were formed. One is a fine spherical sulfide formed from the FeS-rich liquid phase through the remelting reaction of δ→γ+Liq. in less than 5 mass% Cr alloys, and the other is a fine rod-like sulfide formed through the eutectoid reaction of δ→γ+sulfide in 5 to 13 mass% Cr alloys. The formation mechanism of various types of sulfide morphology was examined based on phase diagram information.