On a Sharp Interface Model for Phase Transitions in Steel

Steel is one of the most widely used materials in the world with a broad spectrum of properties. The microstructure and the distribution of the different phases are of great importance, since they each possess different properties. A sharp interface model for the austenite-ferrite phase transition is presented. Mechanical effects due to eigenstrains resulting from the different densities of the phases are taken into account. The governing PDEs in each phase are a diffusion equation for the carbon concentration and the balance of momentum. Across the free interface, separating the two phases, the physical quantities may have discontinuities, which are controlled by jump conditions. Consistency of the model with the 2nd law of thermodynamics is shown. Numerical simulations for these types of free boundary problems are quite complex and involve appropriate methods to determine the interface position. One possibility to circumvent the explicit determination of the free boundary is the use of regularization techniques in form of phase field methods, where the interface is tracked implicitly. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)