Phase-Field Simulation on Phase Transformation during Creep Deformation in Type 304 Steel

Phase-field simulation of phase transformation during creep in Type 304 austenitic steel is performed and simultaneous nucleation and growth of both M23C6 carbide and ferromagnetic α phases are reproduced. Nucleation events of these product phases are explicitly introduced through a probabilistic Poisson seeding process based on the classical nucleation theory. Creep dislocation energy near the carbide is integrated into the nucleation driving force for the α phase. We examine the effect of the dislocation density on precipitation of the α phase, and it is found that a small difference in the dislocation density leads to a significant change in precipitation behavior of the α phase.