Retained Austenite

Austenite is a Face Centered Cubic (FCC) phase present in steel at high temperature. Upon cooling of the steel most of the steel is transformed into the Ferrite a Body Centered Cubic (BCC) phase or into Martensite a Body Centered Tetragonal (BCT) Phase. However, depending on the rate of cooling some small percentage of the steel can stay as the FCC austenite Phase. Hence the term "Retained Austenite". The amount of retained austenite can play a significant role in the performance, dimensional stability and longevity of a steel component. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) is the only method available that can accurately determine % Retained Austenite Levels down to 1%.

Proto's x-ray diffraction systems can be outfitted for retained austenite measurement collection. We have a range of options including:

Low cost: manual 4- peak collection method.
Fully automated: 4- peak collection method.
High Speed: multiple detector simultaneous 4-peak collection.