This paper describes a technique of measuring the volume percent retained austenite in steel using ordinary filtered X-radiation and an X-ray diffractometer. As compared with conventional rate-meter recordings or microphotometer traces of diffraction peaks, the subject technique extends the range of austenite determinations from the usual 7 % down to 1 %. It markedly improves over the entire range of measurement.

Essentially, the technique consists of step scanning the profile of each selected martensite and austenite diffraction line and recording the corresponding intensity within a known probable error. The step-scanning, fixed-count, and counting-rate, recording operations are performed automatically by a counting-rate computer. The integrated intensity of each diffraction line is obtained by summation of intensity increments above background in accordance with the “trapezoidal rule.” For hardened steel, the best peak-to-background ratio is secured using filtered Cr Ka radiation with the vanadium filter located in the diffracted beam. The volume percent retained austenite is determined by direct comparison of the integrated intensity of an austenite line with the integrated intensity of a marten site line and from the relationships between intensity and concentration for the martensitic and austenitic phases.

An application of the subject technique was its use in determining the retained austenite behavior of carburized 9310 steel. The volume percent austenite retained on the surfaces of as-quenched specimens was determined as a function of carburizing potential. The amount of retained austenite subsequently transformed by various combinations of tempering, refrigerating, and retempering treatments was successively ascertained. The amount of retained austenite determined using the subject technique compared closely with the amount of retained austenite measured by metallographic examination. However, the reproducibility of results was better for the X-ray method as compared to metallographie examination. The nondestructive nature of the X-ray method permitted successive measurements on the same surface following repeated thermal treatments.