A q-state Potts model-based Monte Carlo method was developed to model the austenite-ferrite transformation, which occurred during the isothermal austenite decomposition with a non-equilibrium austenite-ferrite interface in an Fe-C binary system on a mesoscale. In this simulation, carbon diffusion in the ferrite was allowed and the carbon diffusion simulation was independent of the numerical solution of the diffusion equation. During the isothermal austenite decomposition, the non-equilibrium austenite-ferrite interface was mixed diffusion/interface controlled. It was found that the characteristic of the transformation varied as the transformation proceeds. The effects of the bulk carbon concentration and the soaking temperature on the characteristics of the isothermal austenite-ferrite transformation were investigated.

A q-State Potts Model-Based Monte Carlo Method Used to Model the Isothermal Austenite-Ferrite Transformation under Non-Equilibrium Interface Condition. M.Tong, D.Li, Y.Li: Acta Materialia, 2005, 53[5], 1485-97