Arragnement of atoms inside a steel

Lojzek

How are atoms inside a steel arranged?

Ussually we can get the data about the mass share of different elements of steel and the lattice type. But the lattice only tells us where an atom is situated, not the type of the atom. Can we tell anything about the type of the atom at a certain position? Is it random, with probabilities equal to the number share of each atom type? Or is it completely determined by some periodic structure. Or maybe none of those?

Bob S

I have used an austenitic stainless steel (non-magnetic) that changed to martensitic (magnetic) at low temperatures. This a thermally-dependent re-arrangement of atoms.

Lojzek

So steel can be found in different phases, based on the temperature. Let's say that we determine the phase and the temperature. Is it possible to determine atom structure mathematicaly then?

Bob S

Can you determine the lattice structure of 304 or 316 alloy austenitic stainless steel? How about 440? All I know (I think) is that one is FCC (face center cubic) and the other BCC (body center cubic).
Read the paragraph on duplex stainless steels on page 32 of
http://books.google.com/books?id=Orl...num=4#PPA32,M1

heylouis

I think you can refer to regular solution theory.
It's also helpful to understand the solid structure.