Calculation of volume fractions of microstructural components in steels cooled from the austenitizing temperature

Purpose: The paper presents method in predicting the volume fractions of ferrite, pearlite, bainite and martensite of steel cooled continuously from the austenitizing temperature, basing on the chemical composition, austenitizing temperature and cooling rate. Design/methodology/approach: In the paper it has been applied a hybrid approach that combined application of various mathematical tools including logistic regression and multiple regression to solve selected tasks from the area of materials science. Findings: Computational methods are an alternative to experimental measurement in providing the material data required for heat treatment process simulation.Research limitations/implications: All equations are limited by range of mass concentrations of elements which is presented in Table 2. Practical implications: The worked out formulae may be used in computer systems of steels’ designing for the heat-treated machine parts. Originality/value: The paper presents the method for calculating the volume fractions of ferrite, pearlite, bainite and martensite of the structural steels, depending on their chemical composition, austenitizing temperature and cooling rate.