Austenite (or gamma phase iron) is a
metallic, non-magnetic solid solution of
iron and an alloying element. In
plain-carbon steel, austenite exists above the
critical
eutectoid temperature of 1333 °F (about 723 °C);
other alloys of
steel have different eutectoid temperatures. It
is named after Sir
William Chandler Roberts-Austen (1843-1902). Its
face-centred cubic (FCC)
structure has more open space than the
body-centered cubic structure, allowing it to hold a
higher proportion of carbon in solution.
WC
Roberts-Austen
Sir William Chandler
Roberts-Austen became head
of the new department of
Metallurgy in South
Kensington in 1880. Born in
1843, Chandler Roberts as he
then was, studied at the RSM
from 1861-5. In 1870 he was
appointed to the Chair of
Metallurgy at the RSM and
started his researches into
the structure and properties
of steel. He was one of the
most distinguished of a
group who developed the new
study of metallography. He
was made a Fellow of the
Royal Society in 1875, a CB
in 1890, a KCB in 1899. He
received recognition from
many overseas institutions
and was a Chevalier of the
Legion d’Honneur. He was a
man of wide interests with
charm and an understanding
of people which made him
very popular.
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