Ferrite or alpha iron (α-Fe) is a materials science term for iron, or a solid solution with iron as the main constituent, with a body centred cubic crystal structure. QtubIronPillarJPG|thumb|right| Iron pillar at Delhi India containing 98% wrought iron]] Wrought iron is commercially pure Iron. Ductile iron, also called ductile cast iron, spheroidal graphite iron, or nodular cast iron, is a type of Cast iron invented in 1943 by Materials Science or Materials Engineering is an interdisciplinary field involving the properties of matter and its applications to various areas of Science and Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 A solid solution is a Solid - state Solution of one or more solutes in a Solvent. The cubic crystal system (or isometric) is a Crystal system where the Unit cell is in the shape of a Cube. In Mineralogy and Crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of Atoms in a Crystal. It is the component which gives steel and cast iron their magnetic properties, and is the classic example of a ferromagnetic material. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but identifies a large group of Ferrous Alloys which solidify with a Eutectic. In Physics, magnetism is one of the Phenomena by which Materials exert attractive or repulsive Forces on other Materials. Ferromagnetism is the basic mechanism by which certain materials (such as Iron) form Permanent magnets and/or exhibit strong interactions with Magnets it

It can be considered as pure iron practically (strength = 280N/mm²). Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 Ferrite can be strictly defined as a solid solution of iron in body-centered cubic (BCC) containing a maximum of 0. 03% carbon at 723^oC and 0. 006% carbon at room temperature.

Most "mild" steels (plain carbon steels with up to about 0. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 2 wt% C) consist mostly of ferrite, with increasing amounts of pearlite (a fine lamellar structure of ferrite and cementite) as the carbon content is increased. Pearlite is a two-phased, lamellar (or layered structure composed of alternating layers of alpha-ferrite (88 wt% and Cementite (12% that occurs Cementite or iron carbide is a Chemical compound with the formula Fe3C (or Fe2CFe and an Orthorhombic crystal structure Since bainite (shown as ledeburite on the diagram) and pearlite each have ferrite as a component, any iron-carbon alloy will contain some amount of ferrite if it is allowed to reach equilibrium at room temperature. Bainite is a Phase that exists in Steel Microstructures after certain Heat treatments First described by Davenport E In a Chemical process, chemical equilibrium is the state in which the chemical activities or Concentrations of the reactants and products have no net change

In pure iron, ferrite is stable below 910°C. Above this temperature the face-centered cubic form of iron, austenite (gamma-iron) is stable. The cubic crystal system (or isometric) is a Crystal system where the Unit cell is in the shape of a Cube. Austenite (or gamma phase iron is a metallic non-magnetic solid solution of Iron and an Alloying element Above 1390°C, up to the melting point at 1539°C, the body-centred cubic crystal structure is again the more stable form of delta-ferrite (δ-Fe). The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to Liquid.

Iron-carbon phase diagram, showing the conditions under which ferrite (α) is stable. In Physical chemistry, Mineralogy, and Materials science, a phase diagram is a type of graph used to show the equilibrium conditions

Only a very small amount of carbon can be dissolved in ferrite; the maximum solubility is about 0. Carbon (kɑɹbən is a Chemical element with the symbol C and its Atomic number is 6 Solubility is the characteristic Physical property referring to the ability of a given substance the Solute, to dissolve in a Solvent. 02wt% at 723°C. This is because carbon dissolves in iron interstitially, with the carbon atoms being about twice the diameter of the interstitial "holes", so that each carbon atom is surrounded by a strong local strain field. Hence the enthalpy of mixing is positive (unfavourable), but the contribution of entropy to the free energy of solution stabilises the structure for low carbon content. In Thermodynamics and molecular chemistry, the enthalpy (denoted as H, h, or rarely as χ) is a quotient or description of In Thermodynamics (a branch of Physics) entropy, symbolized by S, is a measure of the unavailability of a system ’s Energy In Thermodynamics, the term thermodynamic free energy refers to the amount of work that can be extracted from a System, and is helpful in Engineering In Chemistry, a solution is a Homogeneous Mixture composed of two or more substances 723°C also is the minimum temperature at which iron-carbon austenite (0. 8 wt% C) is stable; at this temperature there is a eutectoid reaction between ferrite, austenite and cementite. Cementite or iron carbide is a Chemical compound with the formula Fe3C (or Fe2CFe and an Orthorhombic crystal structure

See also

• Acicular ferrite
• Spring steel
• Maraging steel
• Cementite
• Eutectoid
• Martensite
• Ferrite bead