Abstract
Using a combination of electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data, a segmentation procedure was developed to comprehensively distinguish austenite, martensite, polygonal ferrite, ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths in a thermo-mechanically processed low-Si, high-Al transformation-induced plasticity steel. The efficacy of the ferrite morphologies segmentation procedure was verified by transmission electron microscopy. The variation in carbon content between the ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths was explained on the basis of carbon partitioning during their growth.
•Multi-condition segmentation of austenite, martensite, polygonal ferrite and ferrite in bainite.•Ferrites in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite segmented by variation in relative carbon counts.•Carbon partitioning during growth explains variation in carbon content of ferrites in bainites.•Developed EBSD image processing tools can be applied to the microstructures of a variety of alloys.•EBSD-based segmentation procedure verified by correlative TEM results.