Solute-solute interaction in α iron: The status quo

Abstract

An overview is presented on the interaction of substitutional solutes with carbon and nitrogen in α iron, which is an important factor in controlling the properties of steels. Starting from a simple model of trapping of the interstitial solute atoms by substitutional solute atoms, the principles of experimental methods for quantitative studies are described, focussing on the Snoek relaxation and solubility measurements, and the knowledge acquired by such experiments is reviewed. An account of recent theoretical approaches to the interaction is also given.