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Compute the composition of an iron-carbon alloy for which the mass fractions of total ferrite and total cementite are 0.93and 0.07, respectively.

User Ffff
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2 Answers

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Final answer:

To compute the composition of an iron-carbon alloy, we can use the mass fractions of total ferrite and total cementite. The alloy consists of 93% iron and 7% carbon.

Step-by-step explanation:

To compute the composition of an iron-carbon alloy, we need to determine the mass fractions of iron and carbon in the alloy. Given that the mass fractions of total ferrite and total cementite are 0.93 and 0.07, respectively, we can assume that the alloy consists only of these two components.

Since the total mass fractions must add up to 1, the mass fraction of iron in the alloy is 0.93, and the mass fraction of carbon is 0.07.

Therefore, the iron-carbon alloy has a composition of 93% iron and 7% carbon.

User Kaypro II
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Final answer:

The composition of the iron-carbon alloy with mass fractions of total ferrite and total cementite as 0.93 and 0.07, respectively, is approximately 99.531% iron and 0.469% carbon.

Step-by-step explanation:

To compute the composition of an iron-carbon alloy in which the mass fractions of total ferrite (alpha-Fe) and total cementite (Fe3C) are 0.93 and 0.07, respectively, we need to understand that ferrite is essentially pure iron while cementite contains a fixed ratio of iron to carbon, specifically 3 atoms of iron to 1 atom of carbon.

Using the Iron-Carbon phase diagram, we know that the composition of cementite by mass is approximately 6.7% carbon and 93.3% iron. Given the mass fraction of cementite in the alloy, we can calculate the mass fraction of carbon in the alloy as follows:

Carbon in cementite = 6.7% of total cementite
Carbon in alloy = 6.7% of 0.07 (cementite mass fraction) = 0.00469 or 0.469%

Since the rest of the alloy is ferrite which does not contain carbon, the mass percentage of carbon in the alloy is thus 0.469%. The remainder of the alloy is iron, so the mass percentage of iron can be calculated by subtracting the mass percentage of carbon from 100%, yielding:

Iron in alloy = 100% - Carbon in alloy = 100% - 0.469% = 99.531%

So, the composition of the iron-carbon alloy is 99.531% iron and 0.469% carbon, approximately, when considering the mass fractions provided.

User Jagadish Upadhyay
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