1. Plural of austenite; a solid solution of carbon in iron with a face-centered cubic crystal structure, stable at high temperatures.
Usage: metallurgy; materials science; technical term

Examples

• The steel sample contained austenites at temperatures above 900 degrees Celsius.
• Austenites are formed when iron is heated above the critical transformation temperature.
• The metallurgist examined the austenites under a microscope to assess the material's properties.
• Cooling austenites rapidly can produce martensites, which are much harder.
• The phase diagram shows the region where austenites are thermodynamically stable.