noun
- a hard, brittle compound of iron and carbon (Fe3C) that occurs in steel and cast iron
Usage: metallurgy
Examples
- Cementite forms when carbon content in steel exceeds the solubility limit.
- The presence of cementite makes the steel harder but more brittle.
- Pearlite consists of alternating layers of ferrite and cementite.
- Heat treatment can dissolve cementite in the steel matrix.
- Cementite appears as white areas in metallographic samples.
- The formation of cementite affects the mechanical properties of iron alloys.