| The equilibrium diagram does not tell us what form is taken by the ferrite or cementite ejected from the austenite on cooling. |
| The harder pearlite is comprised of alternating thin layers or shells of ferrite and cementite, a very hard substance. |
| First, the hardness should increase progressively as the soft ferrite and graphite are replaced by the glass-hard cementite. |
| The cementite which precipitates from the melt forms as relatively large particles. |
| How stable the carbides are depends on how the element is partitioned between the cementite and the matrix. |
| Here the mass consists of primary austenite, eutectic austenite and cementite interstratified and pro-eutectoid cementite. |
