L. D¹browski1, J. Suwalski1, B. Sidzimov2, V. Khristov2
1 Institute of Atomic Energy, 05-400 Otwock-Swierk, Poland,
2 Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, BLVD. Tsarigradsko Shose 72, Sofia 1734, Bulgaria
Martensite containing 0.87 wt.% of carbon was studied in the temperature range 100-300 K by Mössbauer
spectroscopy (ME) and X-ray diffraction. A temperature shock or a step-wise temperature change gives
rise to a reversible dynamic process leading to thermodynamic equilibrium at a fixed temperature.
A mechanism of carbon diffusion through interstitial sites is discussed and shown to explain the
observed fluctuations of the short-range and long-range order parameters.