pearlite

American  

[pur-lahyt] / ˈpɜr laɪt /

noun

1. Metallurgy. a microscopic lamellar structure found in iron or steel, composed of alternating layers of ferrite and cementite.

2. Petrography. perlite.

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pearlite British  

/ ˈpɜːlaɪt, pɜːˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. the lamellar structure in carbon steels and some cast irons that consists of alternate plates of pure iron and iron carbide

2. a variant spelling of perlite

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Other Word Forms

• pearlitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of pearlite

First recorded in 1885–90; pearl + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

If the brand of available potting soil doesn’t contain pearlite, she lightens it with some so that pearlite is as much as one-quarter of the blend.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 9, 2023

Any of these operations not only allows the transformations from austenite to pearlite to proceed, but also relieves internal stresses in the steel.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

The cementite, although adding to the tensile strength, is very brittle and the strength of the pearlite is the combination of the ferrite and cementite.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

He is then able to pick out its component minerals, ferrite, austenite, martensite, pearlite, graphite, cementite, and to show how their abundance, shape and arrangement contribute to the strength or weakness of the specimen.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Slosson, Edwin E.

Subsequent cooling gives a coarse texture, or an arrangement of ferrite, cementite and pearlite grains which is greatly coarsened, reflecting the condition of the austenite crystals from which they were born.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)