# Three-dimensional crystallographic and local variant configuration analysis of lath martensite in medium-carbon steel https://mdr.nims.go.jp/datasets/2f391985-a5f3-4f0c-85b9-9ca67453cc16 ## File - [2026_Acta_Lath0.5C.pdf](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/filesets/6adcfb0b-2862-492f-8750-4354f6c92ed9/download) ([Detail](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/filesets/6adcfb0b-2862-492f-8750-4354f6c92ed9.md)) ## Id 2f391985-a5f3-4f0c-85b9-9ca67453cc16 ## Local identifier ## Visibility open_to_public ## State published ## Created at 2026-10-15T23:32:38.821582Z ## Updated at 2026-10-16T00:24:56.111327Z ## Published at 2026-10-16T01:30:23.755166Z ## Doi ## First published url https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121981 ## Date published 2026-02-03 ## Recorded date published 2026-4 ## Resource type journal_article ## Manuscript type vor ## Collection ## Title - title: Three-dimensional crystallographic and local variant configuration analysis of lath martensite in medium-carbon steel title_type: original lang: en ## Description - description: 'The microstructures and crystallographic features of lath martensite in a medium-carbon steel were investigated using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy serial sectioning and automated crystallographic orientation mapping in transmission electron microscopy techniques. The analysis revealed that, despite the complex and interwoven overall morphology, individual laths possess well-defined, plate-like shapes. Habit plane / lath boundary plane orientations determined by two-surface trace analysis spanned a range from (2 5 2)A to (2 9 5)A in the austenite coordinate system and were centered around (3 8 1)M in the martensite coordinate system. These results are consistent with predictions from the phenomenological theory of martensitic crystallography incorporating double lattice-invariant deformations and a high degree of tetragonality. Crystallographic variant analysis showed pairing tendencies among variants sharing parallel close-packed planes, along with the presence of nanoscale twin-related domains distinct from typical (1 1 2)M transformation twins. These domains were interpreted as twin-orientation-related intralath structures that formed ahead of the longitudinal growth front of a martensite plate and were subsequently embedded by its lateral growth. Micromechanics calculations further suggested that stress-induced variant selection, enhanced by high tetragonality, plays a critical role in the preferential formation of these twin-orientation-related intralath structures. Although the lath has traditionally been regarded as the smallest structural unit, detailed characterization of a twin-orientation-related intralath structure reveals an additional level of hierarchy, distinct from conventional defect substructures, fundamentally redefining the established microstructural concept of lath martensite. ' description_type: abstract lang: und ## Creator - name: Akinobu Shibata role: author orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8577-6411 organization: National Institute for Materials Science - name: Goro Miyamoto role: author - name: Shigekazu Morito role: author - name: Akiko Nakamura role: author orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0892-7421 organization: National Institute for Materials Science - name: Taku Moronaga role: author orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6915-0627 organization: National Institute for Materials Science - name: Houichi Kitano role: author orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0778-574X organization: National Institute for Materials Science - name: Ivan Gutierrez-Urrutia role: author orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1438-3703 organization: National Institute for Materials Science - name: Toru Hara role: author orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9715-6444 organization: National Institute for Materials Science ## Contact agent ## Publisher organization: Elsevier BV ## Managing organization ## Keyword - subject: Martensitic transformation schema: not_defined - subject: Steel schema: not_defined - subject: Transmission electron microscopy schema: not_defined - subject: Serial-sectioning schema: not_defined - subject: Crystallography schema: not_defined - subject: Variant configuration schema: not_defined ## Rights - identifier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ date_licensed: 2026-02-03 ## Other identifier(s) ## Data origin - data_origin_type: other ## Embargo ## Journal - title: Acta Materialia issn: '13596454' volume: '307' article_number: '121981' ## Conference ## Related item ## Funding - identifier: JPMXP1122684766 funder_name: Research and Development - funder_name: National Institute for Materials Science - funder_name: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology - identifier: JP22K18910 funder_name: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science - identifier: JP23K26410 funder_name: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science - identifier: JP23H01717 funder_name: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science ## Instrument ## Instrument operator ## Instrument managing organization ## Measurement method ## Specimen ## Chemical composition ## Structure for specimen ## Structural feature for specimen ## Specific property for specimen ## Process for specimen treatment ## Computational method ## Energy level/transition state ## Software ## Custom property ## Fileset - id: 6adcfb0b-2862-492f-8750-4354f6c92ed9 filename: 2026_Acta_Lath0.5C.pdf content_type: application/pdf size: 22614422 md5: af4c7a1ffb6a68d497091766d988093a ## Thumbnail fileset_id: 6adcfb0b-2862-492f-8750-4354f6c92ed9 filename: 2026_Acta_Lath0.5C.pdf