Liquidus projections and primary solidification paths were calculated for the alloys. Each alloy is expected to form ferritic dendrites with a ferrite/TiC eutectic interdendritic structure. The calculations predict that a nominal increase of Al, Cr, Ti, or C will cause an increase in the fraction of liquid present when the primary solidification path intersects the monovariant ferrite / TiC eutectic line. This is equivalent to an increasing fraction of eutectic that is expected to form. Total fraction of eutectic measurements from the arc button melted alloys in the Fe-10wt%Al-5wt%Cr-Ti-C system follow the trend of increasing the total fraction of eutectic for increasing nominal carbon concentrations. The measured fraction of eutectic in alloys with lower titanium concentrations in the Fe-10wt%Al-5wt%Cr-Ti-C system compares well with the calculations.

Energy-dispersive spectroscopy, electron-backscatter diffraction, and X-ray diffraction techniques were used to determine the chemistry and phase-identity of the microstructures. The preliminary characterization results agree with the expectation of a ferrite dendritic structure with a ferrite/TiC eutectic. The goal of this work is to develop a model that will allow the microstructural evolution of Fe-Al-Cr-Ti-C-based weld overlays to be controlled by knowledge of the composition and solidification conditions.