Question

The crystal structure of α-iron is -

• A. Close packed hexagonal
• B. Body centered cubic
• C. Simple cubic
• D. Face centered cubic

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Body centered cubic

The crystal structure of α-iron is body centered cubic (BCC) which has one atom at the center and one atom at each corner of the unit cell. BCC is used for brittle materials such as ferrite or α-iron. Face centered cubic (FCC) is used for ductile materials and has one atom at the center, one atom at each corner, and one atom on each face of the unit cell. The iron- carbon diagram shows the crystal structures for different phases.