The Habit Plate Shift and the Morphology of ∝' Nitride Precipitate in ∝-Fe*

A new phase which precipitates from a parent matrix has a size and shape which reflects its difference from parent phase. If the lattice mismatch is significant, the elastic strain energy is more important than the surface energy in determining the morphology and the preferred habit plane. The preferred habit of a tetragonal inclusion in a cubic matrix has been predicted by minimizing the elastic strain energy as from the Ktachaturyan linear elastic formula.