). Historically considered a distinct allotrope, it is now primarily viewed as the high-temperature, paramagnetic form of ferrite. Key Features and Characteristics While it was once debated whether
: Because it shares the BCC structure with alpha iron, it possesses similar mechanical properties, though it is slightly less dense due to thermal expansion at higher temperatures. Technical Comparison of Iron Phases Common Name Crystal Structure Magnetic State Temperature Range Alpha ( ) Ferromagnetic Beta ( ) Beta Iron BCC Paramagnetic Gamma ( ) Non-magnetic Delta ( ) Delta Ferrite Non-magnetic (PDF) The Beta Iron Controversy Revisited - ResearchGate
), heating iron past the Curie point does not change the physical arrangement of atoms, only their magnetic ordering. : It is stable between
In metallurgy, ( ) refers to a specific non-magnetic state of iron that occurs when alpha iron ( ) is heated above its Curie temperature (
constituted a separate phase of matter, modern science defines its unique features through its magnetic and structural behavior: : The defining feature of
: It maintains the Body-Centered Cubic (BCC) lattice structure of . Unlike other transformations (like α→γalpha right arrow gamma