Is Changing between Allotropic forms a Physical or Chemical Process?
Well, it's a matter of choice and tradition. We traditionally classify phase transitions (such as melting of ice or evaporation of water) as physical changes. The conversion of ferrite into austenite is a phase transition, so it should formally be classified as a physical change. But yes, it's hair splitting indeed, especially when you consider the phase change from diamond (giant covalent lattice, sigma-bonds only) to fullerene (simple molecular lattice, sigma plus delocalised pi-bonds), which clearly shows some characteristics of a chemical transformation (the change in the bonding nature). Still, even such changes are formally "physical". The traditions do not go easily!