Modeling the formation and evolution of microstructure in phase transforming materials presents challenges to traditional continuum mechanics approaches. This is mainly because they do not account for effects arising from the discreteness of the underlying lattice. Such effects can be described by non-classical approaches based on discrete particle models. We study the propagation of an austenite-martensite phase boundary using a Frenkel–Kontorova model. The model is based on a one dimensional chain of atoms on the phase boundary under the influence of a temperature dependent substrate potential. Using this model we derive the kinetic relation as a function of temperature. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.