Mechanical Characterization of Austempered Ductile Iron Obtained by Two Step Austempering Process

Austempered ductile iron (ADI) is known to have a good combination of mechanical properties due its unique ausferrite microstructure. The strength of ADI is mainly a function of the austempering temperature and the stability of ausferrite matrix. To increase the stability of the ausferritic matrix, two stage austempering processes was developed. During this investigation, in the Ist step, ductile iron specimens were austenitized at 900 °C for 60 min followed by quenching to 250 °C in salt bath. In the IInd step, after quenching at 250 °C, the salt bath was gradually heated to 350 °C, 400 °C and 450 °C respectively where specimen were soaked for 120 min. The tensile strength and impact strength were evaluated according to ASTM standards. The results were compared with that obtained by conventional austempering process by quenching directly into salt bath at 400 °C for 120 min. Both tensile and impact strength were found to have improved by two step austempering process. During Ist stage of austempering, martensite was observed while during IInd stage of austempering microstructures revealed acicular ferrite and carbon stabilized austenite. The fractographic examination revealed mixed type of fracture mode and intergranular fracture was seen under SEM. It was further observed that the tensile strength decreased whereas the impact strength increased with IInd stage of austempering temperature.     

Effect of Graphite Nodule Diameter on Water Embrittlement of Austempered Ductile Iron

DuctileironwasdevelopedbyMorrogh[1]in 1940s.Theappearanceofaustemperedductileiron (ADI)in1970sessentiallyaffectedthemetallurgical researchofductileiron[2,3].ADIhasverygood properties[4-15].Itisproducedbyaustemperingcon ventionalductileiron,andthemicrostr…     

Unnotched Charpy Impact Energy Transition Behavior of Austempered Engineering Grade Ductile Iron Castings

Unnotched Charpy impact energy transition behavior of five different engineering grade ductile iron castings, as specified by EN 1563 Standards, were examined in as-cast, as well as in austempered states. ADIs were produced with the maximum impact energy values permissible for the grades. Austempering treatment detrimented the sub-zero impact properties of the ferritic castings, but considerably enhanced those of the pearlitic–ferritic irons. The impact energy transition behavior of the austempered states of all the grades examined were noted to be determined by the progressive transformation of the unavoidable carbon-unsaturated and untransformed regions of the austenite remaining in the matrix of the austempered ductile iron to martensite with decreasing temperature.     

Examination of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) As Per Austempering Temperature and Time

Austempered ductile iron is a heat treated form of as-cast ductile iron. The heat treatment process-austempering, was developed with the intent of improving the strength and toughness of ferrous alloys. It offers a range of mechanical properties superior to those of other cast iron, and shows excellent economic competitiveness with steels and aluminum alloys. The main aim is to analyze the mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics of as-cast ductile iron austenitized at 900 °C for 90 min and afterward austempered over a range of temperatures to obtain distinctive microstructures. The samples were austempered for durations of 60, 90 and 180 min at each austempering temperature of 340, 360, 380, and 400 °C. The influence of these austempering temperatures and times on the microstructure and tensile properties were investigated at room temperature.     

Tribological Performance of Austempered and Tempered Ductile Iron

Austempered ductile iron with its unique ausferritic structure is produced by an isothermal heat treatment process. Austempered ductile iron is a potential material to substitute for traditional steel castings and forgings in current industry due to its excellent mechanical properties. The tempering process is frequently used to enhance the ductility and toughness of a material and reduce residual stress. In this research, the phase transformation of austempered ductile iron was studied by applying various tempering temperatures with constant holding duration. It was found that the ausferritic structure was decomposed into dispersive cementite particles after receiving a tempering temperature of 538 °C or higher. The specific amount of retained austenite was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The wear resistance of tempered austempered ductile iron was investigated by using a ball-on-disk sliding test configuration. The results were compared with conventional quenched and tempered ductile iron under equivalent hardness. Both austempered ductile iron and tempered austempered ductile iron samples had better wear resistance than quenched and tempered ductile iron. The results presented in this research can be utilized as a reference in the tempering treatment of austempered ductile iron material for future applications.     

Effects of Copper and Austempering on Corrosion Behavior of Ductile Iron in 3.5 Pct Sodium Chloride

Although alloying and heat treatments are common industrial practices to obtain ductile irons with desired mechanical properties, related information on how the two practices affect corrosion behavior is scarce. In this study, two ductile irons—with and without 1 wt pct copper addition—were austempered to obtain austempered ductile irons (ADIs). Polarization tests and salt spray tests were conducted to explore how both copper-alloying and austempering heat treatments influenced the corrosion behavior of ductile irons. The results showed that the corrosion resistance of 1 wt pct copper-alloyed ductile iron was better than that of the unalloyed one, while ADI had improved corrosion resistance compared with the as-cast. In particular, the ductile iron combined with the copper-alloying and austempering treatments increased the corrosion inhibition efficiency up to 84 pct as tested in 3.5 wt pct NaCl solution.     

Mechanical Property Stability of Cu-Mo-Ni Alloyed Austempered Ductile Iron

The aim of present work is to investigate the influencing factors on mechanical property stability of Cu-Mo-Ni alloyed austempered ductile iron （ADI）. The results show that after austenitized at 900℃ for 2 h followed by austempered at 370℃for another 2 h, the mechanical property of the alloyed ADI can reach the Germanite GGG-100 standard, i.e. σb≮1000 MPa,δ≮5%, at 95% confidence level. And the satisfactory mechanical properties were obtained when the alloyed ADI was austenitized at 850℃ to 1 000 ℃ for 1-4 h, and austempered at 355℃ to 400℃ for another 1 h to 4 h. The microstructures, including nodule number, white bright zone content （martensite-containing interdendritic segregation zone） and retained austenite content, can significantly influence the mechanical properties of the ADI. In order to obtain the good combinations of strength and ductility, the volume fraction of white bright zone should he less than 5%, and the retained austenite contents maintain hetween 30 % and 40%. The application of inoculation techniques to increase graphite nodule number can effectively reduce the white bright zone content in the structure.     

奥氏体-贝氏体球墨铸铁中石墨与基体界面的疲劳强度

采用系统分析的方法，通过3点弯曲疲劳实验，跟踪监测了奥氏体-贝氏体球墨铸铁试样的疲劳损伤过程。实验结果表明，奥氏体-贝氏体球墨铸铁中石墨球与基体组织界面有一定的疲劳强度；在不同的疲劳载荷作用下，该处疲劳开裂的时间和程度存在差异，并对疲劳裂纹的萌生和扩展有不同的影响。     

Structure Homogeneity and Thermal Stability of Austempered Ductile Iron

Solid-state transformation during heat treatment is of great practical importance because it significantly affects the final structure, properties, and thermal stability of cast components. The present study highlights the issue of structure formation and its effect on the thermal stability of high-quality cast iron, namely, austempered ductile iron (ADI). In this study, experiments were carried out for castings with a 25-mm-walled thickness and under variable heat treatment conditions, i.e., austenitization and austempering within ranges of 850 °C to 925 °C and 250 °C to 380 °C, respectively. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations were carried out within a range of − 260 °C to + 450 °C to study the structure parameters related to the XRD tests, which provided information related to the phase participation, lattice parameters, and stresses in the microstructure as well as with an expansion of the crystal lattice. The results also provide insight into the role of the structure and its homogeneity on the thermal stability of ADI cast iron. The present work also aims to develop strategies to suppress the formation of blocky-shaped austenite in the ADI structure to maintain a homogeneous microstructure and high thermal stability.

     

Successive Boronizing and Austempering for GGG-40 Grade Ductile Iron

Boronizing and austempering were successively applied to a GGG-40 grade ductile iron in order to combine the advantages of both process in a single treatment. This new procedure formed a 30 μm thick boride layer on the surface with subsurface matrix structure consisted of acicular ferrite and retained austenite. Reciprocating wear tests showed that successive boronizing and austempering exhibited considerably higher wear resistance than conventional boronizing having a subsurface matrix structure consisting of ferrite and pearlite.     

Strain-Induced Martensitic Transformation Kinetic in Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI)

A model for the strain-induced martensitic transformation in austempered ductile iron (ADI) has been developed based on neutron diffraction studies. Quantitative phase analysis was carried out using the Rietveld method including texture analysis. The key parameters applied in this model that influence the strain-induced martensitic transformation are temperature, strain state, and loading type. An empirical relation was derived for the martensite start temperature M _s in austempered ductile iron, which takes into account the Ni and carbon content. The M _s temperature was used as a scaling parameter for the stability of austenite in the model to describe the strain-induced phase transformation in austempered ductile iron.     

Influence of Copper Addition and Temperature on the Kinetics of Austempering in Ductile Iron

Austempered ductile iron (ADI) is a material that exhibits excellent mechanical properties because of its special microstructure, combining ferrite and austenite supersaturated with carbon. Two ADI alloys, Fe-3.5 pct C-2.5 pct Si and Fe-3.6 pct C-2.7 pct Si-0.7 pct Cu, austempered for various times at 623 K (350 °C) and 673 K (400 °C) followed by water quenching, were investigated. The first ferrite needles nucleate mainly at the graphite/austenite interface. The austenite and ferrite weight fractions increase with the austempering time until stabilization is reached. The increase in the lattice parameter of the austenite during austempering corresponds to an increase of carbon content in the austenite. The increase in the ferrite weight fraction is associated with a decrease in microhardness. As the austempering temperature increases, the ferrite weight fraction decreases, the high carbon austenite weight fraction increases, but the carbon content in the latter decreases. Copper addition increases the high carbon austenite weight fraction. The results are discussed based on the phases composing the Fe-2Si-C system.     

The Effect of Cutting Speed and Depth of Cut on Surface Roughness During Machining of Austempered Ductile Iron

In this paper, the influence of process parameters on microstructural characteristics & mechanical properties of AZ80A Mg alloy during friction stir welding (FSW) are investigated in a detailed manner. The tensile fracture surfaces obtained from successfully fabricated joints are subjected to tensile tests and microstructural investigations were done using scanning electron microscope. From the experimental results, the joints produced under a 5 kN axial force value at 1000 rpm and at a feed rate of 1.5 mm/min were found to exhibit superior mechanical properties and metallurgically defect free weldments when compared with other joints. The chemical compositions of these defect free joints were analyzed using energy dispersive spectrometry. Moreover, ideal level of heat generation, uniform flow of the plasticized material and formation of fine grain structure with uniform distribution in the FSW zone were found to be the main reasons for these superior mechanical properties and flawless joints.     

奥氏体-贝氏体球墨铸铁断裂的微观过程及强韧化机理

用扫描电子显微镜及微拉伸台对奥氏体－贝氏体球墨铸铁裂纹萌生,扩展的微观过程进行了跟踪观察。结果发现：受拉时微裂纹首先在石墨－基体界面上萌生,并沿界面扩展,基体中的裂纹多数是沿贝氏体铁素体－奥氏体界面扩展,不同取向的基体组织可使裂纹偏转或分叉,主裂纹扩展过程中前方始终存在石墨－基体界面的开裂。此外,还根据实验结果进一步分析了奥氏体－贝氏体球墨铸铁的强韧化机理。     

Effect of Holding Time in the (α + γ) Temperature Range on Toughness of Specially Austempered Ductile Iron

Austempered ductile iron (ADI) finds wide application in the industry because of its high strength and toughness. The QB' process has been developed to produce a fine microstructure with high fracture toughness in ADI. This process involves reaustenitizing a prequenched ductile iron in the (α + γ) temperature range followed by an isothermal treatment in the bainitic transformation tem-perature range. In the present work, the effect of holding time in the (α + γ) temperature range on the structure and un-notched toughness of ADI has been studied. Prior to the austempering treatment, the as-cast ductile iron was heat treated to obtain martensitic, ferritic, and pearlitic matrix structures. In the case of prequenched material (martensitic matrix), the un-notched impact toughness increased as a function of holding time in the (α + γ) temperature range. The reaustenitization heat treatment also resulted in the precipitation of fine carbide particles, identified as (Fe,Cr,Mn)₃C. It was shown that the increase in holding time in the (α + γ) temperature range leads to a reduction in the number of carbide particles. In the case of a ferritic prior structure, a long duration hold in the (α + γ) temperature range resulted in the coarsening of the structure with a marginal increase in the tough-ness. In the case of a pearlitic prior structure, the toughness increased with holding time. This was attributed to the decomposition of the relatively stable carbide around the eutectic cell boundary with longer holding times. Formerly Graduate Student, Department of Production Systems Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology     

Effect of Composition and Heat Treatment Parameters on the Characteristics of Austempered Ductile Irons

Abstract

The discovery of Ductile Iron (DI) in 1948 provided new growth markets to the iron foundry industry. Precipitating the graphite phase as nodules in a continuous “pseudo-steel” matrix provided the mechanical strength and impact toughness lacking in gray cast irons. This new class of engineering materials was well suited to replace steel castings, forgings and assemblies, resulting in a North American production level exceeding four million tons (including pipe) of DI in 1995. This market growth was concurrent with the development of a family of materials which found applications in most industrial fields.

Austempered Ductile Irons (ADI) are the most recently developed materials of the DI family. By adapting the austempering treatment initially introduced for steels to DI, it has been shown that the resulting metallurgical structures provide properties that favorably compare to those of steel while taking advantage of a near-net-shape manufacturing process. The objectives of this paper are to review the metallurgical aspects of ADI production and to discuss the effects of chemical composition, heat treatment variables and initial casting quality on the structure and properties of ADI castings. © 1998 Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Résumé

La découverte de la fonte à graphite spheroldal (GS) en 1948 a ouvert de nouvelles possibiliti é s de croissance à l'industrie de la fonderie. La pr é cipitation du graphite sous forme de nodules dans une matrice “pseudo-acier” en fait une fonte possédant la résistance mécanique et la ténacit émanquant aux fontes grises. Cette nouvelle catégorie de matériaux était particulierement bien adaptée pour remplacer les pieces d'acier coulees, forg é es ou soudées, ce qui a permis d'atteindre, en 1995, une production nordamericaine de fonte. GS depassant quatre millions de tonnes (incluant les tuyaux). Cette croissance du march é s'est accompagnee du developpement d'une famille de materiaux ayant trouve des applications dans tous les domaines de l'industrie.

Les fontes GS trait é es par “austempering” (ADI) représentent les dernieres n é es dela famille des fonts GS. En adaptant le traitement “d'austempering” initialement développé pour les aciers aux fontes GS, les structures métallurgiques obtenues ont permis d'atteindre des propriétés qui se comparent favorablement à celles de l'acier, tout en prenant avantage du pro cédéde fonderie. Les objectifs de cet article sont de revoir les aspects metallurgiques de la production de la fonte ADI et de discuter les effets de la composition chimique, des parametres de traitement thermique et de la qualité de la pièce coulée sur la structure et les propriétés de l'ADI. © 1998 Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.     

Variation of Nano Ce Content in Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) Weld Metal and Its Effects on Microstructure

In the present study, four numbers of coated electrode were developed with and without addition of nano Ce content for welding ductile iron and convert to austempered ductile iron after isothermal heat treatment. Ce contents were varied with three different levels, i.e. 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 wt% to understand the effect of Ce content in the weld metal with respect to microstructural properties. Defect-free welds were established by applying preheat and then post weld heat treatment immediately after welding. Austenitization was done at 900 °C for 2 h and austempering at 300 and 350 °C for three different holding time. Microstructural constituents were varied by varying the Ce content in weld metals. The optimum amount of Ce content to refine the microstructure before and after austempering shows a significant effect in the austempering kinetics. Among all three levels of Ce content, 0.1 wt% was considered as the optimum level with respect to microstructural constituents and hardness.     

A Microscale Model for Ausferritic Transformation of Austempered Ductile Irons

This paper presents a new metallurgical model for the ausferritic transformation of ductile cast iron. The model allows predicting the evolution of phases in terms of the chemical composition, austenitization and austempering temperatures, graphite nodule count, and distribution of graphite nodule size. The ferrite evolution is predicted according to the displacive growth mechanism. A representative volume element is employed at the microscale to consider the phase distributions, the inhomogeneous austenite carbon content, and the nucleation of ferrite subunits at the graphite nodule surface and at the tips of existing ferrite subunits. The performance of the model is evaluated by comparison with experimental results. The results indicate that the increment of the ausferritic transformation rate, which is caused by increments of austempering temperature and graphite nodule count, is adequately represented by this model.