Austempered ductile iron (ADI) : influence of austempering temperature on microstructure, mechanical and wear properties and energy consumption

摘要

Alloyed Ductile iron austenitized at 840°C for 30 min in a special sealed austempering furnace, was austempered for 30 min in molten salt mixture at 4 trial temperatures of 300 °C, 320 °C, 340 °C and 360°C. Tensile strength, yield strength, percentage elongation and impact energy were evaluated for the as-cast and austempered samples. Microstructures were investigated using microscopy coupled with analyzing software and a scanning electron microscopy. The specific wear of samples was tested using pin-on-disc wear testing machine. X-ray diffraction was performed to calculate the amount of retained austenite present in the ausferrite matrix. As cast microstructure consists of ferrite and pearlite, whereas ADI contains a mixture of acicular ferrite and carbon enriched austenite called “ausferrite”. Hardness and strength decreased, whereas ductility and impact strength improved with increase in austempering temperature. XRD analysis revealed that the increase in austempering temperature increases the retained austenite content. Decrease in wear resistance with austempering temperature was observed. Modified Quality Index (MQI) value was envisaged incorporating tensile strength, elongation and wear resistance. MQI for samples austempered at 340°C and 360°C showed better combination of properties. About 8% reduction in energy consumption is gained when the heat treatment parameters are optimized.