QUALITY CONTROL ON THE AUSTENITIC-BAINITIC DUCTILE IRON GEAR

By reasonable casting, spheroidizing,inoculating and heat treating processes to control cupola metallurgy and the lipuid iron chemical compositions,a new kind of austenitic--bainitic ductile iron which can substitute for 20CrMnTi carburizing steel is studied.The gears made by the cast iron are high in quality,low in weight and the production cost is greatly reduced.The mechanical properties of the gear, including wear resistance,fatigue resistance,durability and others, can be greatly improved.

Tailoring Carbon Distribution inα/γPhase of Ductile Iron and Its Effects on Thermal Conductivity

The effects of carbon distribution on the microstructure and thermal conductivity of ductile iron were investigated in the present study.The microstructure of as-cast and quenched ductile iron were characterized by OM and SEM.Results showed that the microstructure of as-cast ductile iron was composed of spheroidal graphite,ferrite with the volume of 80%,and a small amount of pearlite,and quenched ductile iron was composed of spheroidal graphite,coarse/fine acicular martensite(α_(M)phase)and high-carbon retained austenite(γphase).The volume fraction of retained austensite and its carbon content for direct quenched ductile iron and tepmered ductile iron were quantitatively analysed by XRD.Results revealed that carbon atoms diffused fromα_(M)phase toγphase during tempering at low temperatures,which resulted in carbon content in retainedγphase increasing from 1.2 wt%for the direct quenched sample to about 1.9 wt%for the tempered samples.Consequently,the lattice distortion was significantly reduced and gave rise to an increase of thermal conductivity for ductile iron.

A Bidimensional Finite Element Study of Crack Propagation in Austempered Ductile Iron

Austempered ductile iron(ADI)is composed of an ausferritic matrix with graphite nodules and has a wide range of applications because of its high mechanical strength,fatigue resistance,and wear resistance compared to other cast irons.The amount and size of the nodules can be controlled by the chemical composition and austenitizing temperature.As the nodules have lower stiffness than the matrix and can act as stress concentrators,they influence crack propagation.However,the crack propagation mechanism in ADI is not yet fully understood.In this study,we describe a numerical investigation of crack propagation in ADIs subjected to cyclic loading.The numerical model used to calculate the stress intensity factors in the material under the given conditions is built with the aid of Abaqus commercial finite element code.The crack propagation routine,which is based on the Paris law,is implemented in Python.The results of the simulation show that the presence of a nodule generates a shear load on the crack tip.Consequently,even under uniaxial tensile loading,the presence of the nodule yields a non-zero stress intensity factor in mode II,resulting in a deviation in the crack propagation path.This is the primary factor responsible for changing the crack propagation direction towards the nodule.Modifying the parameters,for example,increasing the nodule size or decreasing the distance between the nodule and crack tip,can intensify this effect.In simulations comparing two different ADIs with the same graphite fraction area,the crack in the material with more nodules reaches another nodule in a shorter propagation time(or shorter number of cycles).This suggests that the high fatigue resistance observed in ADIs may be correlated with the number of nodules intercepted by a crack and the additional energy required to nucleate new cracks.In summary,these findings contribute to a better understanding of crack propagation in ADIs,provide insights into the relationship between the presence of nodules and the fatigue resistance of these materials,and support studies that associate the increased fatigue resistance with a higher number of graphite nodules.These results can also help justify the enhanced fatigue resistance of ADIs when compared to other cast irons.

Effect of austempering parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of horizontal continuous casting ductile iron dense bars

In the present research, the orthogonal experiment was carried out to investigate the influence of different austempering process parameters(i.e. austenitizing temperature and time, and austempering temperature and time) on microstructure and mechanical properties of LZQT500-7 ductile iron dense bars with 172 mm in diameter which were produced by horizontal continuous casting(HCC). The results show that the major factors influencing the hardness of austempered ductile iron(ADI) are austenitizing temperature and austempering temperature. The fraction of retained austenite increases as the austenitizing and austempering temperatures increase. When austenitizing temperature is low, acicular ferrite and retained austenite can be effi ciently obtained by appropriately extending the austenitizing time. The proper austmepering time could ensure enough stability of retained austenite and prevent high carbon austenite decomposition. The optimal mechanical properties of ADI can be achieved with the following process parameters: austenitizing temperature and time are 866 °C and 135 min, and austempering temperature and time are 279 °C and 135 min, respectively. The microstructure of ADI under the optimal austempering process consists of fi ne acicular ferrite and a small amount of retained austenite, and the hardness, tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and impact toughness of the bars are HBW 476, 1670 MPa, 1428 MPa, 2.93% and 25.7 J, respectively.

A study on controlled cooling process for making bainitic ductile iron

In the present research, TTT curve of bainitic ductile iron under the condition of controlled cooling was generated. The cooling rate of grinding ball and its temperature distribution were also measured at the same time. It can be concluded that the bainitic zone of TTT curve is separated from the pearlitic zone. As compared to the water-quenching condition, more even cooling rate and temperature distribution can be achieved in the controlled cooling process. The controlled cooling can keep away from pearlitic zone in the high temperature cooling stage and produce similar results to the process of traditional isothermal cooling with a low cooling rate in the low temperature cooling stage.

Study on Thermal Simulation of Solidification in Heavy Section Ductile Iron

Using an artificial intelligent instrument and a computer feedback control method, a new thermal simulation systemis studied. Based on numerical simulation of casting solidification, a sample in the new system successfully simulatedthe solidification of heavy section ductile iron. The results show that the new thermal simulation system is accurateand reliable. Not only cooling curve but also graphite in the center of the thermal sample and the heavy sectionductile iron is identical. Realization of accurate thermal simulation of solidification in heavy section ductile iron willbe helpful for studying formation mechanism and controlling graphite degeneration in heavy section ductile iron.

Effect of Bi on graphite morphology and mechanical properties of heavy section ductile cast iron

To improve the mechanical properties of heavy section ductile cast iron, bismuth(Bi) was introduced into the iron. Five castings with different Bi content from 0 to 0.014 wt.% were prepared; and four positions in the casting from the edge to the center, with different solidifi cation cooling rates, were chosen for microstructure observation and mechanical properties test. The effect of the Bi content on the graphite morphology and mechanical properties of heavy section ductile cast iron were investigated. Results show that the tensile strength, elongation and impact toughness at different positions in the fi ve castings decrease with a decrease in cooling rate. With an increase in Bi content, the graphite morphology and the mechanical properties at the same position are improved, and the improvement of mechanical properties is obvious when the Bi content is no higher than 0.011wt.%. But when the Bi content is further increased to 0.014wt.%, the improvement of mechanical properties is not obvious due to the increase of chunky graphite number and the aggregation of chunky graphite. With an increase in Bi content, the tensile fracture mechanism is changed from brittle to mixture ductile-brittle fracture.

Development of thermal simulation system for heavy section ductile iron solidification

A new reliable thermal simulation system for studying solidification of heavy section ductile iron has been developed using computer feedback control and artificial intelligent methods. Results of idle test indicate that the temperature in the system responses exactly to the inputted control data and the temperature control error is less than ±0.5%. It is convenient to simulate solidification of heavy section ductile iron using this new system. Results of thermal simulation experiments show that the differences in nodularity and number of graphite nodule per unit area in the thermal simulation specimen and the actual heavy section block is less than 5% and 10%, respectively.

Influence of cooling rate and antimony addition content on graphite morphology and mechanical properties of a ductile iron

Cooling rate and inoculation practice can greatly affect the graphite morphology of ductile irons.In the present research,the effects of the cooling rate and antimony addition on the graphite morphology and mechanical properties of ductile irons have been studied.Three ductile iron castings were prepared through solidification under cooling conditions S(slow),M(medium)and F(fast).The cooling rates around the equilibrium eutectic temperature (1,150℃)for these cooling conditions(S,M and F)were set at 0.21℃·min -1 ,0.32℃·min -1 and 0.37℃·min -1 , respectively.In addition,four ductile iron castings were prepared by adding 0.01%,0.02%,0.03%and 0.04%(by weight)antimony,respectively under the slow cooling condition.The results show that the nodularity index,tensile strength and hardness of the ductile iron castings without antimony addition are all improved with the increase of cooling rate,while the ductile iron casting solidified under the medium cooling rate possesses the largest number of graphite nodules.Furthermore,for the four antimony containing castings,the graphite morphology and tensile strength are also improved by the antimony additions,and the effect of antimony addition is intensified when the addition increases from 0.01%to 0.03%.Moreover,the rare earth elements(REE)/antimony ratio of 2 appears to be the most effective for fine nodular graphite formation in ductile

EFFECT OF SILICON ON PRODUCING DUCTILE IRON WITH COMPLEX STRUCTURE OF BAINITE AND MARTENSITE

This paper deals with an important role of silicon in producing ductile iron with quenched complex structure of bainite and martensite. The samples are cast in permanent mold and quenched in solution of sodium silicate. The result of thc experiments shows that the austenizing temperature should rise with increasing silicon content, otherwise much undissolved ferrite is present in the matrix after quenching. However the undissolvec ferrite can be decreased greatly or even eliminated by adding appropriate amount of ooron. On this condition, the amount of bainite gets increasing and the amount of residual austenite decreasing with the silicon cortent increasing. An approach has also been made to the mechanism of the effect of silicon on the transformation of bainite in ductile iron. The T.T.T. curves measured show that the increase of sllicon content causes the curve to shift to the left. This is quite different from the fact in steel.

Effect of alloying elements on austempered ductile iron(ADI) properties and its process:Review

Austempered ductile iron(ADI) parts have a unique combination of high strength and toughness with excellent design flexibility and low cost. These excellent properties are directly related to its microstructure called "ausferrite" that is the result of austempering heat treatment applied to ductile irons. Alloying elements increase ADI austemperability and change speeds of austempering reactions. Thus, they can affect ADI resultant microstructure and mechanical properties. In this paper, the effects of alloying elements on ADI mechanical properties, microstructural changes, two-stage austempering reactions, processing windows, austemperability, and other aspects are reviewed.

Effects of forced cooling on mechanical properties and fracture behavior of heavy section ductile iron

To develop materials suitable for spent-nuclear-fuel containers, the effect of forced cooling on mechanical properties and fracture toughness of heavy section ductile iron was investigated. Two cubic castings with different cooling processes were prepared: casting A was prepared in a totally sand mold, and casting B was prepared in a sand mold with two chilling blocks placed on the left and right sides of the mold. Three positions in each casting with different solidification cooling rates were chosen. In-situ SEM tensile experiment was used to observe the dynamic tensile process. Fracture analysis was conducted to study the influence of vermicular and slightly irregular spheroidal graphite on the fracture behavior of heavy section ductile iron. Results show that the tensile strength, elongation, impact toughness and fracture toughness at different positions of the two castings all decrease with decreasing cooling rate. With the increase of solidification time, the fracture mechanism of conventional casting A changes from ductile fracture to brittle fracture, and that of casting B with forced cooling changes from ductile fracture to a mixture of ductile-brittle fracture.

Precipitation and evolution of nodular graphite during solidification process of ductile iron

The quantity and morphology of spheroidal graphite have an important effect on the properties of ductile iron, and the characteristics of spheroidal graphite are determined by the solidification process. The aim of this work is to explore the precipitation and evolution of graphite nodules in hypoeutectic, eutectic, and hypereutectic ductile irons by thermal analysis, liquid quenching and metallographic technique. Results show that hypoeutectic ductile iron has the longest solidification time and the lowest eutectic temperature;eutectic ductile iron has the shortest solidification time;hypereutectic ductile iron has the highest eutectic temperature. After solidification is completed, hypoeutectic ductile iron has the lowest nodule count, nodularity and graphite fraction;eutectic ductile iron has the highest nodule count, nodularity and the smallest nodule diameter;hypereutectic has the highest nodule diameter and graphite fraction. The nucleation and growth of graphite nodules in hypereutectic ductile iron starts before bulk eutectic crystallization stage, however, the precipitation and evolution of graphite nodules of hypoeutectic and eutectic ductile irons mainly occur in the eutectic crystallization stage. The graphite precipitated in eutectic crystallization of hypoeutectic, eutectic, and hypereutectic ductile irons, are 61%, 68% and 43% of total graphite volume fraction, respectively. Simultaneously, there are plenty of austenite dendrites in hypoeutectic and hypereutectic ductile irons, which are prone to shrinkage defects. Therefore, the eutectic ductile iron has the smallest shrinkage tendency.

Thermal and microstructural characterization of a novel ductile cast iron modified by aluminum addition

In high-temperature applications,like exhaust manifolds,cast irons with a ferritic matrix are mostly used.However,the increasing demand for higher-temperature applications has led manufacturers to use additional expensive materials such as stainless steels and Ni-resist austenitic ductile cast irons.Thus,in order to meet the demand while using low-cost materials,new alloys with improved high-temperature strength and oxidation resistance must be developed.In this study,thermodynamic calculations with Thermo-Calc software were applied to study a novel ductile cast iron with a composition of 3.5wt%C,4wt%Si,1wt%Nb,0‒4wt%Al.The designed compositions were cast,and thermal analysis and microstructural characterization were performed to validate the calculations.The lowest critical temperature of austenite to pearlite eutectoid transformation,i.e.,A1,was calculated,and the solidification sequence was determined.Both calculations and experimental data revealed the importance of aluminum addition,as the A1 increased by increasing the aluminum content in the alloys,indicating the possibility of utilizing the alloys at higher temperature.The experimental data validated the transformation temperature during solidification and at the solid state and confirmed the equilibrium phases at room temperature as ferrite,graphite,and MC-type carbides.

Low temperature impact toughness and fracture mechanism of cast QT400-18L ductile iron with diferent Ni additions

Different contents of Ni(0.3wt.%to 1.2wt.%)were added to the QT400-18L ductile iron to investigate the effect of Ni addition on the impact toughness of cast ductile irons at low temperatures.The impact toughnesses of the samples at room and low temperatures were tested.The microstructures and fractographs were observed.Results show that with the increase of Ni addition there is a general trend of refinement of the ferrite matrix while the nodule density shows no obvious change.When the Ni content is 0.7wt.%,the matrix structure is the refined ferrite with a very small fraction(about 2%)of pearlite near the eutectic cell boundaries.When the Ni content is further increased,the fraction of pearlite increases significantly and reaches more than 5%when 1.2wt.%Ni is added.The impact toughness at room temperature increases as the content of Ni increases from 0.3 wt.%to 0.7 wt.%,but decreases as the Ni content further increases to 1.2wt.%due to the increase of pearlite fraction.The maximum value of the impact work is 18.5 J at room temperature with 0.7wt.%Ni addition.The average value of the impact work is still more than 13 J even at-30℃.In addition,the fracture mechanism changes from ductile manner to brittleness as the testing temperature decreases from 20℃to-60℃.

Formation mechanism of spheroidal carbide in ultra-low carbon ductile cast iron

The formation mechanism of the spheroidal carbide in the ultra-low carbon ductile cast iron fabricated by the metal mold casting technique was systematically investigated. The results demonstrated that the spheroidal carbide belonged to eutectic carbide and crystallized in the isolated eutectic liquid phase area. The formation process of the spheroidal carbide was related to the contact and the intersection between the primary dendrite and the secondary dendrite of austenite. The oxides of magnesium, rare earths and other elements can act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for the spheroidal carbide. It was also found that the amount of the spheroidal carbide would increase with an increase in carbon content. The cooling rate has an important influence on the spheroidal carbide under the same chemical composition condition.

Design and control of chemical compositions for high-performance austempered ductile iron

This paper presents the effects of chemical compositions of austempered ductile iron(ADI)on casting quality,heat treatment process parameters and mechanical properties of final products.Through experiment and production practice,the impacts of carbon equivalent on ADI and its mechanical properties have been studied. Proper content ranges for carbon and silicon have been obtained to avoid ADI casting shrinkage and graphite floatation,as well as to achieve the optimal mechanical properties.According to the impact of silicon content on austenite phase transformation,the existing form of carbon in ADI has been analyzed,and also the formula and diagram showing the relationship between austenitizing temperature and carbon content in austenite have been deduced.The chemical composition range for high performance ADI and its control points have been recommended, to serve as a reference for production process.

Review of current research and application of ductile cast iron quality monitoring technologies in Chinese foundry industry

There is a long history of studying and making use of ductile cast iron in China.Over the years,the foundrymen in China have carried out a lot of valuable research and development work for measuring parameters and controlling the quality in ductile cast iron production.Many methods,such as rapid metallographic phase,thermal analysis,eutectic expansion ratio,surface tension measurement,melt electrical resistivity,oxygen and sulfur activity measurement,ultrasonic measurement and sound frequency measurement,have been used and have played important roles in Chinese casting production in the past.These methods can be generally classified as liquid testing and solid testing according to the sample state.Based on the analysis of the present situation of these methods applied in the Chinese metal casting industry,the authors consider that there are two difficult technical problems to be currently solved in monitoring ductile iron quality.One is to seek an effective method for quickly evaluating the nodularizing result through on-the-spot sample analysis before the liquid iron is poured into the mould.The other is to find a nondestructive method for accurately identifying casting quality before castings are delivered.

Effect of Austenitizing Treatment on Structure and Hardness of Bainite DuctileCast Iron

In1949,Braidwoodpredictedthatthecastironwithneedlestructure(bainiteductilecastiron)mightbethebestoneinmechanicproperties[1].Becauseofthedif-ficultyinproductioncontrol,thiskindofcastironwasnotwidelyappliedinindustry[21.Asthepredigestingofproductionpro...

Effect of nodule count and austempering heat treatment on segregation behavior of alloying elements in ductile cast iron

The equilibrium partition ratio, k, has been measured for Mn, Mo, Si, Ni and Cu in a ductile iron with composition(wt.%): 3.45 C, 0.25 Mn, 0.25 Mo, 2.45 Si, 0.5Ni and 0.5Cu with different nodule counts obtained from different section sizes of13, 25, 75 mm in the as cast, austenitized(at 870 °C for times 1, 4 and 6 hours) and austempered(at 375 °C for times 1 to 1,440 min) samples. Results show that Mn and Mo segregate positively at cell boundaries, but Si, Ni and Cu concentrate in an inverse manner in the vicinity ofgraphite nodules and there is a depletion ofthese elements at cell boundaries. Segregation curves for Ni and Cu are more smooth than for Si. Carbide formation has been observed at cell boundaries. Based on the results, the partition ratios for all elements decrease with increasing the nodule count. More carbide with coarser morphology has been observed in the microstructure with a lower nodule count. Austenitization for a longer time can decrease partition ratio, but cannot eliminate it entirely. Increasing the austenitization temperature has the same effect. Austenitizing parameters have no significant effect on carbides volume fraction. The kinetics ofaustempering is faster in higher nodule counts and subsequently better mechanical properties including higher ductility, strength and toughness have been observed for all austempering conditions studied.