Effect of holding time in the ({alpha} + {gamma}) temperature range on toughness of specially austempered ductile iron
- Toyohashi Univ. of Technology (Japan). Dept. of Production Systems Engineering
Austempered ductile iron (ADI) finds wide application in the industry because of its high strength and toughness. The QB{prime} 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 ({alpha} + {gamma}) temperature range followed by an isothermal treatment in the bainitic transformation temperature range. In the present work, the effect of holding time in the ({alpha} + {gamma}) 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 ({alpha} + {gamma}) temperature range. The reaustenitization heat treatment also resulted in the precipitation of fine carbide particles, identified as (Fe,Cr,Mn){sub 3}C. It was shown that the increase in holding time in the ({alpha} + {gamma}) 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 ({alpha} + {gamma}) temperature range resulted in the coarsening of the structure with a marginal increase in the toughness. 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.
- OSTI ID:
- 282245
- Journal Information:
- Metallurgical Transactions, A, Vol. 27, Issue 7; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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