Effect of Heat Treatment Parameters on the Toughness of Unalloyed Ausferritic Ductile Iron

Studies were carried out to determine the effect of heat treatment parameters on the plastic properties of unalloyed ausferritic ductile iron, such as the elongation and toughness at ambient temperature and at – 60°C. The effect of austenitizing temperature (850, 900 and 950°C) and ausferritizing time (5 - 180 min.) at a temperature of 360°C was also discussed. The next step covered investigations of a relationship that is believed to exist between the temperature (270, 300, 330, 360 and 390°C) and time (5, 10, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240 min.) of the austempering treatment and the mechanical properties of unalloyed ausferritic ductile iron, when the austenitizing temperature is 950°C. The “process window” was calculated for the ADI characterized by high toughness corresponding to the EN-GJS-800-10-RT and EN-GJS-900-8 grades according to EN-PN 1564 and to other high-strength grades included in this standard. Low-alloyed cast iron with the nodular graphite is an excellent starting material for the technological design of all the ausferritic ductile iron grades included in the PN-EN-1624 standard. The examined cast iron is characterized by high mechanical properties stable within the entire range of heat treatment parameters.