Effect of Microstructure on Fatigue Strength of Intercritically Austenitized and Austempered Ductile Irons with Dual Matrix Structures

Abstract

In the present study the fatigue strength of austempered ductile irons with dual matrix structures (ADI with DMS) has been studied for an unalloyed ductile cast iron. For this purpose, specimens were intercritically austenitized (partially austenitized) in two phase region (α + γ) at various temperatures (810°C, 820°C and 830°C) for 20 minutes and then quenched into salt bath held at austempering temperature of 315°C and 375°C for 120 minutes and then air cooled to room temperature to obtain various ausferrite volume fractions and their morphologies. Conventionally austempered specimens (austempered from 900°C) with fully ausferritic matrix and unalloyed as cast specimens having ferrit + pearlite structures were also tested for a comparison. Rotating bending fatigue test were carried out an the experimental results showed that, in ADI with DMS, volume fraction of ausferrite and continuity of ausferritic structure along intercellular boundaries play important role in determining fatigue strength. The fatigue strength of these specimens increases with increasing ausferrite volume fraction. The fatigue strength was correlated with the ausferrite volume fraction and high carbon austenite and its carbon content. Conventionally austempered specimens exhibited much greater fatigue strength than ADI with DMS specimens.