2001 Volume 73 Issue 2 Pages 105-110
The effects of water on the sand-erosive behavior of austempered ductile iron (ADI) were investigated. The amount of weight loss after the specimens were rotated in a mixture of sand and water was determined by wear tests. The effects of water were verified by tensile tests, hardness tests and scratch tests under damp conditions. The results obtained were as follows : Plastic deformation under damp conditions causes considerable embrittlment on ADI. The embrittlement behavior is considered to result from hydrogen embrittlement. The Hardness under damp conditions is higher than under dry conditions on a thin layer near the surface of ADI because embrittlement and hardening occur at the same time. Damping with water on the surface of ADI improves resistance to abrasive wear. Superior resistance to the sand-erosion of ADI results from strain-induced martensitic transformation of retained austenite and the self-hardening behavior by water.
