Journal of Materials Processing Technology 101 (2000) 159±166

The solidi®cation and corrosion behaviour

of austempered chilled ductile iron
Joel Hemanth*
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Siddaganga Institute of Technology (S.I.T.),
Tumkur 572 103, Karnataka, India

Received 25 September 1998

Abstract

This paper presents the results obtained and the deductions made from a series of corrosion experiments involving austempered chilled
ductile iron containing 0.1% Mo and Ni contents varying from 1.0 to 2.5%. By using copper chills of different thickness, the effect on the
corrosion resistance of varying the chill rate was examined. The corrosion tests employed were the weight-loss method according to ASTM
G67±80 standards. The microstructure of the corrosion products were also examined. The corrosion resistance was found to increase
signi®cantly with increase in Ni content and rate of chilling. Nevertheless, even with a high Ni content, pitting was detected in the initial
stages of most of the tests. Generally, the corrosive attack was found to be most severe during the initial stages of each test but it invariably
decreased to a very low value in the later stages due to the formation of an adherent protective layer on the metal surface. # 2000 Published
by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Corrosion; Austempering; Chill rate

1. Introduction cooling using chill promotes directional solidi®cation and

Chilled cast iron belongs to a group of metals possessing
high strength, high hardness, high toughness and high
corrosion and wear resistance [1,2]. They are used widely
in the manufacture of wear-resistant liners, rollers, brake
shoes, crushing jaws and other machine components and
equipment requiring such material characteristics. For the
design engineer, there are suf®cient data available on the
mechanical properties of ductile iron and austempered
ductile iron. However, there is dearth of information on
the corrosion properties of austempered chilled ductile iron.
This has encouraged the author to embark upon a series of
experiments to determine the corrosion properties of aus-
tempered chilled ductile iron containing 3.42% C, 1.8% Si,
0.1% Mo, 1.0±2.5% Ni and other alloying elements, as
indicated in Table 1. The reason behind the selection of
this series of cast iron for the present investigation is that
strengthening of ductile iron includes mould cooling to
secure a bainitic structure in highly alloyed irons. Mould
*
Tel.: ‡91-816-282-990; fax: ‡91-816-282-876.
E-mail address: j.h.@mailcity.com (J. Hemanth)
eliminates shrinkage, porosity, hot spots and other casting
defects, thus resulting in the production of sound castings.
Also, controlled chilling eliminates ferrite (too soft and
susceptible to corrosion) structure but promotes bainitic
structure. Therefore a simple copper chill was used in the
present investigation.
Ductile iron was developed about 40 years ago, but
recently it has been replacing millions of tonnes of steel
castings and grey iron castings. The major users of ductile
iron components include the automotive and machine tool
industry. The reason for its popularity is its advantages
over steel castings and grey iron castings. For the past
few years attempts have been made all over the world to
further improve the properties of ductile irons [3]. The
strength, hardness, corrosion resistance and wear resistance
of ductile iron can be increased through proper heat treat-
ment and alloying of ductile irons. The presence of Ni as an
alloying element improves the corrosion resistance and
machinibility of cast iron. Moreover, a low-grade cast iron
can be converted into one of superior qualities by chilling
ductile iron and austempering with little addition of alloying
elements.

0924-0136/00/$ ± see front matter # 2000 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 9 2 4 - 0 1 3 6 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 4 2 4 - 6
160 J. Hemanth / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 101 (2000) 159±166
Table 1
Chemical composition details of the different alloys tested
Alloy designation Composition (wt.%)
C Si Ni
A 3.42 1.8 1.0
B 3.42 1.8 1.5
C 3.42 1.8 2.0
D 3.42 1.8 2.5
1.1. Past research
1.1.1. Solidi®cation mechanism and structure of ductile
iron
Solidi®cation of ductile iron was examined in detail by
Dumpy and Pellini [4]. They found that a large number of
small graphite nodules were formed at the beginning of the
eutectic arrest, counts showing their number to be ®xed at
the start of eutectic freezing. The principle factor is the
structural role played by spheroidizing elements when
incorporated in a graphite lattice and its effects on the
kinetics of growth [5].
The results of unstinted efforts by various researchers in
the development of ductile irons include different micro-
structures viz. pearlite, austenite, martensite and bainite. Of
course, bainitic ductile iron with high strength and toughness
has added new directions for the already popular ductile iron
family [6]. The morphology of bainite and techniques for
producing bainitic ductile irons, structure property relations
etc., have also been studied during recent years [7]. Bainitic
matrix in ductile iron can be obtained in two ways: (i) in as-
cast form where bainitic transformation is achieved by
judicious alloying; and (ii) by subjecting normal ductile
iron castings to a specialised heat treatment known as
``austempering''.
The formation of carbides in austempered ductile iron has
shown that a continuously reducing temperature during the
bulk or eutectic arrest is essential for the formation of good
spheroidal graphite [8]. Chen et al. [9] developed a model
that indicates the volume change during eutectic solidi®ca-
tion of ductile iron. Their investigation reveals that chills are
essential during solidi®cation to eliminate shrinkage defects
and to make the castings sound.
1.1.2. Growth of spheroids in Mg treatment iron and
austempering of ductile iron
It has been proposed that the growth of spheroids in Mg
treated iron occurs because of diffusion of carbon atoms
through the austenite shell [10]. However, some authors
suggest that the graphite grows whilst essentially in contact
with the liquid [11]. This argument is based on the premise
that the growth of a phase in an isothermal melt is deter-
mined by the mechanism that leads to a maximum freezing
velocity of that phase or of the eutectic grain and reference
has been made to results obtained elsewhere [12], which
Mo Mg Mn S P Fe
0.1 0.05 0.31 0.03 0.04 Balance
0.1 0.05 0.31 0.03 0.04 Balance
0.1 0.05 0.31 0.03 0.04 Balance
0.1 0.05 0.31 0.03 0.04 Balance
showed that the diffusion transport of carbon in the liquid
phase was almost 20 times more rapid than in the austenite
phase. Various theories have been advanced to explain the
reason why graphite grows as a spheroid, these being: (i)
graphite growth in the spheroidal form because of the
protection offered by the austenite shell; (ii) spheroidal
growth formation under cooling of the melt due to Mg
treatment [13]; and increase in surface tension of the cast
iron melt caused by Mg treatment promoting spheroidal
growth [14].
It is known that steel components either in the case-
hardened or forged-condition can be heat treated and alloyed
to obtain a bene®cial change in the matrix structure and
hence provide a range of useful properties. The common
steels in use are those with ferritic, pearlitic, martensitic and
austenitic matrices. The demand for a tougher, harder and
stronger matrix led to the development of bainitic matrix
steels. Such a matrix was developed through a spheroidised
heat treatment known as ``austempering'', in which the
matrix becomes transformed from austenite to bainite
directly without entering the martensitic stage at any time
[15]. The bene®cial use of this heat treatment had encour-
aged many researchers to apply this to ductile iron so that it
could become a tougher, corrosion resistant, wear resistant
and stronger material [16]. Ductile iron subjected to aus-
tempering treatment is often referred as austempered ductile
iron (ADI) in most international forums.
1.1.3. Corrosion in ferrous alloys
It is well known that an alloy can corrode due to the
presence of localised galvanic cells [17]. Eckel [18] has
shown that oxygen is also necessary for such corrosion and
this view is sustained by Logan et al. [19]. Swann and
Pickering [20] further reported that deep pits are formed in
such corrosion.
The corrosion behaviour of each group of cast iron is very
different from that of other groups. For instance, grey cast
iron, which contains a network of graphite ¯akes, undergoes
a special form of corrosion that is highly dependent on the Si
content, since Si is a graphitiser. In general, single phases,
such as ferrite and austenite, tend to be less corrosion
resistant than two-phase mixtures such as pearlite or bainite
[21]. Molybdenum was found to contribute substantially
towards improving the corrosion resistance of ductile iron
[22]. It has also been shown that improvement in the
 J. Hemanth / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 101 (2000) 159±166 161

corrosion resistance of cast iron can be achieved by the

addition of alloying elements alone and not just by heat
treatment [23].
Shalaby et al. [24] concluded from their investigations
that high-silicon cast iron is susceptible to localised corro-
sion that occurred at graphite ¯akes and inter-dendritic
carbides. Sung et al. [25] showed that neither grain boundary
chromium depletion nor inter-granular carbides promoted
inter-granular cracking. Nevertheless, experiments on the
corrosion of cast iron containing Ni indicate that corrosion
decreased with increasing Ni content [26]. Hemanth et al.
[27] working with sub-zero chilled cast iron pointed out that
corrosion behaviour is signi®cantly affected by the heat
capacity of the chill as well as by the duration of corrosion
testing.

1.2. Relevance of the present research

Ductile iron has the potential to replace costlier materials
in many signi®cant engineering applications. The require-
ments concerning safety and reliability are always on the
increase and therefore resistance to corrosion is ever more
crucial. Because there are presently no published data on the
corrosion resistance of austempered chilled ductile iron, the
present research is intended to ®ll the void.
Fig. 1. The mould for producing chilled ductile iron.
heat capacity of the chill. The length and breadth of the chill
were kept constant at 70 and 35 mm, respectively. This type
of casting production routine was found to result in chilled
ductile iron of consistent chemical analysis and good nodu-
larity.

2. Experimental procedure 2.3. Heat treatment

2.1. Fabrication of the material Austempering heat treatment comprises two stages viz.
heating the plate castings to the austenising temperature of
Ductile iron alloys of four different compositions were 9508C followed by rapid quenching and holding in a salt
produced by casting at 14508C into the form of ingots, bath maintained at a temperature of between 200 and 4008C
denoted as alloys A, B, C and D with chemical compositions for different time intervals. The transformation time and
as indicated in Table 1. Apart from the usual alloying temperature employed for different alloys are indicated in
elements such as Si, Mn, S and P, nickel and molybdenum Table 2.
were also added to enhance corrosion resistance.
2.4. Specimen preparation
2.2. Casting procedure
Test specimens were machined from the chill end of the
The moulds for plate type castings of 225 mm150 mm casting into standard discs of 20 mm diameter and 10 mm
25m (AFS standard) were prepared using silica sand with thick. In each specimen only the ¯at 20 mm diameter face
5% bentonite as binder and 5% moisture. The melts were that was adjacent to the copper chill during casting was
carried out using a medium frequency coreless induction exposed to the corrodant for corrosion testing. The speci-
furnace. A base metal analysis, generally of 3.42% C and mens were prepared according to ASTM A356±72 stan-
1.8% Si, was produced and superheated to 15008C prior to dards. Before testing, the specimen surfaces were ground
tapping into a pre-heated 20 kg capacity handshank, con-
taining nodularising alloy using sandwich techniques. Prior Table 2
Heat-treatment details
to casting an inoculating addition (ferro±Si to promote
uniform structure) and other alloying elements were stirred Austenising Transformation Transformation
into the molten metal using a graphite spoon. The treated temperature (8C) time (h) temperature (8C)
metal was poured directly into the mould at a pouring 950 1.0 200
temperature of 14508C, which was cooled from one end 950 1.5 250
by a copper chill set in the mould as shown in Fig. 1. Ingots 950 2.0 300
were cast employing chills of different thickness (10, 15, 20 950 2.5 350
950 3.0 400
and 25 mm) in order to study the effect of the volumetric
162 J. Hemanth / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 101 (2000) 159±166

with silicon carbide paper of 1000 grit and then polished in Table 4
steps with 15±3 mm diamond paper to obtain a mirror-sur- Corrosion test results for castings chilled by a 15 mm thick chill
(austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature: 3008C)
face ®nish. After subsequent rinsing with water and acetone,
the specimens were weighed precisely to a hundredth of a Test duration (h) Corrosion rate (mpy)
milligram before testing by the weight-loss method. Alloy A Alloy B Alloy C Alloy D
12 3.22 3.17 2.93 2.37
2.5. Corrosion testing 24 2.16 2.01 1.83 1.62
36 1.81 1.76 1.52 1.25
The corrodant used was 1N sodium chloride solution. The 48 1.54 1.21 1.34 0.67
corrosion tests were conducted using the conventional 60 1.52 1.21 1.01 0.62
72 1.46 1.21 1.01 0.61
weight-loss method according to ASTM G67±80 standards.
Tests were conducted for specimens of different composi-
tions (i.e., alloys A, B, C and D), each alloy cast with
different chill thickness and corroded for durations of 12, 24,
36, 48, 60 and 72 h, respectively. Table 5
After each corrosion test, the specimen was immersed in Corrosion test results for castings chilled by a 20 mm thick chill
(austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature: 3008C)
Clark's solution for 10 min and gently cleaned with a soft
brush to remove adhered scales. After drying thoroughly, the Test duration (h) Corrosion rate (mpy)
specimens were weighed again. The weight-loss was calcu- Alloy A Alloy B Alloy C Alloy D
lated and converted into a corrosion rate expressed in mils 12 2.61 2.72 2.62 2.21
penetration per year (mpy). 24 2.12 2.01 1.83 1.83
36 1.31 1.12 1.54 1.07
2.6. Microstructural examination 48 1.11 0.93 1.11 0.82
60 1.12 0.91 1.12 0.82
72 1.11 0.90 1.10 0.81
Photomicrographs were taken of all of the corrosion
specimens near to the chill end to study their micro-con-
stituents. SEM photographs were taken of all of the corroded
surfaces of the specimens to study the mechanism of corro-
sion.
Table 6
Corrosion test results for castings chilled by a 25 mm thick chill
(austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature: 3008C)
3. Results and discussion
Test duration (h) Corrosion rate (mpy)
The experimental results of the corrosion test done on Alloy A Alloy B Alloy C Alloy D
castings chilled using 10, 15, 20, and 25 mm thick chills are 12 2.81 2.62 2.52 2.02
tabulated in Tables 3±6, respectively. The results shown in 24 2.32 2.23 1.81 1.62
Tables 3±6 are plotted in Figs. 2±5, respectively. 36 1.21 1.17 1.02 0.92
Figs. 6±9 are the microstructures for alloys A, B, C and D, 48 1.01 0.82 0.62 0.52
respectively, which have been chilled using a 25 mm thick 60 0.82 0.61 0.61 0.41
72 0.61 0.52 0.61 0.41
chill and etched using nital solution.
Figs. 10±13 are the SEM photomicrographs for the same
four respective alloys, also chilled using a 25 mm thick chill,
but after 48 h of corrosion testing.

Table 3
Corrosion test results for castings chilled by a 10 mm thick chill
(austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature: 3008C)

Test duration (h) Corrosion rate (mpy)

Alloy A Alloy B Alloy C Alloy D

12 3.82 3.32 3.17 2.83
24 2.43 2.25 2.23 2.16
36 2.01 2.17 2.05 1.52
48 1.63 1.52 1.48 0.86
60 1.63 1.41 1.43 0.64
72 1.62 1.41 1.40 0.63 Fig. 2. Graph of corrosion rate vs time for castings produced using a
10 mm thick chill (austempered for 3 h at a temperature of 3008C).
 J. Hemanth / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 101 (2000) 159±166 163

Fig. 3. Graph of corrosion rate vs time for castings produced using a Fig. 7. Microstructure of alloy B (500) chilled using a 25 mm thick chill
15 mm thick chill (austempered for 3 h at a temperature of 3008C). (austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature: 3008C).

Fig. 4. Graph of corrosion rate vs time for castings produced using a Fig. 8. Microstructure of alloy C (500) chilled using a 25 mm thick chill
(austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature: 3008C).
20 mm thick chill (austempered for 3 h at a temperature of 3008C).

Fig. 9. Microstructure of alloy D (500) chilled using a 25 mm thick chill

Fig. 5. Graph of corrosion rate vs time for castings produced using a (austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature: 3008C).
25 mm thick chill (austempered for 3 h at a temperature of 3008C).

Fig. 10. SEM photograph of alloy A chilled using a 25 mm thick chill and
Fig. 6. Microstructure of alloy A (500) chilled using a 25 mm thick chill corroded for 48 h (austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature:
(austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature: 3008C). 3008C).
164 J. Hemanth / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 101 (2000) 159±166
Fig. 11. SEM photograph of alloy B chilled using a 25 mm thick chill and
corroded for 48 h (austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature:
3008C).
3.1. Effect of solidi®cation on the corrosion behaviour of
austempered chilled ductile iron
A characteristic spheroid with developing branches is
shown in the photomicrograph of Fig. 9 for the alloy D
viewed under an optical microscope. A possible interpreta-
tion of these observations may be suggested by considering
the dissolution of Ni and the absorption by graphite during
growth. The chilled ductile iron has crystallised with very
little eutectic cementite and is not chemically homogeneous.
Because of inverse silicon micro-segregation, the graphite
nodules are surrounded by metal with a higher than medium
silicon content. Therefore, there is more retained austenite in
a small shell, surrounding every graphite nodule. This
imparts to this shell a high resistance to corrosion and thus
corrosion starts and proceeds not at the graphite nodules, but
at a distance from them.
3.2. Effect of austempering on corrosion behaviour of
chilled ductile iron
Austempeirng temperature and time have an in¯uence on
the quantity of microstructure constituents of bainite. Con-
sequently, the austempering temperature and time play a
Fig. 12. SEM photograph of alloy C chilled using a 25 mm thick chill and
corroded for 48 h (austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature:
3008C).
Fig. 13. SEM photograph of alloy D chilled using a 25 mm thick chill and
corroded for 48 h. (Austempering time: 3 h; austempering temperature:
3008C).
vital role in determining the corrosion rate of austempered
chilled ductile iron, as shown in Figs. 2±5. It is to be noted
that the austempering time at any particular austempering
temperature determines the extent of completion of bainitic
transformation. It is observed that chilled ductile iron cast-
ings after austenising continue to be homogeneous in com-
position. It is true that the nodules that have grown in the
solid state are not surrounded by a shell of Si-rich matrix
since the eutectic cementite that transformed during aus-
tempering into austenite originally contained practically no
silicon. Therefore it is observed that austempering makes the
structure bainitic and homogeneous. It is very important to
note that directional solidi®cation of ductile iron using chills
to obtain bainite is slightly a risky process because of the
need to control the cooling rate within the limits. As already
stated, increase in the cooling rate results in a martensite
structure whereas decrease in the cooling rate (equilibrium
cooling) results in ferritic and pearlitic structures. Therefore
to compensate this, a copper chill was employed in the
present investigation to obtain the bainitic structure.
3.3. Effect of microstructure on corrosion behaviour of
austempered chilled ductile iron
The specimens of austempered chilled ductile iron are
dictated by the microstructure of bainite (refer to Figs. 6±9).
It was observed that due to the change in the mode of
solidi®cation, the formation of bainitic structure has shown
that a continuously reducing temperature during the bulk or
eutectic arrest is essential for the formation of good spher-
oidal graphite. Eutectic arrest has been identi®ed with the
formation of carbide shells around the graphite spheroids.
Bainite was recognised as the better corrosion resistance
matrix and the corrosion rate of the iron was accelerated by
the ferrite phase in the iron. It is observed in the present
investigation that the matrix of bainite exhibited the lowest
corrosion rate. The matrix of only bainite is better than that
of pearlitic structure obtained without chilling and austem-
pering. The levels of graphite phase affecting the corrosion
of austempered ductile iron depend on both the time dura-
 J. Hemanth / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 101 (2000) 159±166
tion of the test and the matrix structures of the material
developed.
However, from the present investigation, it can be
deduced that the presence of carbides in the bainitic matrix
is mainly due to chilling and the addition of Mo to the
material. In fact, a substantial volume of cementite can be
produced either by excessive Mo additions or by excessive
chilling with minimal addition of Mo. In the present inves-
tigation, the volume of cementite observed was larger for
alloy D than for alloys A, B and C when cast under the
in¯uence of the same copper chills. The high Ni and Mo
content combination of alloy D, together with chilling and
austempering, both contribute to its superior corrosion
resistance.
3.4. Effect of alloying elements on corrosion resistance
It is clear from the results that of the four alloys, alloy A is
the most susceptible to corrosion, followed by alloys B, C
and D in that order. This means that the addition of Ni does
confer corrosion resistance to the austempered chilled duc-
tile iron. The greatest difference between the corrosion rates
of alloys A and D is seen after 72 h of corrosion testing, if the
casting was done using a 10 mm chill, the corrosion rates
being 1.62 and 0.63 mpy, respectively (see the bottom row of
Table 3). It can be seen from the photomicrographs in Figs.
10±13 that alloy A, which contains the minimum Ni (1.0%),
experienced the severest corrosion, as indicated by the large
swollen blisters on the surface. Alloy B with 1.5% Ni has
smaller blisters on the surface. These blisters were found to
peel off easily and contained a network of pits. When the
scale layer was removed by immersion in Clark's solution
and after light polishing, cavities were found in the metal.
Alloy C with 2.0% Ni can be seen to suffer some shallow
pitting attack on the surface, whereas alloy D, with 2.5% Ni,
suffered only some localised attack on the surface. To the
naked eye, alloys C and D were seen to be bright and shiny,
and free of any visible form of corrosion damage, whereas
alloys A and B were observed to contain some brownish
patches.
Moreover, from Figs. 6±9, alloy A can be seen to contain
25±35% carbide and 20±30% ferrite in a bainitic matrix.
Alloy D containing 50±60% carbide with little ferrite in a
bainitic matrix. Apparently, therefore, the addition of Ni
along with Mo serves to increase the proportion of carbides,
resulting in greater resistance to corrosion.
The observations made so for agree with those of Muthu-
kumaraswamy et al. [23], who concluded from their inves-
tigation that the corrosion rate of cast iron can be varied
more signi®cantly by altering the alloying elements than by
any heat-treatment method. Molybdenum is the most effec-
tive element, which results in the formation of carbides that
are stable at high temperatures. The Mo level is kept low
(0.1%) to avoid structural heterogeneities. The behaviour of
austempered chilled ductile iron is affected greatly by the
combined effect of Ni and Mo. At low Ni contents, even
165
0.1% Mo results in bainitic structures at the cell boundaries.
However, at higher Ni±Mo combinations, it is observed that
for shorter austempering time the resistance to corrosion is
quite high. The highest corrosion resistance recorded is for
2.5% Ni and 0.1% Mo, near to the chill end. Apparently,
therefore, the addition of Ni and Mo causes an increase in the
bainitic content, which concurs with the theory that Mo acts
as a carbide stabiliser.
The silicon content is kept at low levels so as to avoid
inter-cellular carbides during solidi®cation. When the Si
content is high, alloying with Ni has to be restored. The
sulphur content is strictly controlled, since it results in poor
nodularity and inclusions.
It will be evident therefore, that a particular element
cannot have a unique effect on the structure and corrosion
of austempered chilled ductile iron.
3.5. Effect of time on corrosion testing
The graphs in Figs. 2±5 indicate that in every single
corrosion test carried out, the corrosion rate decreased
gradually with time, reaching a stable saturation value after
about 60 h of testing. This implies that no matter how mild
or how severe the corrosion was originally, the rate of
corrosion needed about 60 h to stabilise. Nevertheless, even
with high Ni content, some pitting was detected in the initial
stages of most of the tests. Generally, the corrosion attack
was found to be most severe during the initial stages of the
tests, but it invariably decreased to a very low value in the
later stages, probably due to the formation of an adherent
protective layer on the metal surface.
3.6. Effect of chill thickness on corrosion resistance
The reason for varying the thickness of the copper chill is
to study the effect of the rate of chilling. A thicker chill will
have a higher volumetric heat capacity (VHC) and hence
cause a higher rate of chilling of the alloy being cast. From
the results in Tables 3±6, it can be seen that varying the chill
thickness does signi®cantly affect the corrosion rate for ®xed
values of the other variables. For instance, after 72 h of
corrosion testing, alloy A experienced a corrosion rate of
only 0.61 mpy when a 25 mm thick chill was employed, as
opposed to a corrosion rate of 1.62 mpy when a 10 mm thick
chill was used. In fact, signi®cant improvements in corrosion
resistance can be seen in every case tested when a thicker
chill was employed. Obviously, altering the rate of cooling
can change the microstructure, thereby affecting the corro-
sion resistance.
The photomicrographs shown in Figs. 6±9 con®rm the
opposed theory that altering the rate of cooling can change
the microstructure, thereby affecting the corrosion resis-
tance. Apparently, the corrosion resistance is enhanced
when the chill thickness is increased due to the resulting
increase in the proportion of carbides present in the material.
166 J. Hemanth / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 101 (2000) 159±166

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