ISSN 1392–1320 MATERIALS SCIENCE (MEDŽIAGOTYRA). Vol. 12, No. 1.

2006

Thermo-chemical Treatment of Austempered Ductile Iron Castings

Dawid MYSZKA∗

Institute of Materials Processing, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Narbutta 85, 02-524 Warsaw, Poland,
Received 13 June 2005; accepted 08 July 2005
The article presents some basic and well-known information on the surface modification of austempered ductile iron
(ADI) parts and castings. It has been shown that the best way of improving the surface properties of ADI is machining or
surface deformation through shot penning or surface rolling. It was mentioned that the conventional thermo-chemical
treatment of ADI is very complicated because of destruction of the ausferritic matrix at high temperatures. That is why
the author proposes a non-conventional thermo-chemical treatment as a part of ADI heat treatment. In this way it is
possible to obtain a favorable change in the properties of ADI surface layer. In the article author presents results of a
special thermo-chemical treatment in case of carbonitriding and microstructural, hardness and wear resistance
investigations. It has been shown that after carbonitriding during austenitization of ductile iron it is possible to increase
hardness of surface layer of ADI and its wear resistance significantly. The microstructure of such layer after
carbonitriding is different and depending on parameters of the treatment. The investigation showed great potential such
additional processes producing in one cycle different properties of core and surface layer.
Keywords: austempered ductile iron, thermo-chemical treatment, surface properties.

1. INTRODUCTION ∗ 2. SURFACE LAYER OF ADI

The ductile cast iron subjected to austempering 2.1. Mechanical modification of surface layer
(quenching with isothermal transformation) and generally
ADI is generally known to possess high hardness, good
known as ADI (eng. Austempered Ductile Iron) has been
wear resistance, high toughness and fatigue resistance [1].
by now sufficiently well recognized by the designers,
It has also been proved that all these properties of ADI can
though still holding some unveiled mysteries to the
be additionally improved when the formation of compres-
researchers. What mainly attracts our attention in ADI is
sive stresses is induced on its surface through application
its microstructure. It is composed of graphite nodules
of proper mechanical surface treatment, like shot peening
"floating" in a matrix composed of a mixture of the ferrite
or surface rolling, or a conventional operation of machin-
and austenite lamellae, otherwise called ausferrite. Yet,
ing, i.e. turning, boring, grinding, and milling [1 – 3].
obtaining the required microstructure in ADI, i.e. the
These types of treatment, and hence the initiation of
required number of the graphite nodules, the required
transformation of a low-stable austenite into martensite,
ferrite-to-austenite ratio, the required morphology of these
besides a very favorable effect of improving the ADI
phases, etc., and hence the required properties, is quite
properties, make its machining very difficult. Therefore,
difficult. In spite of this, some standards have been
quite paradoxically, rather lower grades of this material are
developed by now which determine the required
said to be preferred in production (the grades characterized
mechanical properties of ADI, forming a basis for its
by lower tensile strength and higher ductility) because of
further classification.
their much better machinability [5].
The tensile strength reaching 1700 MPa and ductility
The above mentioned types of surface modification of
at a level of 10 % with Rm > 800 MPa make ADI succes-
ADI (shot penning and surface rolling included) require
sfully compete with steel, and even with aluminium alloys
some machining which is usually also required after the
[1]. If, additionally, the utilization properties of the surface
heat treatment, since austenitisation causes decarburizing
layer in ADI castings can be improved, this will raise its
of the ADI surface layer and loss of the very advantageous
competitiveness even more.
properties (Fig. 1).
Besides very interesting studies on microstructure, on
In a similar way, the corrosive effect of salt baths
the choice of optimum conditions of austempering, and on
commonly used for austempering has its negative impact
the chemical composition of the base cast iron, etc., only
on the casting surface. Mechanical working with tools is,
very few studies have been conducted on the surface layer
however, quite troublesome in the case of complex or not
of ADI [2 – 4].
readily accessible surfaces, which are to be cast in a near-
In this article numerous techniques used for surface
net shape and ready-for-use condition. In such cases some
modification of ADI castings have been presented and
special methods of the, so called, direct austempering of
current trends in the author investigations conducted in this
the ductile iron can be applied [6], or surface treatment
field have been described.
other than the mechanical working can be useful, e.g. PVD
process [4].
∗
Corresponding author. Tel.: +48-22-8499906; fax.: +48-22-8499797.
E-mail address: myszkadawid@wp.pl

7
Fig. 1. Surface decarburization and oxidization of ADI a
investment casting

2.2. Direct austempering

The direct austempering of ductile cast iron, due to
which we obtain the cast iron characterized by properties
similar to ADI, consists in knocking out of castings from
the mould while still hot (i.e. at a temperature of
900 ÷ 1000 °C) with the following immediate austemper-
ing to produce an ausferritic matrix [6]. Detailed
metallographic examinations of ductile iron subjected to
this simplified heat treatment have proved that the surface
layer of castings (like the casting core) contains ausferrite
(Fig. 2). In this particular case, however, the rate of heat
transfer on the surface slightly higher than that in the
deeper parts of casting ensures better dispersion of
individual phases, i.e. of the lamellar ferrite and austenite.
Both the presence of ausferrite in a surface layer as
well as its dispersion will have a positive impact on the
finally obtained surface properties of the near-net-shape
ADI castings. This is of special importance since, as has
been proved in the respective studies, iron castings
subjected to direct austempering are quite naturally
predisposed to be produced in a ready-for-use condition,
this resulting from their outstanding properties achieved in
the as-cast state (Rm up to 1200 MPa, R0.2 up to 1000 MPa,
HB = 310 ÷ 480) [6] and the previously described marten-
sitic transformation induced by a mate element co-working
with an ADI casting.
2.3. Surface treatment of ADI
Thermo-chemical surface treatments, like nitriding or
carbonizing, are the methods used commonly for modifica-
tion of the surface layer in products made from various
materials. These processes are usually combined with
preheating of the treated element. In the case of ADI, the
temperatures applied in conventional thermo-chemical
treatments would destroy the ausferritic microstructure
present in the ductile iron matrix and hence would
deteriorate its properties.
Quite an interesting variation of the thermo-chemical
treatment was a PVD process used by Feng et al. [4]. Due
to this treatment, onto a specific grade of ADI castings the
layers of TiN and TiCN were applied. The presence of
these layers made it possible to increase the hardness in a
b
Fig. 2. Microstructure from the surface of investment – ductile
iron casting after direct austempering: a – Ti = 360 °C,
ti = 90 min; b – Ti = 300 °C, ti = 90 min
surface layer and raise the ADI fatigue resistance to 22 %,
compared with the same material but untreated. The layers
were, however, very thin (1 ÷ 2 μm) and bound to the
substrate by the forces of adhesion which limited the use of
ADI castings to some special applications only.
3. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
It seems that to avoid the unfavorable transformation
changing the microstructure of ADI matrix it could be
possible to apply a thermo-chemical treatment but in a
mode slightly different than the traditional process. It is a
well-known fact that to produce ADI the castings made
from ductile iron should be subjected to a heat treatment
which consists in austenitising at a temperature of
850 ÷ 950 °C and austempering at a temperature of
230 ÷ 400 °C. During austenitising it is usually necessary
to provide in the furnace a protective atmosphere counter-
acting the surface decarburizing of castings. Allowing the
castings to get decarburized makes machining after the
heat treatment necessary to remove the undesired layer. On
the other hand, the temperature of austenitising amounting
to 850 °C creates the possibility of an effective application
of the process of carbonitriding case hardening in the cycle

8
 surface layer. In the case of this specific thermo-chemical
treatment, after the process of carbonitriding case
hardening the surface of a casting should be ready for its
immediate operation.

600

Microhardness [HV0.1]
550

500

450

400

350

300
Fig. 3. Schematic representation of the “surface-core” treatment
of ductile cast iron; Ta – temperature of austenitization,

20

40

60

80

0
10

14

18

25
Ti – temperature of austempering
Distance from surface [μm]

Fig. 5. Microhardness μHV0,1 measured from the surface of ADI

samples after carboniriding case hardening

conventional ADI carbonitrided ADI

35
30
Depth of wear h

25
20
[ μm]

15
10
5
0
a 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Time [min]

Fig. 6. Wear resistance of conventional and carbonitrided ADI

b
Fig. 4. Microstructure of the surface layer in ADI sample after:
a – carbonitriding case hardening; b – combined carbo-
nitriding case hardening and controlled decarburization
of ductile cast iron heat treatment by producing an
appropriate active atmosphere in the furnace (Fig. 3). So, it
seems possible to produce simultaneously in ADI castings
the required microstructures – in the core and on the
samples after investigation on T-04 tester
The studies carried out recently have proved that after
several pilot “surface-and-core” heat treatment operations
it was possible to obtain in the ductile iron castings
subjected to this type of treatment a correct microstructure
in the core and a typical layer running from the casting
surface (Fig. 4). After the preliminary examinations it has
been stated that hardness of these surface layers is by
almost 200 units HV0,1 higher than the hardness of the core
(Fig. 5), and that it is, moreover, characterized by a
distribution of the abrasion wear resistance values similar
to that obtained in ductile iron castings subjected to
conventional nitriding or carbonitriding case hardening
(Fig. 6). A well-grounded justification has been proposed
for conducting more detailed research in this scope, aiming
at a determination of optimum conditions of the cycle of
the proposed heat treatment with minute analysis of the
microstructure formed in a mode so unique.
3. CONCLUSIONS
The well-documented possibilities of the surface
hardening of ADI by machining or surface deformation
inducing the martensitic transformation do not limit the

9
potentials of its surface modification treatment. Because of 2.
the high process temperatures required in thermo-chemical
treatments and the following destruction of the ausferritic
ADI matrix, the thermo-chemical treatment in its multiple
variations seems to be far from the possibilities of a 3.
reasonable application. Nevertheless, as proved so far, the
use of modern techniques of application of the thin layers 4.
can effectively improve the hardness and fatigue resistance
of ADI. In a like way, the non-conventional use of
conventional methods, like e.g. high-temperature carbo-
nitriding case hardening, can modify in a positive way the 5.
surface microstructure of ADI. Therefore it seems that,
when better known, these types of the heat treatment will 6.
soon supply designers with the valuable information.
REFERENCES
1. www.ductile.org
10
Trudel, A., Gangne, M. Effect of Composition and Heat
Treatment Parameters on the Characteristics of Austempered
Ductile Iron Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly 36 (5)
1997: pp. 289 – 298.
Vetters, H. Traitement bainitique (austepering) des fontes
G.S. Hommes and Fonderie 293 1999: pp. 38 – 41.
Feng, H. P., Lee, S. C., Hsu, C. H., Ho, J. M. Study of
High Cycle Fatigue of PVD Surface-modified Austempered
Ductile Iron Materials Chemistry and Physics 59 1999:
pp. 154 – 161.
ADI – Austempered Ductile Iron Bulletin Metals &
Minerals 2/2003: pp. 40 – 48.
Myszka, D., Kaczorowski, M., Tybulczuk, J. Ausferritic
Ductile Iron – Direct Austempering Book - Publ. Foundry
Research Institute Kraków, 2003.