Experimental study of the thermal stability of austempered ductile irons

A nonisothermal annealing was applied to austempered Ni-Cu-Mo alloyed and unalloyed ductile irons to determine the thermal stability of the ausferritic structure. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) results were used to build the corresponding stability diagrams. The transformation starting temperature of the high carbon austenite was found to be strongly dependent on the austempering temperature, the heating rate, and the chemical composition of the iron. The Ni-Cu-Mo alloying elements and high austempering temperature increased the stability. The transformation of the austenite to ferrite and cementite is achieved via the precipitation of transition carbides identified as silico-carbides of triclinic structure.