22. 24. 5.

2007 Hradec nad Moravic

METAL 2007

MANUFACTURING OF CARBIDE AUSTEMPERED

VERMICULAR IRON
J.A. Garca-Hinojosa, A. M. Amaro V., J. Mrquez, M.A. Ramrez-Argaez.
UNAM
Department of Metallurgical Engineering, School of Chemistry
University city Coyoacan 04210 Mxico D.F.
Email: jagarcia@servidor.unam.mx
Abstract
Carbide Austempered Vermicular Iron (CAVI) is part of the family of vermicular irons that are
manufactured in a process consisting in two steps: 1) Metal is cast and solidified castings must
present carbides in the matrix and 2) Castings are austempered. These materials present good
toughness and excellent wear and abrasion resistances. Industrially, it has been possible to achieved
irons with amazing wear resistances by controlling composition and processing conditions. By using
conventional casting processes it is possible to control the amount of carbides (Fe3C) present in the
matrix as well as the type of matrix (perlite or ferrite). The castings are then austempered and these
materials are named CAVI. This work presents the necessary steps to obtain CAVI with a controlled
fraction of carbides, which is subsequently austempered to form an ausferrite matrix including nondissolved carbides precipitated from the casting process.

1. INTRODUCTION
Ductile iron with an austempered treatment are experiencing an important development in the field of
materials since new applications have been found for these materials substituting forged steels and
heat treated steels. Substitution of these steel grades by irons is due to the excellent toughness and
resistance promoted by an ausferrite matrix present in the ADI (Boutorabi 1991, Aranzabal 1997,
Keough 2000). Other important advantages of these materials relative to steels are: a) lower
manufacturing cost, b) lower weight of parts made of ADI. A variant of ADI that has been developing
in recent years is the so-called Carbide Austempered Ductile Iron (CADI), and another variant are the
CAVIs (Hayrynen 2003, Madhusudhanchar 1997). In the past, the presence of carbides was totally
undesirable and avoided in both vermicular and ductile irons. Today, controlled amounts of carbides
are improving abrasive and wear properties in the irons and therefore new applications for these
materials are emerging, such as balls of mills, mining machinery components, tractor equipment, etc.
Despite the huge potential applications these materials may have, only a few studies on the prospective
and new applications of CADIs and CAVIs can be found in the specialized literature (Laino 2005,
Hayrynen 2003).
The amount of carbides in the matrix in ductile or vermicular irons can be controlled by: a) controlling
the amount of manganese in the melt, b) by adding elements that promote stabilization of carbides,
such as Ni, Cr and/or Mo, c) by introducing carbides in the casting in situ. Most common methods are
through control of chemical composition (alloying elements) and by controlling the amount of Mn in
the cast iron (Hayrynen 2003, Bosnjak 2000, Laino 2005).
The objectives of this work were: a) to produce a vermicular iron with the adequate residual content of
Mg to avoid the presence of graphite nodules, b) to obtain a fraction of carbides ranging from 10 to 25
% in the matrix by adding Mn. These carbides must be stable enough to avoid their dissolution during
austempering; and c) to evaluate the behavior of austempering treatment.

2. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
The vermicular iron was melted in an induction furnace with loads of 80Kg using scrap of bath low
carbon steel and gray iron. Adjustment of chemical composition was achieved by adding to the bath
graphite, FeSi75 and FeMn85, and Fe45Si4.3Mg was used a nodulizing material. For inoculation

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METAL 2007

FeSi75 was added until 0.4% Si was reached. Samples obtained were balls of 3.0cm diameter obtained
by the full mould process, in threes with 10 pieces. Moulds were done with dried silica sand.
Samples were characterized by quantitative metallography, evaluating 7 zones of a transversal cut of
the ball. Nodularity of graphite was determined considering as a criterion that 60% of nodularity
equals vermicular iron and density of graphite particles was determined in nodules/mm2. Percentage
of perlite and carbides in the matrix were evaluated metallographycally. In all cases quantitative
methods referred by AFS (American Foundry man Society) were used. After these samples were
characterized and they met the required microstructure, they were subjected to a heat treatment of
austempering. The following 2 treatment conditions were set: Treatment (a) with an austenization
temperature of 960C for 60 minutes, followed by a fast cooling in a bath at 350C and keeping the
sample at this temperature for 60 minutes, and a final continuous cooling in a forced flow of air;
Treatment (b) same austenization and cooling conditions as in treatment (a), but the isothermal bath
was set at 400C. Microstructure was reevaluated after the heat treatment putting special care in
determining the residual fraction of carbides and the structure of the matrix. Finally, a profile of
hardness HRc along the transversal cut of the sample was obtained, and the wear resistance was
evaluated applying the Pin Test method with the following conditions: load of 63.74 N, velocity of
10-47 rad/s, diameter of sample was 6.35 mm. and 20 mm height, the contact disk of steel with 58
HRc.

3. RESULTS
3.1 Vermicular iron with carbides
Results obtained from the experimental design were the following: Proper chemical composition used
to produce vermicular iron with controlled amount of carbides is shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1.
Chemical composition of vermicular iron.
Element
wt/o

C
3.71

Si
2.2

Mn
0.60

P
0.025

S
0.017

Mg
0.022

Cr
0.20

Ni
0.08

Fe
balance

3.2 Casting microstructure

Metallographic analysis showed typical microstructure of vermicular iron. Graphite presented a
nodularity level inferior to 60% and the size of nodules averaged size number 6 with a nodule density
of 50 nodules/mm2, see Figure 1.

Figure1. Vermicular iron from casting (no etching)

Quantitative metallographic analysis gave an average content of carbides of 11%, matrix while
microstructure presented 20% ferrite and the rest of perlite, as can be observed in Figure 2.

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METAL 2007

Figure2. Vermicular iron from casting (etched with nital 3)

Hardness of irons from casting was in average 240 HBN.

3.3 Austempered vermicular irons with carbides

Once the metallurgy of the base iron was successfully evaluated, the heat treatment of asutemepring
was applied. Iron austenized at 960C and 60 minutes, followed by an isothermal treatment at 350C
for 60 minutes, presents a matrix with a dominant microstructure of ausferrite and presence of non
dissolved stable carbides, approximately 8 % of carbides as revealed by Figure 3. As can be observed
from the figure, conditions of the heat treatment were adequate to promote formation of the ausferritic
matrix, but partial dissolution of carbides took place.

Figure 3. Vermicular iron with carbides, austempered (950 and 60 minutes austenization and
350 isothermal for 60 minutes)
A second sample with an isothermal treatment at 400C and 60 minutes also showed an ausferritic
matrix, and a carbide content of 9 %, as Figure 4 indicates.

Figure 4. Vermicular iron with carbides austempered (austenization at 950C for 60 minutes and
isothermal at 400C for 60 minutes).

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3.4 Mechanical properties

Hardness profile through the entire samples was constant, with an average value for the sample with
an isothermal treatment at 350C of 363 HBN equivalent to 39 HRc, while for the sample with an
isothermal heat treatment at 400C hardness was 310 HBN equivalents to 32 HRc.
Wear resistance curve using the Pin Test and monitoring the weight lost is presented in Figure 5 for
the sample CAVI treated isothermally at 350C. For comparison purposes a curve showing the wear
resistance of forged quenched steel is also included in the plot.

Pin Test to evaluate wear resistance

0.0030

Weight loss (g)

0.0025
0.0020
0.0015
0.0010
0.0005

CAVI (isothermal treated at 350C)

Forged and quenched steel

0.0000
0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Time (s)
Figure 5. Plot of the weight lost for an iron with an isothermal treatment at 350C.

4. DISCUSSION
Results suggest that it is feasible to obtain vermicular irons with controlled amounts of carbides when
chemical composition is strictly controlled. Special attention must be paid to control the residual
contents of Mg and Mn.
a) Mg control. The residual content of Mg must be just enough to promote wormlike
morphologies of graphite. Mg amount should not be higher since an excess of Mg would
promote higher density of nodules and more rounded nodules (ductile iron). On the other hand
lower levels of Mg residual would promote plate or flake morphologies (gray iron). In this
study it was found an optimum level of Mg of 0.022wt/o.
b) Mn control. On the other hand, Mn content determines the volume fraction of carbides in
matrix. A manganese content of 0.60 wt/o and keeping a level of Cr in 0.20 wt/o constituted
enough conditions to stabilize 11% in volume of carbides as a mean value. These carbides are
stable and they do not dissolve during the first stage of the austempering that consists in an
austenization at 960C for 60 minutes.
By controlling the chemistry of the melt it is possible to achieve matrixes consisting in at least 80% of
perlite from casting conditions, which is a required condition to get a good performance in the
austempering, i.e., to form ausferrite as matrix.
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Results of hardness and wear resistance experimentally evaluated confirm that these mechanical
properties are significantly increased (relative to a forged steel), due to the change in microstructure of
the matrix, i.e., ausferrite formation and presence of carbides. These characteristics made this material
potentially useful for applications where abrasion and wear are the most important required properties
in service.

5. CONCLUSIONS

Vermicular irons can be fabricated with controlled amounts of carbides by controlling

chemical composition of the melt. Special care must be paid to strictly control Mg (0.022wt/o
in this study) and Mn (0.6wt/o in this work) contents.
Matrixes must contain at least 80% of perlite to successfully form ausferrite after
austempering.
Carbides formed must have enough stability to prevent their dissolution during the
austempering treatment.
Mechanical properties of hardness and wear resistance are significantly increased after
austempering, which is due to the presence of carbides and ausferrite in the matrix.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Authors of this work would like to acknowledge DGAPA-UNAM for the financial support given to
this research and IQMs I. Beltran and C. Atlatenco T. for their valuable technical assistance.

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