Modelling of microstructural evolution in austempered ductile iron

Austempered ductile iron (ADI) has a microstructure consisting mainly of high carbon austenite, bainitic ferrite and graphite nodules, produced by a two stage austenitisation and austempering heat treatment. The resulting microstructure gives these materials a combination of high strength and toughness, making them attractive for a wide range of applications. To increase surface hardness, ductile iron alloys can also be cast into chilled moulds to induce carbide formation in the required areas of components. These chilled ductile iron alloys can also be subjected to austenitisation and austempering heat treatments, therefore further improving the mechanical properties of the components core, whilst retaining the hard carbides present in the surface layers. This work encompasses three main areas: two are concerned with the production of generic microstructure models, which work in conjunction with thermodynamic modelling software MTDATA; and one relates to high temperature X-ray diffraction experiments. [Continues.]