Mechanical Properties of Tempered Ti-Nb Alloyed Ductile Iron

The applications of ductile iron in numerous engineering applications require continuous effort in properties enhancement due to the necessity of product sustainability and performance. The studies highlighted the effect of 0.5 wt% titanium and niobium addition the mechanical properties of tempered ductile iron. The samples were prepared through conventional CO2 sand casting process. Heat treatment was conducted by austenitizing at 900°C for 1 hour and subsequently oil quenching before tempered at three different temperatures which are 500°C, 600°C and 700°C at 1 hour holding time. The mechanical properties were evaluated through impact (ASTM E23) and hardness (Rockwell) test. Microstructure observation and XRD analysis was also performed on as cast and tempered samples. The findings indicated that increasing the tempering temperature at 700°C enhanced the hardness and tensile strength of tempered alloyed ductile iron compared to other samples. The enhancement of the mechanical properties of tempered alloyed ductile iron is expected to further expand the applications of ductile iron.