Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI)
Ductile Iron can be converted via heat treatment into Austempered Ductile Iron; with its superior strength and wear properties, this material competes against the forged steels.Austempered Ductile Iron offers even greater mechanical properties and resistance to wear, with tensile strengths exceeding 1600 mpa (230 ksi) and Brinell (Bhn) hardness levels up to 500.
It is a new material, which offers the best combination of
- low cost
- design flexibility
- good machinability prior to heat treatment
- high strength-to-weight ratio
- good toughness
- wear and fatigue resistance
In general, this high performance material is here now.
Its potential saving advantages are obtained by having an item re-designed, enabling a reduction in production costs through lighter and thinner castings.
Austempered Ductile Iron is the closest material we have to an 'ideal'.