EFFECT OF WATER ON DUCTILITY AND FATIGUE STRENGTH OF AUSTEMPERED DUCTILE CAST IRON (ADI)

In order to study the mechanism of decreasing tensile strength and elongation of Austempered Ductile Cast Iron (ADI) in the wet condition, various tension tests and impact tests were carried out. Three point bending fatigue tests were carried out on ADI and annealed 0.55% carbon steel to clarify the influence of water on fatigue strength. The main conclusions are as follow. Embrittlement by water begins when plastic deformation starts in a tension test. The fatigue limit of ADI in water showed a lower value than that in air. The influence of a water environment on fatigue behaviour was similar to that of annealed 0.55% carbon steel. Embrittlement such as that in a tension test was not observed in a fatigue test.