Increasing the Wear Resistance of Marine Diesel Engines Elements Made of Ductile Iron

This paper examines the influence of austempering and shot peening on the wear resistance of ductile iron. Samples for further testing were made from mechanically processed casts. The hardness and microstructure of ductile iron were examined on the prepared samples. Metallographic analysis of ductile cast iron samples in the cast state determined the pearlitic-ferritic structure of the matrix characteristic of this type of cast iron. Pearlite predominates in the structure, and the rest consists of ferrite and graphite nodules. The samples were then austempered. The isothermal conversion was 240 °C. After austempering, the hardness was measured and the microstructure was characterized, and the changes that occurred in relation to the heat-treated ductile iron were studied. Austempering created a new austempered structure, harder than that in the cast state, which led to improved mechanical properties. A needle-like structure of lower bainite (ADI) with high-carbon austenite, untransformed austenite, martensite and graphite nodules was achieved. The selected parameters of the shot peening process deformed the surface of the ADI and achieved a mostly martensitic structure without the presence of a soft phase, which increased resistance to abrasion. Additional hardening of the substrate by the shot peening process resulted in a composite material with the properties of comparative steel parts, which are lighter, cheaper and easier to manufacture, more resistant to wear and quieter in operation. Such material should have an even wider application in mechanical engineering, and thus in the construction of marine machinery and plants