Abrasive Wear Resistance of Nodular Cast Iron After Selected Surface Heat and Thermochemical Treatment Processes

Abstract

The article presents the test results on the technology of surface hardening of castings from unalloyed and low-alloy nodular cast iron using the method of surface heat treatment, i.e., induction surface hardening and methods of thermochemical treatment, i.e. gas nitriding, nitrocarburizing, and nitrocarburizing with oxidation. The scope of research included macro- and microhardness measurements using Rockwell and Vickers methods, respectively, as well as metallographic microscopic examinations using a light microscope. Furthermore, abrasive wear resistance tests were performed using the pin-on-disk method in the friction pair of nodular cast iron – SiC abrasive paper and the reciprocating method in the friction pair of nodular cast iron – unalloyed steel. Analysis of the test results shows that the size and depth of surface layer hardening strongly depend on the chemical composition of the nodular cast iron, determining its hardenability and its ability to create diffusion layers. Medium induction surface hardening made it possible to strengthen the surface layer of the tested nodular cast irons to the level of 700 HV0.5 with a hardening depth of up to approximately 4000μm, while various variants of thermochemical treatment provided surface hardness of up to 750 HV0.5 with a hardening depth of up to approximately 200μm. Furthermore, induction surface hardening increased the resistance to abrasive wear of nodular cast iron castings, depending on the test method, by an average of 70 and 45%, while thermochemical treatment on average by 15 and 60%.