Morphological Variation of Bainitic Ferrite in Transformation Process of Austempered Ductile Iron

구상흑연주철의 Bainite변태과정에서 Bainitic Ferrite의 형상변화

The growth characteristics of bainite at early stage in the fast quenched spheroidal graphite cast irons containing 0.06%Mn and 0.45%Mn during austempering process, was investigated with optical and scanning electron microscope. The following results regarding the effects of Mn and isothermal heat treatment on the morphological variation of bainitic ferrite were obtained. The morphology of bainite varies from acicular below 350$^{\circ}C$ to feather shape above 350$^{\circ}C$. The period of isothermal treatment also affects the shape of bainite at the fixed temperature. At 350$^{\circ}C$, bainite is bamboo leaf-like up to 200 secs of isothermal holding time and with further increasing time up to 300 secs, changes to a mixed structure consisting of both feather and bamboo leaf and, finally becomes all feather shape at 900 secs. The morphology of bainitic ferrite formed at early stage of 300$^{\circ}C$ isothermal treatment is similar to that of bainitic ferrite formed at 250$^{\circ}C$ or 350$^{\circ}C$ with unbranched, linear ferrite. However, bainitic ferrite divides into branches with increasing isothermal treatment, which occurs more fast at 400$^{\circ}C$ than at 350$^{\circ}C$. The difference in adding amount of Mn influences the morphology of bainitic ferrite in upper bainite. The bainitic ferrite with 0.45%Mn is observed to be more stable than that with 0.06%Mn, remaining unbranched for a longer period at the same temperature.