Influence of Soaking Parameters on the Segregation and Corrosion Resistance of GJS-X350NiMnCu7-3-2 Ductile Iron

In this paper, the effect of changes the parameters of heat treatment on the structure and the degree of elements segregation was determined, in the context of corrosion resistance of ductile iron Ni-Mn-Cu, containing 7.2% Ni, 2.6% Mn and 2.4% Cu. In the condition after casting, castings of austenitic matrix and 160HBW hardness were obtained. The achieved castings were soaked at 450, 550 and 650°C for 4, 8 and 12 hours, then cooled down at the ambient air. In most cases, the heat treatment resulted in a change in the castings matrix, had the consequence of increasing their hardness in comparison to raw castings. Increasing the temperature and prolonging soaking time resulted in increasing the degree of transformation of austenite, while reducing the degree of elements segregation. This led to the formation of slightly bigger number of pitting due to corrosion, but not so deep and more evenly distributed in comparison to raw castings. Wherein the results of corrosion tests show that heat treatment of castings did not significantly change their corrosion resistance in comparison to raw castings, in contrast to the significant increase in mechanical properties.