Comparison of Austempered Ductile Iron and Manganese Steel Wearability

The results of comparison of the wear resistance of manganese steel X120Mn12, S235IR steel and austempered ductile iron ADI are presented. The aim of this study is to determine the possibility of replacing an item made of X120Mn12 steel with another material. For this purpose, all of the samples were measured for Brinell hardness. The samples were then tested for wear resistance in a specially designed test stand. The test resided in shot penning the surface of the test samples within the shot stream with the defined parameters. The test stand used in the test ensured the shot penning parameter stability. The test samples underwent multiple tests in which shot penning occurred in reccurrent cycles. Three test limits were established for the present study: 60, 120 and 180 cycles. The wear resistance measure in this study was the decrease in the tested sample’s weight expressed in grams and calculated for a unit of the shot-penned surface. The obtained results confirmed the possibility of using ADI as a possible replacement of manganese steels in specific cases. Of the eight types of the samples tested, the two ADI samples exhibited abrasion resistance which was comparable to that of the reference sample, while one exhibited better resistance. What constitutes the optimal chemical composition and the corresponding optimal heat treatment for particular cases remains an issue for further research.