An Assessment of the Applicability of Austempered Ductile Iron Containing Mo and Ni for Mining Machines Parts

The research described in this article is a fragment in the series of published works trying to determine the applicability of new materials for parts of the mining machinery. Tests were carried out on the - very popular in mining applications - 36HMN steel and three types of the austempered ductile iron, using special stand for the controlled abrasion testing of samples subjected to the effect of loose abrasive. Tests carried out with the use of corundum showed the competitive properties of cast iron as compared with the examined steel. Microscopic evaluation, hardness measurements and magnetic tests showed that the surface layer of austempered ductile iron undergoes a strong work hardening, resulting in abrasion wear indices superior to those of the steel for heavy-duty use.