ADI

 DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Introducing  ausferritic  ductile  iron  in  automotive  

suspension  system:  
the  Magneti  Marelli’s  experience.

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

AUTOMOTIVE

Magneti  Marelli SUSPENSION  SYSTEMS  
LIGHTING POWERTRAIN  ELECTRONICS
(Suspensions,  Shock  absorber)

EXHAUST     PLASTIC   AFTERMARKET   MOTORSPORT

SYSTEMS COMPONENTS   PARTS  &  SERVICES
AND  MODULES 2

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Magneti  Marelli
Magneti  Marelli  Suspension  Systems  designs  and  produces  suspension  modules  and  components  for  
motor  vehicles.  

lever  arms

front  and  rear  axles

steering  knuckles

semicorners
complete  axles hubs  and  spindles brake  disks  and  drums

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Magneti  Marelli

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Magneti  Marelli’s  experience

The  aim  of  ADI  introduction  was  to  take  advantage  of  its  higher  
material  properties  towards  lightweight,  at  reasonable  industrial  
costs.

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Product

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Comparison  between  old  and  new  steering  knuckle

Previous  knuckle:  before  2014 Current  knuckle:  today
Machined   Machined  
weight:   weight:  
9.5  Kg   7.5  Kg  
Raw  weight:   Raw  weight:  
10.7  Kg   8.7  Kg  

GH  60-­‐38-­‐10     ISO  17804/JS/900-­‐8

Pearlitic  –  ferritic  cast  iron
Rp02  (MPa) 600
Rp02  (MPa) 370
Rm  (MPa) 900
Rm  (MPa) 590
A  (%) 8
A  (%) 10 7

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Comparison  between  old  and  new  control  arm

Previous  control  arm:  before  2014 Current  control  arm:  today

Machined   Machined  
weight:   Raw   weight:  
8.0  Kg   weight:   5.9  Kg  
8.6  Kg  
Raw  
weight:  
6.5  Kg  
GH  60-­‐38-­‐10  
Pearlitic  –  ferritic  cast  iron ISO  17804/JS/900-­‐8
Rp02  (MPa) 370 Rp02  (MPa) 600
Rm  (MPa) 590 Rm  (MPa) 900
A  (%) 10 A  (%) 8 8

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Comparison  between  old  and  new  parts

Advantages:  
-­‐ environmental  regulations  
-­‐ handling  
-­‐ performance  
-­‐ durability  
-­‐ innovation

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

MM  STANDARDS:  ISO  17804

Ausferritic  spheroidal  graphite  cast  irons  -­‐  Classification

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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    –  7th    October                                        Minerbe

About  main  test:  hardness

Cast  iron material hardness   typical  hardness  
according   (HB)
standard  
(HB)
heat  treated   ADI  900-­‐8 280÷340 300÷340
cast  iron
not  treated   tipical  cast  iron -­‐ 210÷280
cast  iron
production  cast   pearlitic-­‐ferritic   190÷250 190÷250
iron cast  iron

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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    –  7th    October                                        Minerbe

About  main  test:  tensile

Cast  iron material Rm   Rp02   A  
(MPa) (MPa) (%)

standard   typical   standard   typical   standard   typical  

min medium min medium min medium

heat  treated   ADI  900-­‐8 880 1030 600 730 7 11

cast  iron
before  treating   pearlitic-­‐ferritic   -­‐ 820 -­‐ 500 -­‐ 7
cast  iron cast  iron
production  cast   pearlitic-­‐ferritic   590 370 10
iron cast  iron

Values  for  tensile  strenght  and  elongation  for  test  pieces  machined  from  samples  cut  from  a  
casting. Galdabini  dinamometer  30KN   12

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    –  7th    October                                        Minerbe

About  test:  Charpy  impact

Cast  iron material impact  resistance   typical  impact  
according  standard   resistance  
min  (J) (J)
heat  treated   ADI  900-­‐8 100 100÷150
cast  iron
prodution  cast   pearlitic-­‐ferritic   -­‐ 50
iron cast  iron
Values  of  impact  energy  for  unnotched  test  pieces  machined  from  
samples  cut  from  a  casting.  ISO  17804  target  are  informative,  not  
normative.

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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    –  7th    October                                        Minerbe

About  main  test:  micrographic

graphite
acicular
ferrite

pearlite

ferrite

austenite

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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  heat  treatment  furnace

15

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  heat  treatment  furnace

Machining  250

16

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  heat  treatment  furnace

AUSTEMPER
FURNACE UBQA

PREHEAT
FURNACE UBT
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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  heat  treatment  furnace

BASKET

TRANSFER CAR
UBCT
18

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  heat  treatment  furnace

ENDOTHERMIC GAS DUNK RINSE SYSTEM

GENERATOR UBR
4500 EZ

DUNK
WASHER
SYSTEM
UBW TRANSFER CAR
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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  scheme  of  thermal  treatment

20

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

21

Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  scheme  of  thermal  treatment

Material: increase of toughness, decrease of strength.

Material: increase of wear resistance, but decrease of toughness.

With equal chemical composition, by acting on the time and temperature parameters, it is
possible to obtain different kinds of ADI.

The «RECIPE» will be only one: no parameters change to balance

other process changes.

PS. On slide typical heat treatment parameters, not real process ones.
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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  casting
Casting process doesn’t change introducing ADI. There was only a little change on chemical composition. This is
very important for high volume production

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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

CONCLUSIONS

THE ADOPTION OF ADI IN THE SUSPENSION

SYSTEMS WAS A TOTAL SUCCESS.

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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  why  today  not  ADI  in  all  parts?

It  was  said  that:  
what  ADI  Is  Not  
The  following  is  a  list  of  what  the  ADI  process  is  not:   But  we  have  had  no  problems  
-­‐  It  is  not  a  remedy  for  casting  defects.  It  does  not  weld  cracked  castings,   related  to  defects  on  a  vehicle  
nor  does  it  fill  shrinkage  holes.  It  does  not  eliminate  eutectic  carbides.     mass  production.
 
But  MM  automotive  process  
-­‐  It  is  not  a  substitute  for  process  control.  On  the  contrary,  it  requires  tight  
and  strict  process  control.  Any  discrepancy  in  the  casting  process  will  be   quality  methodology  has  been  
amplified  by  the  subsequent  heat  treating.     able  to  ensure  process  control
BUT  IT  IS  BEEN  THE  SOLUTION  
-­‐  Although  ADI  has  a  broad  range  of  applications,  it  is  not  a  solution  to  
every  engineering  problem. TO  OUR  PROBLEM.

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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

Process:  why  today  not  ADI  in  all  parts?

What  ADI  Is  
 -­‐  Austempered  ductile  iron  is  a  material  which  is  strong,  light,  wear  resistant,  a  good  conductor  of  heat,  
and  a  better  damper  of  vibration  than  steel.  In  addition,  ADI  provides  high  design  and  manufacturing  
flexibility,  and  is  relatively  inexpensive.  
     
-­‐  In  general,  ADI  may  be  characterized  as  an  alloyed  and  heat  treated  ductile  cast  iron  with  properties  that  
are  highly  versatile.  It  is  a  material  that  exhibits  remarkable  strength,  ductility  and  wear  resistance.  Its  
ausferritic  matrix  is  unique  to  cast  irons,  and  it  should  not  be  viewed  as  a  special  steel  with  graphite  particles  
dispersed  within  it.  Steel  metallurgy  often  does  not  apply  to  cast  irons.    
Kovacs,  "Austempered  ductile  iron:  fact  and  fiction”,  from  Modern  casting  1990

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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution

ADI  DAYS    2016     6th    —  7th    October                                        Minerbe

FINALLY
WE  HAVE  OBSERVED  THAT  THE  CAPABILITY  OF  THE  PROCESS  IS  VERY  HIGH.  
THE  THERMAL  PROCESS  IS  VERY  STABLE.

NOWADAYS  WE  PRODUCE  ~3000  t/year  OF  ADI.

THANKS  FOR  YOUR  ATTENTION

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Austempering,  A  Technology  for  Substitution