Surface Alterations Produced in Grinding of Austempered Ductile Iron

The technological advances achieved in recent decades have allowed to obtain cast parts of ductile iron with no metallurgical defects and of complex shapes and dimensions very close to the final ones. Heat treatments have enabled to obtain ADI within a wide range of mechanical properties. After properly choosing the processing variables, the most suitable combination of strength and toughness can be attained for each application. When restrictive dimensional or shape accuracy is required, a high precision machining process, such as grinding, is used. This process induces significant temperature gradients and surface plastic deformations which could affect the surface characteristics. The aim of this paper is to analyze the effects of grinding on power consumption, surface characteristics, roughness and distortion on ADI plates grade 2 and 5. The results indicate that it is possible to achieve excellent surface finishes with moderate power consumption and low residual stresses and distortions.