Austempered Ductile Iron, Green Design Alternative for Circular Economy

In the current scenario, manufacturing of heavier products generates colossal waste, generates more CO₂ emission, and negatively affects the environment. Customers not only pay higher product costs but also higher operational costs. This in turn demands the need for more recycling. Advanced high strength materials are a key solution to applications demanding higher strength, stiffness, durability & wear requirement, whereas low density materials like aluminium and magnesium won’t be a sustainable choice. With more and more battery electric & fuel cell vehicles, “light weighting” is a key priority.

Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) has a great advantage of superior mechanical properties compared to conventional ductile iron, aluminium alloys and even some steel forgings. Typically, ADI is used for high wear applications, whereas this paper will demonstrate the potential of using ADI for Structural applications.

To display ADI’s potential on “light weight design”, an example of ‘Front Spring Anchorage’ is selected as a proof-of-concept. Analysis is carried out using Finite Element Method (FEM) on a redesigned component to validate its impact. Up to 40% reduction in weight is achieved on the component which greatly benefits commercial vehicles in terms of energy efficiency & cost. Overall, the paper will also exhibit ADI material’s contribution to concept of “sustainable design”, “circular economy” for a greener future.