The cavitation erosion mechanisms of three austempered ductile irons (ADIs) of 279, 333 and 469 Brinell hardness in a heavy-duty engine coolant at 82 °C were described. Sample weight was measured in 14 time steps up to 4 h and complemented by image sequences showing surface damage evolution in detail. A rapid mass loss during the first 1.5 min was attributed to surface graphite erosion, with complete nodule removal within 5 min in all ADIs. Matrix erosion became steady after 30 min, but differed in severity between ADIs, with relative mass loss rates of 4.3 : 1.5 : 1 for ADIs of low, medium and high hardness, respectively.

描述了三种布氏硬度为 279、333 和 469 的奥氏体球墨铸铁 (ADI) 在 82 °C 的重型发动机冷却液中的气蚀机制。在长达 4 小时的 14 个时间步长内测量样品重量，并辅以详细显示表面损伤演变的图像序列。前 1.5 分钟的快速质量损失归因于表面石墨侵蚀，所有 ADI 在 5 分钟内完全去除了结核。30 分钟后基质侵蚀变得稳定，但不同 ADI 的严重程度不同，低、中和高硬度 ADI 的相对质量损失率分别为 4.3:1.5:1。