Surface hardening of a gray cast iron used for a diesel engine cylinder block using high-energy electron beam irradiation

This study investigates the effects of high-energy electron-beam (1.4 MeV) irradiation on surface hardening and microstructural modification in a gray cast iron currently used for a diesel engine cylinder block. The gray cast-iron samples were irradiated in air using an electron accelerator. Afterward, their microstructure, hardness, and wear properties were examined. The original microstructure, which contained graphite flakes in a pearlitic matrix, was changed to martensite, ledeburite, and retained austenite, along with complete or partial dissolution of the graphite. This microstructural modification occurred only when the surface was irradiated with an input-energy density over 1.1 kJ/cm(2), and it greatly improved the surface hardness and wear resistance. In order to investigate the complex microstructures, thermal analysis and simulation testing were also carried out. The results indicated that the irradiated surface was heated to the austenite-temperature region and then quenched to room temperature, which was enough to obtain surface hardening through martensitic transformation. The thermal analysis results matched well with the microstructures of the thermally simulated samples.