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ADI Developments in North America - Revisited 2002
By: John Keough
Publication Date: September 25, 2002
Contact: John Keough
Document Type: White Papers
The Year 2002 marks the 30th anniversary of the commercial birth of Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI). From its inauspicious first-use in a small compressor crankshaft for Tecumseh products, to hundreds of thousands of tons of production today, ADI has gone through an intense phase of worldwide investigation and experimentation. Out of that have emerged applications and markets that could not have been anticipated in 1972.
Growth of ADI production has been most robust in North America. A unique set of economic and technical circumstances have positioned North American producers for accelerated growth in this material.
Meanwhile, ADI applications have evolved from the simple, direct "upgrade" replacement of ductile iron and plain carbon steels to elegant FEA designs that can substantially reduce component weight, minimize (or eliminate) machining and technically compete with steel and aluminum castings, forgings and weldments at a lower price.
This paper will review the development of ADI in North America and discuss the opportunities that exist for further exploitation of this unique material/process combination.
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