Refinement and fracture mechanisms of as-cast QT700-6 alloy by alloying method

The as-cast QT700-6 alloy was synthesized with addition of a certain amount of copper, nickel, niobium and stannum elements by alloying method in a medium frequency induction furnace, aiming at improving its strength and toughness. Microstructures of the as-cast QT700-6 alloy were observed using a scanning-electron microscope （SEM） and the mechanical properties were investigated using a universal tensile test machine. Results indicate that the ratio of pearlite/ferrite is about 9：1 and the graphite size is less than 40 tJm in diameter in the as-cast QT700-6 alloy. The predominant refinement mechanism is attributed to the formation of niobium carbides, which increases the heterogeneous nucleus and hinders the growth of graphite. Meanwhile, niobium carbides also exist around the grain boundaries, which improve the strength of the ductile iron. The tensile strength and elongation of the as-cast QT700-6 alloy reach over 700 MPa and 6%, respectively, when the addition amount of niobium is 0.8%. The addition of copper and nickel elements contributed to the decrease of eutectoid transformation temperature, resulting in the decrease of pearlite lamellar spacing （about 248 rim）, which is also beneficial to enhancing the tensile strength. The main fracture mechanism is cleavage fracture with the appearance of a small amount of dimples.

Cementites decomposition of a pearlitic ductile cast iron during graphitization annealing heat treatment

Cementites decomposition of a pearlitic ductile cast iron during graphitization annealing heat treatment was investigated.Fractographies and microstructures of heat treated samples were observed using a scanning electron microscope and mechanical properties were measured by a universal tensile test machine.The results indicated that during isothermal annealing at 750°C,the tensile strength of pearlitic ductile cast iron was increased to a peak value at 0.5h,and decreased gradually thereafter but the elongation was enhanced with the increase of annealing time.Moreover,the diffusion coefficient of carbon atoms could be approximately calculated as 0.56μm2/s that could be regarded as the shortrange diffusion.As the holding time was short（0.5h）,diffusion of carbon atoms was incomplete and mainly occurred around the graphites where the morphology of cementites changed from fragmentized shape to granular shape.In addition,the ductile cast iron with tensile strength of 740MPa and elongation of 7% could be achieved after graphitization annealing heat treatment for 0.5h.Two principal factors should be taken into account.First,the decomposition of a small amount of cementites was beneficial for increasing the ductility up to elongation of 7%.Second,the diffusion of carbon atoms from cementites to graphites could improve the binding force between graphites and matrix,enhancing the tensile strength to 740 MPa.