Effect of Bi on graphite morphology and mechanical properties of heavy section ductile cast iron

To improve the mechanical properties of heavy section ductile cast iron, bismuth(Bi) was introduced into the iron. Five castings with different Bi content from 0 to 0.014 wt.% were prepared; and four positions in the casting from the edge to the center, with different solidifi cation cooling rates, were chosen for microstructure observation and mechanical properties test. The effect of the Bi content on the graphite morphology and mechanical properties of heavy section ductile cast iron were investigated. Results show that the tensile strength, elongation and impact toughness at different positions in the fi ve castings decrease with a decrease in cooling rate. With an increase in Bi content, the graphite morphology and the mechanical properties at the same position are improved, and the improvement of mechanical properties is obvious when the Bi content is no higher than 0.011wt.%. But when the Bi content is further increased to 0.014wt.%, the improvement of mechanical properties is not obvious due to the increase of chunky graphite number and the aggregation of chunky graphite. With an increase in Bi content, the tensile fracture mechanism is changed from brittle to mixture ductile-brittle fracture.

Influence of cooling rate and antimony addition content on graphite morphology and mechanical properties of a ductile iron

Cooling rate and inoculation practice can greatly affect the graphite morphology of ductile irons. In the present research, the effects of the cooling rate and antimony addition on the graphite morphology and mechanical properties of ductile irons have been studied. Three ductile iron castings were prepared through solidification under cooling conditions S （slow）, M （medium） and F （fast）. The cooling rates around the equilibrium eutectic temperature （1,150 ℃） for these cooling conditions （S, M and F） were set at 0.21 ℃.min1, 0.32℃.min1 and 0.37℃-min-1, respectively. In addition, four ductile iron castings were prepared by adding 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03% and 0.04% （by weight） antimony, respectively under the slow cooling condition. The results show that the nodularity index, tensile strength and hardness of the ductile iron castings without antimony addition are all improved with the increase of cooling rate, while the ductile iron casting solidified under the medium cooling rate possesses the largest number of graphite nodules. Furthermore, for the four antimony containing castings, the graphite morphology and tensile strength are also improved by the antimony additions, and the effect of antimony addition is intensified when the addition increases from 0.01% to 0.03%. Moreover, the rare earth elements （REE）/antimony ratio of 2 appears to be the most effective for fine nodular graphite formation in ductile iron.

Analysis of Graphite Morphology of Gray Cast Iron in Pulse Magnetic Field

By self-made pulse electrical source and strong magnetic field solidification tester, the effect of strong pulse magnetic field on graphite morphology and solidification structure of gray cast iron was studied. The results show that the structure is remarkably refined after treated by pulse magnetic field, and the width of graphite flakes is decreased while the length is increased after a slight decrease. The solidification temperature and eutectic temperature are increased and the undercooling degree of eutectic transformation is decreased by magnetic field.

EFFECT OF NITROGEN ON GRAPHITE MORPHOLOGY IN GRAY CAST IRON

The distribution of N and morphology of graphite in gray cast iron containing N were studicd by adopting the man-made specimens of Fe-C-Si-Mn alloys with some N added. The N adsorbed along the interfaces between graphite and matrix together with solid- solutioned in graphite is believed to be the principal cause of morpholongical variation of graphite.

Investigation of Material Properties Based on 3D Graphite Morphology for Compacted Graphite Iron

The strength and thermal conductivity of compacted graphite iron(CGI)are crucial performance indicators in its engineering application.The presence of graphite in CGI significantly influences the two properties.In the previous studies,graphite in CGI was often described using two-dimensional(2D)morphology.In this study,the three-dimensional(3D)size,shape,and distribution of graphite in CGI were analyzed using X-ray tomography.Based on this,a new method is introduced to calculate the 3D vermicularity and compare it with the 2D vermicularity in terms of tensile properties and thermal conductivity.The results demonstrate that vermicular graphite exhibits greater connectivity in 3D observation compared to 2D observation.Therefore,the calculation method of 3D vermicularity is determined by considering the surface area and volume of the connected graphite.Then a linear relationship between 3 and 2D vermicularity has been observed.By comparing the correlation coefficient,it has been found that the 3D vermicularity offers a more accurate method to establish the relationship among graphite morphology,thermal conductivity and tensile property of CGI.

Tribological behaviors of Ag-graphite composites reinforced with spherical graphite

Two kinds of Ag-graphite composites reinforced with spherical graphite(SG)and conventional flake graphite(FG)were prepared by powder metallurgy technology.The effect of graphite morphology on the tribological behavior for the Ag-SG and Ag-FG under the dry sliding wear was investigated with a pin-on-disk tribometer at a load of 3.0 N in atmosphere condition.The results indicated that the minimum wear rate of 3.5×10^-5 mm^3/(N·m)for Ag-FG was achieved and it reduced by nearly an order of magnitude,reaching 1.6×10^-6 mm^3/(N·m)for the Ag-SG.The obviously different tribological behaviors between the Ag-SG and Ag-FG were closely related to the formation of cracks in the sub-surface.The stress concentration tended to generate at the edges of flake graphite during sliding process,which resulted in the cracks and severe delamination wear of Ag-FG.However,no cracks were found around the spherical graphite in Ag-SG.The spherical graphite can effectively inhibit the initiation and propagation of cracks,achieving high wear resistance.

Influence of Si,Ce,Sb and Sn on chunky graphite formation

The thirteen mother alloys,C%+1/3Si%=4.45%,differing in their Si,Ce,Sb and Sn contents,were prepared.Seventy grams of these alloys was remelted in a high purity alumina crucible at 1,450oC under an Ar atmosphere,and then cooled at 30 K/min for obtaining their cooling curves.Their graphite morphologies were observed using an optical microscope and an SEM.Their three-dimensional graphite shapes were observed by the SEM using the samples whose matrices were etched off with an acid-aqua solution,to confirm the chunky graphite.For discussing the influence of the Si and Ce contents on the chunky graphite formation,two experiments were carried out.In the first one,the Si contents were changed from 0 to 4% in the 0.15%Ce alloys,and for the second one,the 3.5%Si and 4%Si samples that differed in the Ce contents of 0.1 and 0.2% were used.In the third experiment,the influence of Sb and Sn on the chunky graphite formation was investigated by using the 4%Si and 0.1%Ce samples.The results showed that with the increase of the Si content,the volume fraction of the chunky graphite increases,while the volume fraction of the ledeburite decreases,and the chunky graphite volume fraction in the 0.2%Ce samples is higher than that of the 0.1%Ce samples.The effect of the Sb and Sn additions on the prevention of chunky graphite formation cannot be confirmed due to their high Si contents.Therefore,further studies will be needed in this field.

New developments in high quality grey cast irons

The paper reviews original data obtained by the present authors,revealed in recent separate publications,describing specific procedures for high quality grey irons,and reflecting the forecast needs of the worldwide iron foundry industry.High power,medium frequency coreless induction furnaces are commonly used in electric melting grey iron foundries.This has resulted in low sulphur(<0.05wt.%)and aluminium(<0.005wt.%)contents in the iron,with a potential for higher superheating(>1,500°C),contributing to unfavourable conditions for graphite nucleation.Thin wall castings are increasingly produced by these electric melt shops with a risk of greater eutectic undercooling during solidification.The paper focused on two groups of grey cast irons and their specific problems:carbides and graphite morphology control in lower carbon equivalent high strength irons(CE=3.4%-3.8%),and austenite dendrite promotion in eutectic and slightly hypereutectic irons(CE=4.1%-4.5%),in order to increase their strength characteristics.There are 3 stages and 3 steps involving graphite formation,iron chemistry and iron processing that appear to be important.The concept in the present paper sustains a threestage model for nucleating flake graphite[(Mn,X)S type nuclei].There are three important groups of elements(deoxidizer,Mn/S,and inoculant)and three technological stages in electric melting of iron(superheat,pre-conditioning of base iron,final inoculation).Attention is drawn to a control factor(%Mn)x(%S)ensuring it equals to 0.03–0.06,accompanied by 0.005wt.%–0.010wt.%Al and/or Zr content in inoculated irons.It was found that iron powder addition promotes austenite dendrite formation in eutectic and slightly eutectic,acting as reinforcement for the eutectic cells.But,there is an accompanying possible negative influence on the characteristics of the(Mn,X)S type graphite nuclei(change the morphology of nuclei from polygonal compact to irregular polygonal,and therefore promote chill tendency in treated irons).A double addition(iron powder+inoculant)appears to be an effective treatment to benefit both austenite and graphite nucleation,with positive effects on the final structure and chill tendency.

Effects of carbon content and solidification rate on thermal conductivity of grey cast iron

The thermal conductivity or diffusivity of pearlitic grey irons with various carbon contents is investigated by the laser flash method. The materials are cast in controlled thermal environments and produced in three dissimilar cooling rates. The cooling rate together with the carbon content largely influence the thermal conductivity of grey iron. Linear relationships exist between the thermal conductivity and the carbon content,the carbon equivalent and the fraction of former primary solidified austenite transformed into pearlite. The work shows that optimal thermal transport properties are obtained at medium cooling rates. Equations describing the thermal conductivity of pearlite,solidified as pre-eutectic austenite,and the eutectic of grey iron are derived. The thermal conductivity of pearlitic grey iron is modeled at both room temperature and elevated temperature with good accuracy.

Effect of Power Ultrasonic on Solidification Structure of HT150 Gray Cast Iron

Power ultrasonic treatment is an efficient way to improve the solidification structure and mechanical properties of metals. The effect of 600 W power ultrasonic treatment on the solidification process and structure of HT150 gray cast iron has been studied, and the fining mechanism of power ultrasonic has been analyzed.

A new modeling approach for stress-strain relationship taking into account strain hardening and stored energy by compacted graphite iron evolution

Compacted graphite iron(CGI)is considered to be an ideal diesel engine material with excellent physical and mechanical properties,which meet the requirements of energy conservation and emission reduction.However,knowledge of the microstructure evolution of CGI and its impact on flow stress remains limited.In this study,a new modeling approach for the stress–strain relationship is proposed by considering the strain hardening effect and stored energy caused by the microstructure evolution of CGI.The effects of strain,strain rate,and deformation temperature on the microstructure of CGI during compression deformation are examined,including the evolution of graphite morphology and the microstructure of the pearlite matrix.The roundness and fractal dimension of graphite particles under different deformation conditions are measured.Combined with finite element simulation models,the influence of graphite particles on the flow stress of CGI is determined.The distributions of grain boundary and geometrically necessary dislocations(GNDs)density in the pearlite matrix of CGI under different strains,strain rates,and deformation temperatures are analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction technology,and the stored energy under each deformation condition is calculated.Results show that the proportion and amount of low-angle grain boundaries and the average GNDs density increase with the increase of strain and strain rate and decreased first and then increased with an increase in deformation temperature.The increase in strain and strain rate and the decrease in deformation temperature contribute to the accumulation of stored energy,which show similar variation trends to those of GNDs density.The parameters in the stress–strain relationship model are solved according to the stored energy under different deformation conditions.The consistency between the predicted results from the proposed stress–strain relationship and the experimental results shows that the evolution of stored energy can accurately predict the stress–strain relationship of CGI.

Effect of Ce-Mg-Si and Y-Mg-Si nodulizers on the microstructures and mechanical properties of heavy section ductile iron

Effect of Ce-Mg-Si （light RE） and Y-Mg-Si （heavy RE） nodulizers on the microstructures and mechanical properties of heavy section ductile iron was investigated to develop the material of spent-nuclear-fuel containers. Two as-casts were treated by the same quality percentage of light RE and heavy RE, respectively. Four positions were chosen to stand for different solidification cool-ing rates of specimens. The tensile strength, elongation and impact toughness of specimens treated by heavy RE were all higher than those of the specimens treated by light RE. With the decrease of cooling rate, the mechanical properties of two specimens decreased, and the fracture morphology changed from ductile fracture to brittle fracture. The improving effect of mechanical properties between heavy RE and light RE was obvious due to the better anti-degradation property of heavy RE. While the solidification process lasted for more than 250 min, the improving effect was not obvious due to serious spheroidalization decaying.

Effects of Carbon Content and Solidification Rate on the Thermal Conductivity of Grey Cast Iron

The thermal conductivity/diffusivity of pearlitic grey irons with various carbon contents was investigated by the laser flash method. The materials were cast in controlled thermal environments producing three dissimilar cooling rates. The cooling rates together with the carbon content largely influence the thermal conductivity of grey iron. Linear relationships exist between the thermal conductivity and the carbon content, the carbon equivalent, and the fraction of the former primary solidified austenite transformed into pearlite. The results show that the optimal thermal transport properties are obtained at medium cooling rates. Equations are given for the thermal conductivity of pearlite, solidified as pre-eutectic austenite, and the eutectic of grey iron. The thermal conductivity of pearlitic grey iron is modelled at both room temperature and elevated temperatures with good accuracy.