Material and technique of Si-Mo heat-resistant vermicular iron exhaust manifold

Si-Mo vermicular iron is an ideal material for exhaust manifold that works in high temperature and thermal cycle conditions because its properties of thermal fatigue resistance and thermal distortion resistance are significantly better than that of gray cast iron and nodular iron. This paper explains that the vermicularity of Si-Mo vermicular iron is better to be controlled approximately to 50% for the applications of exhaust manifold castings, and generalizes the successful experience of vermicularizing technique that uses sandwich (pour over) process combining with cored-wire injection in trough process together, and uses rare earths-magnesium-silicon as vermicularizing alloy in Disa high speed molding line and automatic plug rod air pressure pouring furnace. In addition, this paper also describes the method to solve the shrinkage hole and porosity defects in the exhaust manifold production.

The forty years of vermicular graphite cast iron development in China (Part Ⅰ)

In China, the research and development of vermicular graphite cast iron (VGCI) as a new type of engineering material, were started in the same period as in other developed countries; however, its actual industrial application was even earlier. In China, the deep and intensive studies on VGCI began as early as the 1960s. According to the incomplete statistics to date, more than 600 papers on VGCI have been published by Chinese researchers and scholars at national and international conferences, and in technical journals. More than ten types of production methods and more than thirty types of treatment alloy have been studied. Formulae for calculating the critical addition of treatment alloy required to produce VGCI have been put forward, and mechanisms for explaining the formation of dross during treatment were brought forward. The casting properties, metallographic structure, mechanical and physical properties and machining performance of VGCI, as well as the relationships between them, have all been studied in detail. The Chinese Standards for VGCI and VGCI metallographic structure have been issued. In China, the primary crystallization of VGCI has been studied by many researchers and scholars. The properties of VGCI can be improved by heat treatment and addition of alloying elements enabling its applications to be further expanded. Hundreds of kinds of VGCI castings have been produced and used in vehicles, engines, mining equipment, metallurgical products serviced under alternating thermal load, machinery, hydraulic components, textile machine parts and military applications. The heaviest VGCI casting produced is 38 tons and the lightest is only 1 kg. Currently, the annual production of the VGCI in China is about 200 000 tons. The majority of castings are made from cupola iron without pre-treatment, however, they are also produced from electric furnaces and by duplex melting from cupola-electric furnaces or blast furnace-electric furnace. Examples of typical applications for VGCI castings are introduced in this paper. In China, the technologies such as rapid testing of the molten metal and non-destructive testing of casting microstructure still need to be improved. Several proposals are put forward in this paper in order to improve the production of VGCI. Generally speaking, in China, the research, production, and application of vermicular graphite cast iron are at the same level as in other developed countries and in some fields China even takes lead. (332 references and 5 Tables)

Sedimentary environment of vermicular red clay in South China

Increasing interest in recent years has focused on vermicular red clay(VRC) in southern China due to its controversial sedimentary environment and provenance. Grain size is a useful way to determine sedimentary environment and provenance. Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis(LDA) is a common and widely used method for multivariate statistical analysis. Based on a proper training sample set, the LDA can be used to discuss the sediment provenance. In this study, grain size data for 77 Malan loess samples and 41 floodplain deposit samples were used as a training sample set to deduce a Fisher linear discriminant function. Then, 299 VRC samples from 6 Quaternary red clay profiles were analyzed using the discriminant function. Grain size parameters and microscopic images of quartz grains separated from the VRC were evaluated in detail to determine the VRC sedimentary environment in south China. The results show that VRC profiles can be classified into two regions: the Chiang-nan Hilly Region and Wuyi Mountains Region. The VRC samples in the Chiang-nan Hilly Region originated from eolian dust deposits. This VRC is characterized by a higher content of fine particles(<20 μm) and lower average transport kinetic energy than loess in a C-M plot. The quartz grain sizes and microscope images of this VRC suggest that it could be a polyphyletic mixture of far-sourced and nearsourced eolian deposits. The far-sourced eolian deposits share similar provenance with Xiashu loess and were transported by the East Asian winter monsoon. The near-sourced eolian deposits were dust emitted from the adjacent floodplain. In the Wuyi Mountains Region, the rugged topography weakened the dustfall and strengthened the reconstructive effect of hydrodynamic forces during the Quaternary glacial periods. The VRC in this region was reworked strongly by water and retained typical hydraulic characteristics no matter the source.

Quantitative models for microstructure and thermal conductivity of vermicular graphite cast iron cylinder block based on cooling rate

The relationships of cooling rate with microstructure and thermal conductivity of vermicular graphite cast iron(VGI) cylinder block were studied, which are important for design and optimization of the casting process of VGI cylinder blocks. Cooling rates at different positions in the cylinder block were calculated based on the cooling curves recorded with a solidification simulation software. The metallographic structure and thermal conductivity were observed and measured using optical microscopy(OM), scanning electrical microscopy(SEM) and laser flash diffusivity apparatus, respectively. The effects of the cooling rate on the vermicularity, total and average areas of all graphite particles, and the pearlite fraction in the VGI cylinder block were investigated. It is found that the vermicularity changes in parabola trend with the increase of cooling rate. The total area of graphite particles and the cooling rate at eutectoid stage can be used to predict pearlite fraction well. Moreover, it is found that the thermal conductivity at room temperature is determined by the average area of graphite particles and pearlite fraction when the range of vermicularity is from 80% to 93%. Finally, the quantitative models are established to calculate the vermicularity, pearlite fraction, and thermal conductivity of the VGI cylinder block.

Different thermal fatigue behaviors between gray cast iron and vermicular graphite cast iron

The initiation and propagation of thermal fatigue cracks in gray cast iron and vemicular graphite cast iron were investigated by Uddeholm method to reveal the complex thermal fatigue behaviors of cast iron.Differences of thermal fatigue behaviors of gray cast iron and vemicular graphite cast iron were observed and analyzed.It is found that the observed differences are related to the combination of graphite morphology and the oxidization of matrix.More oxidized matrix is observed in gray cast iron due to its large specific surface area.The brittle oxidized matrix facilitates the propagation of microcracks along the oxidization layer.By contrast,the radial microcracks are formed in vermicular graphite at the edge of graphite due to fewer oxidization layers.It indicates that the thermal fatigue resistance of gray cast iron is dominated by graphite content and morphology while that of vermicular graphite cast iron strongly relates to the strength of the matrix.

Production technique of vermicular graphite iron cylinder head of vehicle diesel engine

The 25 years＇ production and application have proved that vermicular graphite iron cylinder heads with vermicularity ≥50% satisfy the machinability and performance demand of diesel engine. The method, in which using cupola-induction furnace duplex melting and pour-over process with rare earth-ferrosilicon or rare earthsilicon compound as vermJcularizing alloy plus rare earth-magnesium-ferrosilicon as stirring alloy, is an optimal vermicularizing process for obtaining satisfied vermicularity. Using top kiss risers, enlarging kissing areas and expanding covering width and making ingates to freeze earlier are the effective measures to eliminate shrinkage, blowhole and oxide inclusions in the vermicular graphite iron cylinder heads.

MICROSTRUCTURE OF VERMICULAR GRAPHITE IN CAST IRON

An observation under TEM was carried out of the hetero-particles and stripes inside of the vermicular graphite in cast iron specimens which were prepared by isothermally quenching in ice-salt-water.The hetero-particles and stripes,composed of almost pure Fe and a little Si, were found in the regions of the growth direction changing of the vermicular graphite.Many twins and dislocations were also observed to contribute to changing the growth direction and to providing the growth steps of the graphite respectively.

Effects of cooling rate on vermicular graphite percentage in a brake drum produced by onestep cored wire injection

In this research, a vermicular graphite cast iron brake drum was produced by cored wire injection in a one-step method. Silica sand and low-density alumina-silicate ceramic were used as molding materials in order to investigate the effect of cooling rate on percentage of vermicular graphite and mechanical properties of the brake drum casting. Several thermocouples were inserted into the casting in the desired positions to measure the temperature change. By means of one-step cored wire injection, the two residual concentrations of Mg and RE were effectively controlled in the ranges of 0.013%-0.017% and 0.019%-0.025%, respectively, which are crucial for the production of vermicular graphite cast iron and the formation of vermicular graphite. In addition, the cooling rate had a significant effect on the vermicular graphite percentage. In the case of the silica mold brake drum casting, there was an obvious difference in the cooling rate with the wall change, leading to a change in vermicular graphite percentage from 70.8% to 90%. In the low-density alumina-silicate ceramic mold casting, no obvious change in temperature was detected by the thermocouples and the percentage of the vermicular graphite was stable at 85%. Therefore, the vermicular graphite cast iron brake drum with a better combination of mechanical properties could be obtained.

Study of Manufacturing Technology and Properties of AVGCI with Rare Earths

By vermicularizing agent containing RE (REFeSi), austempered vermicular graphite cast iron (AVGCI) with RE can be produced with austempered treatment. The process of austenitization of vermicular graphite cast iron (VGCI) with RE and the transformation of AVGCI with RE with temperature increasing were studied by SEM with heating device. Properties of AVGCI with RE, such as tensile strength, elongation, impact toughness, hardness, thermal fatigue resistance, thermal expansive coefficient and weight increasing by oxidation were measured by electron universal testing machine with heating device. Experimental results indicate that AVGCI with RE possesses good comprehensive properties at room and elevated temperatures.

Characteristics of Deformation Layer for Vermicular Iron under Dry Sliding Friction

At room temperature,dry sliding wear tests were carried out using pin-on-disc test rig,in which the pin is made of vermicular iron and the disc is made of 40 Cr steel.The microstructures of the frictional surfaces for the pin specimens were investigated.Under the action of both frictional heat and frictional shearing stress,aplastic deformation layer under the frictional surface is formed.The morphology and properties of the plastic deformation layer depend on specimen material,contact pressure and frictional shearing stress.In the plastic deformation layer,the phosphorous mass percent varies at different depth and results in different hardness.On the outer side of surface,the hardness is the biggest and the phosphorous mass percent is the highest.They become gradually small from outer side to inner side of the surface.

Phytolith Records in Vermicular Red Earth:Implications for Bioclimatic Variationsduring Pleistocene

Phytolith analysis is employed in bioclimatic research into vermicular red earth, especially into its form, assemblage and zonation. The phytolith assemblage is divided into 10 zones. The statistics and main factor analysis of phytolith show that the obtained main factor load curves could suggest a climate change. Combined with phytolith assemblage feature, the bioclimatic variation of vermicular red earth during its formation stage, consisting of 5 arid-cold stages, 4 warm-humid stages and 2 mild stages, is reconstructed in detail. The research results indicate that phytolith records are ideal paleoclimatic signals in vermicular red earth, and that abundant information on environmental evolution can be located.

Monitoring of Quality of Vermicular Cast Iron from the Front of the Furnace

Vermicular cast iron is used in certain fields because of its special physical properties. However, it is difficult to control the quality from the front of the furnace owing to the narrow range of vermiculizer and other elements that can be added to the iron. A real time method was developed to monitor the vermicular- graphite ratio of the cast iron based on fast measurements of the melt surface tension. The system includes a detector and a control unit that measure the amplitude and frequency of bubbles rising in the melt. This paper describes the methodology for measuring the surface tension of the melt and test results monitoring the vermicular-graphite ratio of the vermicular cast iron from the front of the furnace. The relationship between surface tension and graphite shape has been established. The results show that this system can quickly evaluate the vermicular-graphite ratio of the cast iron.

High-Temperature Oxidation Behavior and Related Mechanism of RuT400 Vermicular Graphite Iron

The vermicular graphite iron is an important material with excellent combination properties for cylinder heads of diesel engines,and the high-temperature oxidation is a crucial problem during service of the component.In this study,the oxidation experiment of RuT400 vermicular graphite iron was performed at 500 ℃,and the oxidation time was chosen as 100 h,200 h,300 h,400 h,and 500 h,respectively.Meanwhile,the corresponding microstructure evolution,oxidation kinetics,and oxidation mechanism were discussed.It is found that oxidation pores and oxide layer often appear at the vermicular graphite on the specimen surface;the vermicular graphite plays the role of oxidation channel,and it tends to diff use along the adjacent pearlite and then connect with each other to form oxidation bridges as the oxidation time prolongs.A linear relationship between oxidation weight gain and the thickness of the oxide layer was established and verifi ed well.These results will give a more comprehensive understanding on the oxidation mechanism of vermicular graphite iron and provide certain guidance for design and preparation of anti-oxidation cast irons.