Quantitative inspection on graphite length of grey iron

Graphite length is an important item in metallographic inspection of grey iron. Computer aided quantitative metallography is developed rapidly and has become a major analytical tool nowadays. Based-moment threshold selection was adopted to binarize the metallographic image in this study. A new approach has been developed to measure the length of the graphite in cast iron with high precision. The results are in good agreement with China National Metallographic Inspection Standard Charts for Grey Iron （GB7216-87） and ASTM （A247-67）. An objective and precise measurement of graphite length in grey iron is critical for developing models correlating microstructure and properties of cast iron.

Optimization of casting conditions for heat and abrasion resistant large grey iron castings

Numerical simulation technology was applied for optimizing the casting design and conditions in large cast iron castings for marine engine. By the simulation of mold filling and solidification sequences the problems of the previous casting conditions were analyzed and marked improvements for large cylinder liner parts were derived from these results. Especially the amount and positions of chills were optimized to increase the mechanical properties and to minimize the shrinkage and microporosity in the castings. Ultrasonic testing, penetration testing and mechanical property testing were carried out for the parts with the modified casting conditions. It showed that no defects in the castings were found and the productivity could be distinctly increased. The mechanical properties satisfied also the specification demanded.

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.

Complex(Mn,X)S compounds-major sites for graphite nucleation in grey cast iron

Despite the cubic system, the ability of sulphides to nucleate graphite can be enhanced by inoculating elements which transform them in complex compounds with a better lattice matching to graphite, a low coagulation capacity, good stability and adequate interfacial energy. （Mn,X）S compounds, usually less than 5.0 μm in size, with an average 0.4-2.0 μm well defined core （nucleus）, were found to be important sites for graphite nucleation in grey irons. A three-stage model for the nucleation of graphite in grey irons is proposed： （1） Very small microinclusions based on strong deoxidizing elements （Mn, Si, Al, Ti, Zr） are formed in the melt; （2） Nucleation of complex （Mn,X）S compounds at these previously formed micro-inclusions; （3） Graphite nucleates on the sides of the （Mn,X）S compounds with lower crystallographic misfit. AI appears to have a key role in this process, as Al contributes to the formation of oxides in the first stage and favors the presence of Sr and Ca in the sulphides, in the second stage. The 0.005-0.010% Al range was found to be beneficial for lower undercooling solidification, type-A graphite formation and carbides avoidance.

Improving chill control in iron powder treated slightly hypereutectic grey cast irons

Recent studies revealed that in eutectic to slightly hypereutectic grey irons （CE = 4.3%-4.5%） the presence of austenite dendrites provides an opportunity to improve the cast iron properties, as a high number of eutectic cells are ＂reinforced＂ by austenite dendrites. An iron powder addition proved to be important by promoting dendritic austenite in hypereutectic irons, but was accompanied by adverse effect on the characteristics of potential nuclei for graphite. The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the solidification pattern of these irons. Chill wedges with different cooling moduli （CM = 0.11 - 0.43 cm） were poured in resin bonded sand and metal moulds. Relative clear / mottled / total chill measurement criteria were applied. Iron powder additions led to a higher chill tendency, while single inoculation showed the strongest graphiUzing effect. The various double treatments show an intermediate position, but the inoculant added after iron powder appears to be the most effective in reducing base iron chill tendency, for all cooling moduli and chill evaluation parameters. This performance reflects the improved properties of （Mn,X）S polygonal compounds as nucleation sites for graphite, especially in resin bonded sand mould castings. Both austenite and graphite nucleation benefit from a double addition of iron powder ＋ inoculant, with positive effect on the final structure and chill tendency.

Niobium alloying effect in high carbon equivalent grey cast iron

The effect of niobium on the formation of NbC phase and solidification structure in high carbon equivalent grey cast iron was investigated.The experimental results indicated that an increase in the niobium content is favorable to refining the graphite and eutectic cell;and the pearlite lamellar spacing is reduced.Based on the thermodynamic calculation the formation of NbC is prior to the eutectic reaction.The reduction in the pearlite lamellar spacing is mainly attributed to the decrease of eutectic temperature with the addition of niobium.Additionally,properties including hardness and wear resistance were improved after the addition of niobium.

Effect of vibration frequency on primary phase and properties of grey cast iron fabricated by lost foam casting

The properties of gray cast iron(GCI)are affected by density of matrix,size of flake graphite and primary austenite.In this paper,the Y-type specimen of GCI was prepared by lost foam casting(LFC)with and without vibration,and the influence of vibration frequency on the density of matrix,size of primary phase,and properties of the GCI was studied.The results show that the length of the flake graphite and the size of the primary austenite in GCI firstly decrease and then increase with the increase of the vibration frequency.With a vibration frequency of 35 Hz,the length of the flake graphite is the shortest,the primary austenite is the finest and the density of the matrix is the highest.In addition,the tensile strength,elongation and hardness of the GCI firstly increase and then decrease with the increase of the vibration frequency,due to the refinement of the primary phase and the increase of the matrix density.In order to analyze the refinement mechanism of the primary phase of the GCI fabricated by the LFC with vibration,the solidification temperature fields of the GCI fabricated by the LFC with the vibration frequency of 0 and 35 Hz were measured.The results show that the vibration reduces the eutectic point of the GCI and increases the supercooling degree during the eutectic transformation.As a result,the length of the flake graphite and the size of the primary austenite in GCI fabricated by LFC with the vibration frequency of 35 Hz decrease.

Thermal analysis control of in-mould and ladle inoculated grey cast irons

The effect of addition of 0.05wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Ca,Zr,Al-FeSi alloy on in-ladle and in-mould inoculation of grey cast irons was investigated.In the present paper,the conclusions drawn are based on thermal analysis.For the solidification pattern,some specific cooling curves characteristics,such as the degree of undercooling at the beginning of eutectic solidif ication and at the end of solidifi cation,as well as the recalescence level,are identif ied to be more influenced by the inoculation technique.The degree of eutectic undercooling of the electrically melted base iron having 0.025% S,0.003% Al and 3.5% Ce is excessively high(39-40℃),generating a relatively high need for inoculation.Under these conditions,the in-mould inoculation has a more signif icant effect compared to ladle inoculation,especially at lower inoculant usage(less than 0.20 wt.%).Generally,the eff iciency of 0.05wt.% -0.15wt.% of alloy for in-mould inoculation is comparable to,or better than,that of 0.15wt.% -0.25wt.% addition in ladle inoculation procedures.In order to secure stable and controlled processes,representative thermal analysis parameters could be used,especially in thin wall grey iron castings production.

THERMAL FATIGUE AND FRACTURE MECHANICS ANALYSIS OF GREY CAST IRON

The in-phase and out-of-phase thermal fatigue,the C-P type and P-C type isothermal fa- tigue of grey cast iron were experimentally studied.The fatigue life was evaluated analytically by using the elastic-plastic fracture mechanics method(mainly J integral).The results of ex- periments and calculations showed that the lifes of in-phase and C-P type fatigue are longer than that of out-of-phase and P-C type fatigue respectively within the same strain range. This is in contrast to the results of other materials such as low carbon steel.On the other hand, the predicted lifes are consistent with experimental results.This suggests that J integral as a mechanics parameter for characterizing the thermal fatigue strength of grey cast iron and the mechanics model and the calculation method developed here are efficient.A parameter ΔW_1 was proposed from energy aspect to characterize the capacity of crack propagation. The isothermal fatigue life is the same as the thermal fatigue life for identical ΔW_1 values.

Sliding Wear Behavior of a Grey Cast Iron Surface Remelted by TIG

The sliding wear behavior of a grey cast iron surface remelted by tungsten inert gas （TIG） was studied and compared with the unremelted one in the current work. To evaluate the wear behavior a Pin-on-Disk wear test machine was used. Pins which were prepared from the samples with the remelted layers of different thicknesses of 1.2, 1.8, 2.5 and 3 turn were worn on an AISID3 steel counterface having a hardness of 63HRC under the applied loads of 54, 76 and gg N at a constant sliding velocity of 0.45 m/s. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis （EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD） techniques were used to characterize worn surface and subsurface and also wear debris obtained from the wear tests under different test conditions. Results showed that surface remelted grey cast iron have better wear properties for all applied normal loads in comparison with unremelted ones. Microscopic studies on the worn surfaces and subsurfaces of samples revealed that dominant wear mechanism for surface remelted samples was mild oxidative, while it was severe for unremelted samples. Increasing remelted layer thickness and then forming grosser microstructure lead to a decline of wear properties, whereas lower thickness of remelted layer with finer microstructure due to having higher cooling rate through remelting process can withstand better against wear.

Research on Welding Test of Grey Cast Iron and Low-Carbon Steel

Grey cast iron’s welding itself is a complex proble m.So proper welding materials must be selected,complex welding techniques such as preheating before weldingslow cooling after welding etc,should be taken. However the carbon component in low-carbon steel is comparatively low,the carbo n of welded joint will diffuse to the low-carbon steel when it is welded with gr ey cast iron,which will cause the component of carbon greatly increased at the low-carbon steel side in HAZ,high carbon martensite and cracks will occur.If p reheating before weldingslow cooling after welding and other welding procedure are taken,the grey cast iron side can probably be qualified.But the carbon wi ll diffuse to HAZ of the low-carbon steel side more easily.Therefore after stud ying the weldabilities of grey cast iron and low-carbon steel,the author develo ped a new type of cast iron electrode considering the demands of factories’prac tices,and the welding technology test of grey cast iron and low-carbon steel ar e carried out. In this paper,a new type of grey cast iron electrode is developed based on the practices in factories,its ingredients and properties are introduced.The w elding tests of grey cast iron and low-carbon steel are practiced.The joint str ucture of the dissimilar metal and the appearance of weld are observed.The hard ness distribution of the welded joint is tested.The results show that the elect rode can meet the welding requirements of the grey cast iron and low-carbon stee l.There are no cracksgas pores and other defects of metallurgy in welded join t,the appearance of welded joint are good.

Study on in-situ WC particles/tungsten wire reinforced iron matrix composites under electromagnetic field

By applying electromagnetic field to a system consisting of tungsten wires and grey cast iron melt,the grey cast iron matrix composite reinforced by either in-situ WC particles or the combination ofin-situ WC particles and the residual tungsten wire was obtained.By means of differential thermal analysis(DTA),the pouring temperature ofiron melt was determined at 1,573 K.The microstructures of the composites were analyzed by using of X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrum(EDS) and pin-on-disc abrasive wear test.The obtained results indicated that,with the enhancing frequency of electromagnetic field,the amount ofin-situ WC particles gradually increases,leading to continuous decrease of the residual tungsten wires.When the electromagnetic field frequency was up to 4 kHz,tungsten wires reacted completely with carbon atoms in grey cast iron melt,forming WC particals.The electromagnetic field appeared to accelerate the elemental diffusion in the melt,to help relatively quick formation of a series of small FeW-C ternary zones and to improve the kinetic condition ofin-situ WC fabrication.As compared with the composite prepared without the electromagnetic field,the composite fabricated at 4 kHz presented good wear resistance.

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.

Molybdenum alloying in cast iron and steel

Metal casting is an important manufacturing technology for efficiently producing massive components with complex shape.A large share of industrial castings is made from iron and steel alloys,combining attractive properties and low production cost.Upgrading of properties in cast iron and steel is mainly achieved by alloying and in fewer cases by heat treatment.Molybdenum is an important alloying element in that respect,increasing strength,hardness and toughness.It also facilitates particular heat treatments such as austempering.The paper describes the metallurgical functionality of molybdenum alloying in iron-based castings and demonstrates its effectiveness for applications in the automotive and mining industry.

Defect elimination in green sand casting using simulation techniques:A case study

The Reynolds number of molten metal flowing mold cavity causes bulk turbulence and is the main cause of defects like shrinkage porosity and sand erosion.Machined housings with shrinkage porosity at critical bearing bores and surface made the casting useless.In old gating casting areas of perimeters 290mm and 264mm of transmission housing,Reynolds numbers were observed as 16307 and 13806,respectively using simulation software.Data were collected from experiments to change casting area perimeters from 785mm and 785mm along with the addition of overlap area.New Reynolds numbers at two locations were observed as 3705 and 3393,respectively.Molten metal pressure,velocity and temperature results were related for final shrinkage results of the components on full production.The purpose of the study is to reduce shrinkage and porosity defects in green sand casting part using MAGMAS simulation software.High outcome was the reduction of casting machining rejection in transmission housing casting from 5.8%0.7%with savings of approximately 0.13 million USD over the period of 14 months.Implications of this work include casting defects study and reduction in different grades and weight range.