Extension of Flow Behaviour and Damage Models for Cast Iron Alloys with Strain Rate Effect

Cast iron alloys with low production cost and quite good mechanical properties are widely used in the automotive industry.To study the mechanical behavior of a typical ductile cast iron(GJS-450)with nodular graphite,uni-axial quasi-static and dynamic tensile tests at strain rates of 10^(-4),1,10,100,and 250 s^(-1)were carried out.In order to investigate the influence of stress state on the deformation and fracture parameters,specimens with various geometries were used in the experiments.Stress strain curves and fracture strains of the GJS-450 alloy in the strain rate range of 10^(-4)to 250 s^(-1)were obtained.A strain rate-dependent plastic flow model was proposed to describe the mechanical behavior in the corresponding strain-rate range.The available damage model was extended to take the strain rate into account and calibrated based on the analysis of local fracture strains.Simulations with the proposed plastic flow model and the damage model were conducted to observe the deformation and fracture process.The results show that the strain rate has obviously nonlinear effects on the yield stress and fracture strain of GJS-450 alloys.The predictions with the proposed plastic flow and damage models at various strain rates agree well with the experimental results,which illustrates that the rate-dependent plastic flow and damage models can be used to describe the mechanical behavior of cast iron alloys at elevated strain rates.The proposed plastic flow and damage models can be used to describe the deformation and fracture analysis of materials with similar properties.

Heat Treatment Effect on Microstructure, Hardness and Wear Resistance of Cr26 White Cast Iron

High chromium cast iron（HCCI） is taken as material of coal water slurry pump impeller, but it is susceptible to produce serious abrasive wear and erosion wear because of souring of hard coal particles. The research on optimization of heat treatments to improve abrasive wear properties of HCCI is insufficient, so effect of heat treatments on the microstructure, hardness, toughness, and wear resistance of Cr26 HCCI is investigated to determine the optimal heat treatment process for HCCI. A series of heat treatments are employed. The microstructures of HCCI specimens are examined by using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The hardness and impact fracture toughness of as-cast and heat treated specimens are measured. The wear tests are assessed by a Type M200 ring-on block wear tester. The results show the following： With increase of the quenching temperature from 950 ℃ to 1050 ℃, the hardness of Cr26 HCCI increased to a certain value, kept for a time and then decreased. The optimal heat treatment process is 2 h quenching treatment at 1000 ℃, followed by a subsequent 2 h tempering at 400 ℃. The hardness of HCCI is related to the precipitation and redissolution of secondary carbides in the process of heat treatment. The subsequent tempering treatment would result in a slight decrease of hardness but increase of toughness. The wear resistance is much related to the ＂supporting＂ effect of the matrix and the ＂protective＂ effect of the hard carbide embedded in the matrix, and the wear resistance is further dependent on the hardness and the toughness of the matrix. This research can provide an important insight on developing an optimized heat treatment method to improve the wear resistance of HCCI.

Properties of Cross-Rolled Low Alloy White Cast Iron Grinding Ball

The low-energy, multi-impact fracture resistance and the abrasiveness of the cross-rolled low alloy white cast iron grinding balls were studied after heat treatments at residual rolling temperature. Moreover, the means by which they are damaged and characters of the wear surface were analyzed. The results show that high resistance to impact fracture and high abrasiveness can be achieved after appropriate heat treatment at residual rolling temperature. This kind of heat treatment technology has several advantages under low impact and hard abrasive. These results are very useful for determining the optimized heat treatment technology at residual rolling temperatures.

Effect of tempering temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of high boron white cast iron

The effect of different tempering temperatures on the microstructure and mechanical properties of airquenched high boron white cast iron was studied.The results indicate that the high boron white cast iron comprises dendritic matrix and inter-dendritic M 2 B boride;and the matrix comprises martensite and pearlite.After quenching in the air,the matrix is changed into lath martensite;but only 1-μm-size second phase exists in the matrix.After tempering,another second phase of several tens of nanometers is found in the matrix,and the size and quantity increase with an increase in tempering temperature.The two kinds of second precipitation phase with different sizes in the matrix have the same chemical formula,but their forming stages are different.The precipitation phase with larger size forms during the austenitizing process,while the precipitation phase with smaller size forms during the tempering process.When tempered at different temperatures after quenching,the hardness decreases with an increase in the tempering temperature,but it increases a little at 450 ℃ due to the precipitation strengthening effect of the second phase,and it decreases greatly due to the martensite decomposition above 450 ℃.The impact toughness increases a little when tempered below 300 ℃,but it then decreases continuously owing to the increase in size and quantity of the secondary precipitate above 300 ℃.Considered comprehensively,the optimum tempering temperature is suggested at 300 ℃ to obtain a good combination of hardness and toughness.

High Cr white cast iron/carbon steel bimetal liner by lost foam casting with liquid-liquid composite process

Liners in wet ball mill for mineral processing industry must bear abrasive wear and corrosive wear, and consequently, the service life of the liner made from traditional materials, such as Hadfield steel and alloyed steels, is typically less than ten months. Bimetal liner, made from high Cr white cast iron and carbon steel, has been successfully developed by using liquid-liquid composite lost foam casting process. The microstructure and interface of the composite were analyzed using optical microscope, SEM, EDX and XRD. Micrographs indicate that the boundary of bimetal combination regions is staggered like dogtooth, two liquid metals are not mixed, and the interface presents excellent metallurgical bonding state. After heat treatment, the composite liner specimens have shown excellent properties, including hardness 〉 61 HRC, fracture toughness ak 〉16.5 J.cm2 and bending strength 〉1,600 MPa. Wear comparison was made between the bimetal composite liner and alloyed steel liner in an industrial hematite ball mill of WISCO, and the results of eight-month test in wet grinding environment have proved that the service life of the bimetal composite liner is three times as long as that of the alloyed steel liner.

Effect of RE Modification and Heat Treatment on Impact Fatigue Property of a Wear Resistant White Cast Iron

The morphology of carbides, as well as the generation and propagation of fatigue cracks in a wear resistant white cast iron after impact fatigue test were observed by means of optical microscope and SEM, and the relationship among the content of RE (rare earths) in the wear resistant white cast iron and the heating temperature as well as the length and propagation speed of the fatigue cracks were determined. Based on the obtained results, the effect of RE modification and heat treatment on the impact fatigue property was further studied. Experimental results show that addition of RE can defer the time required for the generation of fatigue cracks, reduce their propagation speed and increase the impact fatigue resistance. The aforesaid effect is more noticeable in case of combined RE modification with heat treatment, which can be attributed to the variation in morphology and the distribution of the eutectic carbide network.

Effect of Manganese on As-Cast Microstructure and Hardening Behavior of High Chromium White Cast Iron

The effect of manganese on the as-cast structure and hardening behavior of high chromium white cast iron subjected to sub-critical treatment was studied.The results indicate that the fraction of retained austenite and the manganese distribution in as-cast alloys are controlled by manganese content.The manganese distribution in as-cast alloys is not homogeneous.The manganese content in carbide is higher than that in matrix.Whether the secondary hardening occurs or not and the peak hardness of secondary hardening is controlled by manganese content in retained austenite in as-cast structure.Higher manganese content can cause more retained austenite.The secondary hardening occurs in sub-critical treating process if the fraction of retained austenite is high.

STUDY ON THE STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF HIGH CHROMIUM WHITE CAST IRON AND ITS TEMPERING STANDARD

The structure and properties of high chromium white cast iron in different treatment states were studied. Using X ray diffraction method, observing their metallograph and measuring their microhardness, the phases involved in the iron were determined. The notch toughness, macrohardness and the fractograph of the samples are compared and their performance was determined, which mainly depends on the matrix structure. Relatively good comprehensive properties can be obtained in the tempering state. Improvements have been made on the commonly used tempering standard. Tempering for a short period at low temperature can improve the materials′ service performance obviously.

Fabrication of plain carbon steel/high chromium white cast iron bimetal by a liquid–solid composite casting process

High-chromium white cast iron （HCWCI） is one of the most widely used engineering materials in the mining and cement industries. However, in some components, such as the pulverizer plates of ash mills, the poor machinability of HCWCI creates difficulties. The bimetal casting technique is a suitable method for improving the machinability of HCWCI by joining an easily machined layer of plain carbon steel （PCS） to its hard part. In this study, the possibility of PCS/HCWCI bimetal casting was investigated using sand casting. The investigation was conducted by optical and electron microscopy and non-destructive, impact toughness, and tensile tests. The hardness and chemical composition profiles on both sides of the interface were plotted in this study. The results indicated that a conventional and low-cost casting technique could be a reliable method for producing PCSYdCWCI bimetal. The interfacial microstructure comprised two distinct lay- ers： a very fine, partially spheroidized pearlite layer and a coarse full pearlite layer. Moreover, characterization of the microstructure revealed that the interface was free of defects.

Interface characteristics and wear resistance of Ni-B_(4)C plated ZTA reinforced high chromium cast iron composite

A chemical composite plating of Ni-B_(4)C was used to prepare the surface-modified zirconia toughened alumina(ZTA)ceramic particles.The ceramic preforms were prepared by the plated ZTA and sodium silicate solution binder,followed by casting infiltration to prepare the ZTA particles reinforced high chromium cast iron(HCCI)composites.The result reveals that a distinct interface layer forms at the ZTA/HCCI interface,which consists of phases of ZrB_(2),FeB,Fe_(2)B,and NaSiO_(4).The interfacial wettability between ZTA and HCCI is improved by the diffusion and reaction of Ni and B_(4)C.The wear test reveals that the Ni-B_(4)C plated ZTA particles can effectively improve the wear resistance of the ZTA/HCCI composite,and the wear rate of the composite is decreased to 11.6%of HCCI.

Formation of Eutectic Carbides in the Structure of High-Purity White Cast Iron in the Forging Process

It is found that the deformation of white cast iron under forging production is only possible with a minimum number of permanent impurities. The developed modes of high-temperature intermediate annealing facilitate the deformation of the forging under normal production conditions. It is shown that in the process of isothermal annealing of white cast iron begins the process of disintegration of ledeburite in the more stable eutectic carbides, providing technological plasticity for subsequent forging. The installed influence of the purity of white cast iron on the morphology of the excess carbides and their ability to divide. Studies the morphology of the excess eutectic carbides after melting, pre-annealing and after deformation forging. Discovered that after severe plastic deformation the structure of white cast iron becomes more stable, due to the appearance of eutectic carbides. It was determined that the deformed structure of white iron, because of its lack ledeburite component, was more identical with the structure of the alloy ledeburite steels. The data obtained can be used for making Damascus bladed weapons products, experiencing shock-variables loads.

Influence of RE on Carbide Morphology and Mechanical Property of Wear Resistant White Cast Iron

The influence of rare earths content on carbide morphology and mechanical properties of wear resistance of white cast iron was studied by means of metallographic examination,scanning electron microscopic examination and mechanical property test. The experiment results show that RE can change carbides from continuous network to isolated particles and improve the mechanical properties,especially in combination with proper heat treatment. The optimum properties of wear resistance of white cast iron modified by RE of 0.045% can be obtained by normalization at 960 ℃ for 2 h.

Optimizing hardenability of high chromium white cast iron

The formulas proposed by J. Dodd and J. L. Parks for calculating the hardenability of high-Cr white cast iron under continuous cooling condition was recommended. For broader application, some supplements were made to the formula. Through tests on the half-cooling time of typical castings, the compositions of ideal alloys were precisely designed using the Dodd’s formula. Hardness testing of heat-treated castings showed that the designed compositions were correct. The application of castings demonstrated excellent abrasion resistance.

Microstructures and formation mechanism of hypoeutectic white cast iron by isothermal electromagnetic rheocast process

An investigation was made on the evolution of microstructures of hypoeutectic white cast iron slurry containing 2.5wt.%C and 1.8wt.%Si produced by rheocasting in which the solidifying alloy was vigorously agitated by electromagnetic stirrer during isothermal cooling processes.The results indicated that under the proper agitating temperatures and speeds applied,the dendrite structures in white cast iron slurry were gradually evolved into spherical structures during a certain agitating time.It also revealed that the bent dendrites were formed by either convection force or by the growth of the dendrites themselves in the bending direction;then,as they were in solidifying,they were gradually being alternated into separated particles and into more spherical structures at the end of the isothermal cooling process.Especially,the dendrites were granulated as the bending process proceeding,which suggested that they were caused by unwanted elements such as sulfur and phosphor usually contained in engineering cast iron.Convective-ow of the melt caused corrosion on the dendritic segments where they were weaker in strength and lower in melting temperature because of higher concentration of sulfur or phosphor.And the granulation process for such dendrites formed in the melt became possible under the condition.Certainly,dendrite fragments are another factors considerable to function for spherical particles formation.A new mechanism,regarding to the rheocast structure formation of white cast iron,was suggested based on the structural evolution observed in the study.

Effect of Rare Earth Elements on Dynamics of Thermal Fatigue Crack′s Propagation in Low Alloy White Cast Iron

The effect of rare earth elements on dynamics of thermal fatigue crack′s propagation in low alloy white cast iron was studied. The results show that the generation and growth of the thermal fatigue crack can be restrained and the activation energy for the crack′s propagation can be increased by adding a certain amount of RE, and especially, the restraint for the thermal fatigue crack′s propagation is more evident under the combined action of RE and heat treatment at high working temperatures, which can be attributed to the segregation of RE to interfaces, the participation of granular carbides and the change of eutectic carbide morphology.

STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN HEAT AFFECTED ZONE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON PROPERTIES OF WELDED WHITE CAST IRON

The structural change in heat affected zone(HAZ)and its influence on properties of welded white cast iron have been investigated by means of thermal cycle simulation technique.The structure of the white cast iron at peak temperature 800℃ was examined as cementite in pearlitic matrix,of which the hardness and impact toughness are the lowest,while the struc- ture after cyclic heating at high peak temperature is mainly cementite together with twin martensite,of which the hardness and impact toughness are rather higher.The phase bounda- ries in the structure of low hardness are smooth and regular as well as with fine precipitates. Both the cleavage and interphase fracture were revealed in the structure of low hardness,while the transgranular fracture was found in those areas of higher hardness.

EFFECT OF STRUCTURE ON GRAPHITIZATION OF WHITE MALLEABLE CAST IRON

The structure of white iron treated with Si-Bi-AI complex inoculant has been observed by SEM and TEM. The results show that, in comparison with the samples treated with ordinary inoculants, disorder, overlapping and inflexion of the pearlitic lamella appear, besides, the dis- location density increases apparently. The graphitization can be quickly realized at the tem- perature lower than that of austenitic transition (720℃).

Effect of RE Elements on the Morphology of Carbides and the Impact Fatigue Properties of the Low Cr White Cast Iron

An apparatus of zone melting unidirectional solidification with a steep temperature gradient and an impact fatigue tester were used.The effect of RE elements on the morphology of carbides and the impact fatigue properties of the low Cr white cast iron were investigated.Experimental results showed that the modi- fying effect of RE elements was remarkable on the M3C carbides.With the addition of RE elements in the low Cr iron,a lot of plate-like carbides were transformed into lath-like and rod-like ones.The higher the content of RE elements was,the more was the fraction of the lath-like and rod-like carbides.In the low Cr white cast iron,the RE modifying agent can efficiently increase the impact fatigue resistance and decrease the crack growth rate and delay the time of incipient cracking.With the increase of the content of RE elements in the low Cr cast iron,the impact fatigue resistance increased greatly and the crack growth rate decreased rap- idly.