Cast iron-a predictable material

High strength compacted graphite iron (CGI) or alloyed cast iron components are substituting previously used non-ferrous castings in automotive power train applications.The mechanical engineering industry has recognized the value in substituting forged or welded structures with stiff and light-weight cast iron castings.New products such as wind turbines have opened new markets for an entire suite of highly reliable ductile iron cast components.During the last 20 years,casting process simulation has developed from predicting hot spots and solidification to an integral assessment tool for foundries for the entire manufacturing route of castings.The support of the feeding related layout of the casting is still one of the most important duties for casting process simulation.Depending on the alloy poured,different feeding behaviors and self-feeding capabilities need to be considered to provide a defect free casting.Therefore,it is not enough to base the prediction of shrinkage defects solely on hot spots derived from temperature fields.To be able to quantitatively predict these defects,solidification simulation had to be combined with density and mass transport calculations,in order to evaluate the impact of the solidification morphology on the feeding behavior as well as to consider alloy dependent feeding ranges.For cast iron foundries,the use of casting process simulation has become an important instrument to predict the robustness and reliability of their processes,especially since the influence of alloying elements,melting practice and metallurgy need to be considered to quantify the special shrinkage and solidification behavior of cast iron.This allows the prediction of local structures,phases and ultimately the local mechanical properties of cast irons,to asses casting quality in the foundry but also to make use of this quantitative information during design of the casting.Casting quality issues related to thermally driven stresses in castings are also gaining increasing attention.State-of-the-art tools allow the prediction of residual stresses and iron casting distortion quantitatively.Cracks in castings can be assessed,as well as the reduction of casting stresses during heat treatment.As the property requirements for cast iron as a material in design strongly increase,new alloys and materials such as ADI might become more attractive,where latest software developments allow the modeling of the required heat treatment.Phases can be predicted and parametric studies can be performed to optimize the alloy dependent heat treatment conditions during austenitization,quenching and ausferritization.All this quantitative information about the material's performance is most valuable if it can be used during casting design.The transfer of local properties into the designer's world,to predict fatigue and durability as a function of the entire manufacturing route,will increase the trust in this old but highly innovative material and will open new opportunities for cast iron in the future.The paper will give an overview on current capabilities to quantitatively predict cast iron specific defects and casting performance and will highlight latest developments in modeling the manufacture of cast iron and ADI as well as the prediction of iron casting stresses.

铸铁--一种可预测的材料--铸造工艺模拟在评估铸铁件的生产和性能方面的新潜能

在近20年中,铸造工艺模拟已经从预测热节和凝固过程发展到为铸造厂总体评价铸件的整个生产路线的工具。与铸造方案有关的保证补缩依然是铸造工艺模拟最重要的任务之一。对于所浇注的合金,要提供无缺陷的铸件,需要考虑不同的补缩特性和自补缩能力。因此,仅仅根据由温度场导出的热节来预测收缩缺陷是不够的。为了能定量预测这些缺陷,凝固模拟必须与密度和质量迁移的计算相结合,以求出凝固形态对补缩特性的影响,并应考虑合金相应的补缩范围。对于铸铁厂来说,应用铸造工艺模拟已成为预测所采用工艺的耐久性和可靠性的重要手段,尤其是为了要定量表示铸铁的凝固和收缩特性,必须考虑合金元素、熔化操作和冶金因素的影响。这种模拟不但允许预测铸铁的局部组织、相组成及最终的力学性能,在铸造厂内评估铸件质量,还可在铸件设计过程中使用这种定量信息。目前的技术发展水平已允许定量预测铸铁件的残余应力和铸造变形,还可确定铸件中的裂纹以及在热处理过程中铸造应力的降低。文中将概述目前定量预测铸铁件特有缺陷和铸件性能方面的能力,并重点介绍在模拟铸铁件制造和ADI以及预测铸铁件应力方面的最新发展。