CAST IRON

Cast iron - A ferrous alloys containing 2 < % C < 4 and 0.5 < % Si < 3 Eutectic and Eutectoid reactions control the microstructure in Cast Irons.
Microstructure consists of ferrite and/or pearlite plus graphite flakes

Iron Cementite Phase Diagram

+L
Temperature (oC)
In Engineering Cast iron CE 4.3%

+L (ostenite)

L
1148oC

Cementite : Fe3C Ferrite : Perlite : + Fe3C Ostenite: Delta iron: Ledeburite.

Teutectic

Ledeburite

Teutectoid

Perlite

Steel

Cast Iron

C (wt. % )

Figure 12.33 The iron-carbon phase diagram showing the relationship between the stable iron-graphite equilibria (solid lines) and the metastable iron-cementite reactions (dashed lines).

Fe/C ve Fe/Fe3C Faz diyagram

For cast irons For steels

ADVANTAGES of CAST IRONS FOR DESING NEEDS High strength in compressive loading High brittleness Higher sliding wear resistance Good thermal conductivity Self lubrication Good machinability Vibration damping property Low cost

WEAKNESS FOR DESING NEEDS Low almost no ductility Low strength in tensile loading

IRON MAKING
Iron making (Blast furnace and Pig Iron) Couple furnace for cast iron

Iron and steel making and Blast furnace

Ore to Iron

The principle ores: (a)Hematite (Fe2O3), (b)Magnetite (Fe3O4), (c) Siderite (FeCO3), etc. Limestone: (CaCO3) to produce fluxes to remove the impurities from the molten metal and react with imruties forming fluid fluxes and slag. Coke: generates heat for chemical reaction and produce CO to reduce iron oxide to iron.
Pig iron

Hot air: supplies oxygen to burn the coke and produce CO. Air used is preheated by using CO leaving the furnace thus necessary coke was decreased about 70%.
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For 1 ton pig iron 0,5 ton slug, 6 tons CO are produced

Slug: taken at the intervals of 5-6 hrs. Later used in making cements, fertilizer, pavements, road ballasts, building materials, insulations. CO: first washed and then use to power the preheating system of air and fueling the other furnaces in the plant. Pig iron + Scrap+Limestone + Coke + Hot air.

Reduction of the iron oxide: F2O3 (ore) + 3C 2Fe + 3CO Fe2O3 (ore)+ 3CO 3CO2 Production of reducing gas: C (coke) + O2 CO2 CO2 + C 2CO

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Coal
Processed to change to coke

Limestone, CaCO3 Iron ore

Crushing Hematite magnetite limonate

Mining

Coke

Palletizing sintering

CO Hot air
Fuel for heating of air and other furnaces

Blast furnace
Slag
Later used in Road ballast Cements Filler materials

Casting of pig iron

Carried with ladles (small cars)

Couple furnace
Cast iron production

Steel production
Basic Oxygen Furnace Vacuum Arc Remelting Open Hearth Furnace (S-M) Electric Arc Furnace Vacuum Degassing Vacuum Induction Melting Electro-slag Refining
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Continues Casting (Strand casting)

First introduced in 1960s. Eliminates the Ingot teeming process. Pouring the molten steel into a water cooled mold with a hole in the desired shape: rounds, rectangles, etc. Usually cut into lengths and sold in this form or rolled into bars, shapes or sheets.

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CAST IRON MICROSTRUCTURES AND CAST IRON TYPES

Cast Irons

Types of cast irons: Gray cast iron White cast iron Malleable cast iron Nodular (Ductile) cast iron Compacted graphite (vermicular) cast iron Chilled cast iron

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The property of materials depends on the microstructure

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GRAIN SHAPE AFTER SOLIDIFICATION DURING CASTING

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Nodular cast ion:

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2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

Figure 12.35 (a) Sketch and (b) photomicrograph of the flake graphite in gray cast iron (x 100).

Effect of Cooling Rate on the Cast Iron Microstructure

Different microstructures form depending on the cooling rate from molten state, Fast cooling (not quenching) cementite formation (no time for graphite formation). Very slow cooling rates: graphitization due to decomposition of cementite into ferrite and graphite or pearlite/ferrite and graphite. The Matrix: Slow cooling rates:

+ graphite
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Annealing: slow (furnace) cooling leading ferritic matrix. Normalizing: air (faster) cooling leading pearlitic matrix.

Cooling rate and Types of Cast Iron

Depending on the cooling rate, different cast irons. Slow cooling: Gray cast iron. Ferritic, Ferritic/pearlitic, Pearlitic. Fast Cooling: White cast iron. Malleable (Tempered) cast iron: Annealing Heat treatment of White cast iron. Nodular cast ion: with the addition of spherodizing agents, such as Mg (and Ce). Compacted graphite (vermicular) cast iron: Shape of the graphites in between flakes and spheres.
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True equilabrium Metastable

2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

Figure 12.34 The transformation diagram for austenite in a cast iron. Quenching and tempering: Tempered martensite. Austempering: Bainitic matrix or surface hardening.

Effects of Alloying Elements on the Cast Iron Microstructure

Matrix structure also effected by the composition of iron: Si, graphite and ferrite stabilizer, 0.05% Sn and 0.5% Cu, pearlite stabilizer. Si is a graphite stabilizing agent. Cr and Bi, cementite stabilizing agents. Si reduces the amount of C in the eutectic composition. Therefore, Si content evaluated in Carbon Equivalent concept.

Carbon equivalent and Si

CE% = C% +

1 Si% (CE : Carbon equivalent) 3

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Gray cast iron

Interconnected graphite flakes connected where the nucleation originated: nucleation sites. The graphite flakes behaves like small cracks in the cast iron causing stress concentration. Therefore low tensile strength and brittleness with an elongation of 1% or less. As the flake size (finer graphite) decreases tensile strength increases. The finer the graphite is, the stronger the cast iron is. At lower CE, the nominal strength is higher.

Notch effect causes stress concentration at the sharp edges of the graphite flakes

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White cast iron

Eutectic reaction: Liquid ledeburite microstructure (+Fe3C)

+S

1 2

Fast cooled structure: White cast iron. Due to cementite: hard and brittle.

S+Fe3C
Transformed Ledeburite Ledeburite

Liquid

+Fe3C

Proeutectic

+Fe3C

Eutectic

4 Cast iron Eutectoid Perlite

Eutectic Fe3C Eutectic Fe3C

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Dr.C.Ergun, Asst.Prof Mak214-E

White cast iron

Microstructure consits of cementite network and pearlite Extreme brittleness High hardness Wear resistance, Can not machined by tools, only by grinding An intermediate product for malleable iron

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Dr.C.Ergun, Asst.Prof Mak214-E

Inoculation: Mg is a carbide stabilizer in other words white iron forms. Inoculation with ferrosilicon alloys (50 - 85 % Si) and small amounts of Ca, Al, Sr or Ba. So nucleation sites for graphite to grow is provided by inoculation of molten metal. Also this effect fades with time.

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Ductile or Nodular Cast Iron

Addition of Mg (or Ce) to high CE liquid iron to form spehroidal graphite during solidification. Best ductility. Steps: Desulfurization: S flake stabilizer. Nodulizing. Inocculation Ferritik KDD Kresel grafit Perlitik KDD
BEST DUCTILITY and TOUGHNESS

Ferritik-Perlitik KDD Artan Souma Hz

Perlit
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Desulfurization: S flake stabilizer. So for low S is needed. High quality starting material; Melting in furnace to remove S; Mix the liquid iron with desulfurizing agents, calcium carbide. Nodulizing: Add Mg near 1500oC to spherodize the graphite (also remove S and O) in the molten metal, Residual 0.03% Mg is enough for nodulization. Since Mg vaporizes at 1150oC, ferrosilicon used to Mg recoveries. Fading (non violent vaporization or oxidation) of Mg should be controlled with pouring the molten metal within a few minutes, otherwise turns to gray iron.
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(a) Annealed ferritic ductile iron (b) As-cast ferritic-pearlitic ductile iron (c) Normalized perlitic ductile iron with. Compared to gray iron, excellent strength, ductility and toughness. Compared to malleable iron, higher ductility and strength, but slightly lower toughness due to higher Si content.
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Malleable cast iron

Produced by heat treatment of white iron. During malleablizing, cementite dissolves and graphite clumps or nodules looking like popcorn forms. Rounded graphite provides a combination of strength and ductility. Steps for mallebilization: Starting material: white cast iron with a CE of 3 %. First stage graphitization (FSG): at about 925oC to decompose cementite into austenite and graphite. (Fe3C + graphite) The austenite decomposes in the subsequent cooling from FSG temperature with two different structures. BETTER DUCTILITY Ferritic Malleable cast iron and TOUGHNESS Pearlitic Malleable cast iron
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(a) White cast iron prior to heat treatment. (b) Ferritic malleable iron with graphite nodules and small MnS inclusions. (c) Pearlitic malleable iron drawn to produce a tempered martensite matrix.

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Temper grafiti Ferritik TDD Perlitik TDD

Perlit Ferritik-Perlitik TDD Artan Souma Hz

Ferritic Malleable Iron: The casting is cooled 5-15oC/h through the eutectoid temperature to second stage graphitization (SSG). The transforms to and excess C diffuses to graphite nodules. Exceptional toughness.

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Pearlitic Malleable Iron: Cooled in air or oil. Pearlitic if air cooled, martensitic if oil quenched. Both hard and brittle. To improve ductility, the pearlitic malleable iron is drawn below eutectoid T. Drawing process Tempers martensite or spheroidies the pearlite, thus reducing the amount of combined C or cementite. Thus the strength of pearlitic malleable iron decreases and ductility and toughness increase.

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Compacted Graphite(Vermecular)Cast Irons

Graphite shape; intermediate between flakes and spheres. Nodulizing the molten metal with a residual Mg content of 0.015% (<0.03%) May also form with fading of ductile iron. Compared to gray cast iron; better strengths and ductility good thermal conductivity, and vibration damping characteristics. Similar treatment to that of ductile iron. Low S starting material, Inoculation to nucleate graphite. Pouring shortly after inoculation to prevent fading (loosing the spheoridizing effect of Mg with time due to its evaporation).

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The eutectic reaction: Solidification between two eutectics: a graphite containing cast irons: Such as gray, ductile or compacted graphite iron. Solidification below the lower eutectic temperature: white cast iron. If solidification starts above lower and finish below it, mottled iron, a mixture of white and gray iron not desirable. Chilled iron; surface white iron, center gray iron for low cost wear resistant components. The chill depth: tests for CE measurements.
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2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

Figure 12.36 The effect of the cooling rate or casting size on the tensile properties of two gray cast irons.

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Coding System

Yokes: Balant Knuckle: oynak nokta Gear: Dili Cap:kapak Drum: arka fren d kab Hub: merkez ksm Hausing: gvde
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Gray Cast Iron

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Nodular Cast Iron

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Malleable Cast Iron

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