Group 2: Ferrous Metals and Alloys

Metal - is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both

electricity and heat
Metallic bonding - a force holding together the atoms of a metal
- Determines metal crystal structure and specific metal properties
Ability of the valence free electrons to travel throughout the solid explains both
the high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of metals.
Metals can either be ferrous or non-ferrous. Ferrous metals contain iron or iron-
based while non-ferrous metals do not contain iron.
Both ferrous and non-ferrous metals are divided into pure metals and alloys
Pure metal - is an element - e.g. iron, copper, gold - unalloyed (not mixed) with
another substance
Alloy - is a mixture of two or more elements (e.g., iron and carbon) to make
another metal with particular properties (e.g. steel). Ferrous Metals
Iron - is a shiny, bright white metal that is soft, malleable, ductile and strong
- It is the basic substance used in ferrous metal such as steel and cast
Engineering iron (gray and malleable)
Materials
- Produced from iron ore that occurs chiefly in nature as an oxide, the
two most important oxides being hematite and magnetite.
Metals Non-Metals - is the most widely used of all metals and frequently encountered metal
in daily life. It is always used in the form of manufactured objects, and
usually covered with a protective coating or buried deep within the
Ferrous Non- Rubber object
Ferrous
To produce metallic iron, the ores are processed in a manner that breaks the
Iron iron-oxygen bonds (chemical reducing reactions)
Copper & Plastics All ferrous metals are magnetic and give little resistance to corrosion.
Alloys
The term ferrous is derived from the Latin word meaning containing
Pig iron iron. This can include pure iron, such as wrought iron, or an alloy such
Aluminium Resin as steel. Ferrous metals are often magnetic, but not exclusively.
Common ferrous metals include:
Cast iron - Stainless steels
Zinc - Tungsten carbide
Wrought - Carbon, tool, and alloy steel
iron
Pig iron - is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon
Tin such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux.
Steel
- It has a very high carbon content, typically 3.5% - 4.5%
Lead
- is used in making steel, modern steel mills, and iron plants transfer
the molten iron to a ladle for immediate use in the steel making
furnaces.
Cast iron - an Iron-carbon alloy with more than 2.11% carbon experience the
eutectic reaction during cooling
- is produced by melting a charge of pig iron, limestone, and coke in a
cupola furnace. It is a less brittle and hard metal with above average
levels of wear resistance.
- it is widely used in machine tools and automotive parts such as engines.
The final microstructure of cast iron, therefore, has two possible extremes:
1. All of the carbon-rich phase being intermetallic (cementite) and
2. All of the carbon-rich phase being graphite.
Cementite formation - is favored by fast cooling, low carbon and silicon levels,
thin sections, and alloy additions of titanium, vanadium, zirconium, chromium,
manganese, and molybdenum.
Graphite formation - is promoted by slow cooling, high carbon and silicon
contents, heavy or thick section sizes, inoculation practices, and the presence of
sulfur, phosphorus, aluminum, magnesium, antimony, tin, copper, nickel, and
cobalt.
Difference between cast iron and pig iron
Cast iron Pig iron
It is an iron or ferrous alloy which has It is the intermediate product of
been heated until it liquefies and is smelting iron ore with a high carbon
then poured to a mould to solidify. fuel such as coke, usually with
limestone as a flux.
It is made from pig iron. Cast iron is made from it.
It has less amount of carbon. It has high carbon content
It is less brittle. It is more brittle.
Pig Iron and Cast Iron Processes
Blast furnace - is a huge, steel stack lined with refractory brick, where iron ore,
coke, and limestone are dumped into the top, and preheated air is blown into
the bottom.
- the purpose of a blast furnace is to chemically reduce and physically
convert iron oxides into liquid iron called hot metal
- the raw materials require 6 to 8 hours to descend to the bottom
of the furnace where they become the final product of liquid slag
and liquid iron
Cast Iron Process
The making of cast iron begins with a combination of raw materials.
These combinations are known as iron oxides. Mining pulls most of the iron from
iron ores which are rocks found on the outer layers of the earth. The iron ore is
then converted into various types of iron but first it is processed in a blast
furnace to produce pig iron. Used by itself, pig iron has few uses due to its brittle
nature. Alloyed with other metals, pig iron takes on new uses.
Making Cast Iron
The term cast iron is generally used to describe grey cast iron, but it
can also describe a whole group of alloys. Cast iron begins its life as pig iron,
which is remelted and often combined with large amounts of scrap iron and
sometimes with steel. Contaminants are removed from the melted pig iron.
Once the iron is melted, it is then casted.
Casting is the process of pouring the iron into a mould thus giving it a
shape. Moulds and pouring methods divide this process up. Moulds can be
made as expendable moulds (sand) or non-expendable moulds (metal). Pouring
can happen via gravity, low-pressure, or vacuum. Controlling the pouring
process becomes more important the more intricate the mould is.
Solidifying Cast Iron
After the iron is cast, it is allowed to solidify. If performed correctly, the
solidification process can destroy the effort and the metal is then re-used as
scrap metal, thus, being recycled and living again as pig metal ready for casting.
Controlling the cooling curve is very important to good solidification practices
and can note the difference between high quality and average cast iron. Quick
cooling produces fine grain construction and slow cooling produces coarse
grain construction. Cast iron that has not cooled evenly produces a low-quality
cast. The casting process is an art that must be examined and experienced to be
fully understood.
Other problems faced during cast iron processing:
Contamination of the iron
Gas porosity (the forming of bubbles in the iron)
Problems with the fluidity of the metal
Types of Cast Iron
Gray cast irons - is a type of cast iron that has a graphitic microstructure. It is
named after the gray structure it forms, which is due to the presence of
graphite.
Composition:
Carbon - 2.8 to 3.6% Phosphorus - 0.1 to 1.0%
Silicon - 1.0 to 2.7% Sulfur - 0.06 to 0.12%
Manganese - 0.4 to 1.0%
Properties of Gray Cast Iron: Properties of Ductile Cast Iron:
Fairly soft and readily machinable Does not only depend on the size, number, and arrangement of
Low tensile strength, high compressive strength graphite balls in the cast iron but also on the basic matrix consisting of
Low melting point, good fluidity ferrite and perlite
Excellent damping capacity At the same hardness levels, nodular cast iron has a much higher
Poor shock absorbing tensile strength than grey cast iron
Graphite flakes provides lubrication effect to reduce friction Toughness and elongation are therefore great advantages of nodular
Suitable for machine tool beds cast iron

Malleable Cast Iron - is essentially white cast iron which has been modified by Types of Cast Iron:
heat treatment. It is formed when white cast iron is heated to around 920 1. Gray Cast Iron
degree Celsius and then left to cool very slowly. 2. White Cast Iron
Techniques used in making malleable cast iron: 3. Malleable Cast Iron
a. Black hearth process - white cast iron casting are packed on a neutral a. Ferritic malleable cast iron
slag or quarts sand. These are equally distributed throughout the b. Pearlitic malleable cast iron
section 4. Ductile Cast Iron
b. White hearth process - similar to black hearth process except iron oxide 5. Austempered ductile iron
is used for packing the casting. It is stronger than graphite flakes. 6. Compacted graphite cast iron
Composition:
Carbon - 2 to 2.8% Sulfur - 0.1% (max)
Silicon - 0.7 to 1.4% Phosphorus - 0.2% (max)
Manganese - 0.4 to 0.6%
Properties of Malleable Cast Iron:
High tensile strength
Ductility is more
More malleable
Lower melting point
Greater fluidity and casting temperature
Malleable casting are:
- Tough
- Strong
- Shock resistant
Ductile Cast Iron - is grey cast iron with spherical graphite
Composition:
Carbon - 3.2 to 3.60% Phosphorus - 0.005 to 0.04%
Silicon - 2.2 to 2.8% Sulfur - 0.005 to 0.02%
Manganese - 0.1 to 0.2% Copper - <0.40%
Magnesium - 0.03 to 0.04% Iron balance