Alloy Steel Castings Table 1

TABLE 1 - Chemical Analyses of Our Alloy Steels*

% %
Type % Carbon % Chromium % Nickel
Manganese Molybdenum
Moly Telastic 0.30-0.40 0.70-1.00 0.40-0.65 ... 0.15-0.25
AISI 4135 0.33-0.38 0.70-0.90 0.80-1.10 ... 0.15-0.25
No. 1 Gearalloy 0.27-0.37 0.70-1.00 0.60-0.90 0.60-0.90 0.30-0.40
AISI 8630 0.28-0.33 0.70-0.90 0.40-0.60 0.40-0.70 0.15-0.25
No. 2 Gearalloy** 0.17-0.23 0.70-1 00 0.60-0.90 0.60-0.90 0.30-0.40
AISI 8120 0.18-0.23 0.70-0.90 0.40-0.60 0.40-0.70 0.15-0.25
No. 3 Gearalloy 0.30-0.37 0.70-1.00 0.60-0.90 0.60-0.90 0.40-0.50
AISI 8633*** 0.30-0.37 0.70-0.90 0.40-0.60 0.40-0.70 0.15-0.25
No. 4 Gearalloy 0.38-0.45 0.70-1.00 0.60-0.90 0.60-0.90 0.40-0.50
AISI 8140 0.38-0.43 0.75-1.00 0.40-0.60 0.40-0.70 0.15-0.25
No. 6 Gearalloy 0.38-0.45 1.05-1.35 0.90-1.20 0.60-0.90 0.55-0.60
No Similar AISI Grade
No. 5 Gearalloy -
Discontinued
* Percent phasphorus and sulfur (both 0.030% max.) are less than ASTM A148 permitted maximums
of 0.05% and 0.06%, respectively. Silicon content is typically 0.45%
** No. 2 Gearalloy also contains 0.04-0.06% vanadium for grain refinement. Vanadium additions are
also available for other grades when required.
*** "8633" is not a standard AISI designation.

Knowledge Article from www.Key-to-Steel.com

Cast Carbon Steels

Printable Version

Abstract:
Carbon steels contain only carbon as the principal alloying element. Other elements are present in small
quantities, including those added for deoxidation. Silicon and manganese in cast carbon steels typically
range from 0.25 to about 0.80% Si, and 0.50 to about 1.00% Mn.
Carbon steels can be classified according to their carbon content into three broad groups:

• Low-carbon steels: < 0.20% C

• Medium-carbon steels: 0.20 to 0.50% C

• High-carbon steels: > 0.50% C

Carbon steels contain only carbon as the principal alloying element. Other elements
are present in small quantities, including those added for deoxidation. Silicon and
manganese in cast carbon steels typically range from 0.25 to about 0.80% Si, and
0.50 to about 1.00% Mn.
Carbon steels can be classified according to their carbon content into three broad
groups:

• Low-carbon steels: < 0.20% C

• Medium-carbon steels: 0.20 to 0.50% C
• High-carbon steels: > 0.50% C

Low-alloy steels contain alloying elements, in addition to carbon, up to a total alloy

content of 8%. Cast steels containing more than the following amounts of a single
alloying element are considered low-alloy cast steels:
Element Mn Si Ni Cu Cr Mo V W
Amount (%) 1.00 0.80 0.50 0.50 0.25 0.10 0.05 0.05

For deoxidation of carbon and low-alloy steels, aluminum, titanium, and zirconium
are used. Aluminum is more frequently used because of its effectiveness and low
cost. Unless otherwise specified, the normal sulphur limit for carbon and low-alloy
steels is 0.06%, and the normal phosphorus limit is 0.05%.

Structure and Property Correlations

Carbon steel castings are produced to a great variety of properties because

composition and heat treatment can be selected to achieve specific combinations of
properties, including hardness, strength, ductility, fatigue resistance, and toughness.
Although selections can be made from a wide range of properties, it is important to
recognize the interrelationships among these properties.

For example, higher hardness, lower toughness, and lower ductility values are
associated with higher strength values. The relationships among these properties
and mechanical properties will be discussed in the following text. Property trends
among carbon steels are illustrated as a function of the carbon content in Fig. 1.

Strength and Hardness. Depending on alloy choice and heat treatment, ultimate
tensile strength levels from 414 to 1724 MPa can be achieved with cast carbon and
low-alloy steels. For carbon steels, the hardness and strength values are largely
determined by carbon content and the heat treatment.
 Figure 1: Properties of cast carbon steels as a function of carbon content and heat
treatment. (a) Tensile strength and reduction of area; (b) Yield strength and
reduction of area; (c) Brinell hardness; (d) Charpy V-notch impact energy

Strength and Ductility. Ductility depends greatly on the strength, or hardness, of

the cast steel (Fig. 2). Actual ductility requirements vary with the strength level and
the specification to which steel is ordered. Quenched-and-tempered steels exhibit
higher ductility values for a given yield strength level than normalized, normalized-
and-tempered, or annealed steels.
 Figure 2: Tensile properties of cast carbon steels as a function of Brinell hardness.

Strength and Toughness. Several test methods are available for evaluating the
toughness of steels or the resistance to sudden or brittle fracture. These include the
Charpy V-notch impact test, the drop-weight test, the dynamic tear test, and
specialized procedures to determine plane-strain fracture toughness.

Charpy V-notch impact energy trends at room temperature reveal the distinct effect
of strength and heat treatment on toughness. Higher toughness is obtained when
steel is quenched and tempered, rather than normalized and tempered. Quenching,
followed by tempering, produces superior toughness as indicated by the shift of the
impact energy transition curve to lower temperatures.

Nil ductility transition temperatures (NDTT) ranging from 38°C to as low as -90°C
have been recorded in tests on normalized-and-tempered cast carbon and low-alloy
steels in the yield strength range of 207 to 655 MPa. When cast steels are quenched
and tempered, the range of strength and of toughness is broadened. Depending on
alloy selection, NDTT values of as high as 10°C to as low as -107°C can be obtained
in the yield strength range of 345 to 1345 MPa.
An approximate relationship exists between the Charpy V-notch impact energy
temperature behavior and the NDTT value. The NDTT value frequently coincides with
the energy transition temperature determined in Charpy V-notch tests.

Plane-strain fracture toughness (KIc) data for a variety of steels reflect the important
strength-toughness relationship. Fracture mechanics tests have the advantage over
conventional toughness tests of being able to yield material property values that can
be used in design equations.

Strength and Fatigue. The most basic method of presenting engineering fatigue
data is by means of the S-N curve, which relates the dependence of the life of the
fatigue specimen in terms of the number of cycles to failure N to the maximum
applied stress. Other tests have been used, and the principal findings for constant
amplitude tests and fatigue notch sensitivity for cast carbon steels are highlighted
below.

The endurance ratio (endurance limit divided by the tensile strength) of cast carbon
and low-alloy steels as determined by rotating-beam bending fatigue tests is
generally taken to be approximately 0.40 to 0.50 for smooth bars. The results
indicate that this endurance ratio is largely independent of strength, alloying
additions, and heat treatment.

The fatigue notch sensitivity factor determined in rotating-beam bending fatigue

tests is related to the microstructure of the steel (composition and heat treatment)
and the strength. The quenched-and-tempered steels with a martensitic structure
are less notch-sensitive than the normalized-and-tempered steels with a ferrite-
pearlite microstructure.

Section Size and Mass Effects. Mass effects are common to steels, whether rolled,
forged, or cast, because the cooling rate during heat treating varies with section size
and because the microstructure constituents, grain size, and nonmetallic inclusions
increase in size from surface to center. Mass effects are metallurgical in nature and
are distinct from the effect of discontinuities, which are discussed in the following
section in this article.

The section size or mass effect is of particular importance in steel castings because
mechanical properties are typically assessed from test bars machined from
standardized coupons having fixed dimensions and are cast separately from or
attached to the castings. The removal of test bars from the casting is impractical
because removal of material for testing would destroy the usefulness of the
component.

Test specimens removed from a casting will not routinely exhibit the same properties
as test specimens machined from the standard test coupon designs for which
minimum properties are established in specifications. The mass effect discussed
above, shows that the difference in cooling rate between the test coupons and the

Foundry Alloy Cast Steels

Applications

As the leading manufacturer of mechanical power transmission equipment, we

have has developed firsthand experience regarding data for tensile strength, yield
strength, fatigue strength and harden ability of our alloy steels. Experience
developed through years of testing and analysis.

We are our most critical casting user and, therefore, have a sincere understanding
of what our customers need.

Our alloy cast steels have shown meritorious service for heavily loaded gears,
coupling hubs and numerous other castings used in the construction, mining,
cement, paper and automotive industries.

Material

Our family of standard low to medium carbon alloy cast steels consists of
MolyTelastic (chromium-molybdenum steel) and No. I through No. 4, and No. 6
Gearalloy grades (chromium-nickel-molybdenum steels) shown in Table 1.

Our alloy cast steels can be heat treated to meet the strength requirements of
ASTM A148 (High Strength Steel Castings for Structural Purposes) up to grade
165-150. Minimum tensile ductility values (elongation and reduction of area) for
corresponding strength levels are shown in Table 2.

Other alloy cast steels which meet your specifications can be furnished for special
pressure, low temperature and high temperature applications.

The selection of the appropriate alloy cast steel depends upon specified chemistry,
hardness, strength and design considerations.

We will assist you in the proper selection of the appropriate grade to meet your
design requirements.
Melting and Heat Treating

Our cast steels are manufactured in two basic electric arc furnaces with capacities
of 5 & 70 tons.

Precise alloy additions are determined through computer aided melting coupled
with statistical process control, and are monitored by spectrographic analysis.

The optimum balance between strength and toughness is achieved through

annealing, normalizing and tempering, or quenching and tempering.

Our heat treat furnaces are equipped with programmable controllers to allow for
complete control of critical times and temperatures.

The largest heat treat furnace measures 30' x 40' x 12' end allows US to do all
heat treating in house. This permits close quality control over all aspects of
manufacture.

Machinability and Processing

Machinability and ductility are improved through our calcium containing ladle
deoxidation practice. This, in itself, can easily result in lowering machining costs
by as much as 15%.

A well equipped sand laboratory monitors sand molding and core making
practices. A sodium silicate sand binder is exclusively used in our core making
process. This high grade material requires no oven curing, is environmentally
safe, and drastically reduces potential metal solidification defects.

Pattern molding can accommodate items up to 150" in diameter or diagonal.

Beyond 150'*. We utilize sweep or pit molding. The largest pits measure 24' x 50'
x 7.5' and 36' x 36'x 10'.
Nondestructive Testing

As a user of castings which require a great deal of machining, we realize the need
for quality control throughout all phases of manufacture, to assure the integrity of
the part after rough and/or finish machining.

Prior to final heat treatment, all castings are nondestructively tested using
magnetic particle inspection. Whenever possible, process welding is performed
prior to final heat treatment. All welds are magnetic particle inspected to ensure
their integrity. After heat treatment, castings are again given a complete
magnetic particle inspection.

If specified, additional nondestructive testing, such as ultrasonic or radiographic

inspection, is performed to ensure the internal integrity of the casting.

Alloy Cast Steel Designation and Chemistry

Moly-Telastic is a medium carbon, chromium-molybdenum type cast steel which is

similar to an AISI 4135 specification, except with reduced chromium content. It
can be heat treated by annealing or normalizing and tempering to an approximate
hardness of 180 HB for all section sizes.

No. 1 Gearalloy is a medium carbon, chromium-nickel-molybdenum type cast

steel used for applications requiring higher harden ability than Falk Moly-Telastic.
It is similar to an AISI 8630 steel, but higher in alloy content.

No. 2 Gearalloy is a low carbon (0.20% nominal), chromium-nickel-molybdenum

type cast steel containing 0.04-0.06% vanadium for grain refinement in gear
castings. Chemistry is similar to an AISI 8620 steel, but higher in alloy content.
This is our standard cast steel for carburized and hardened gears and has
comparable harden ability to an AISI 4320 H steel.

It is also used in the through-hardened, quenched, and tempered heat treat

condition to a maximum hardness range of 245-285 HB for impact applications
(this condition is not intended for gearing or wear applications).
No. 3 Gearalloy has higher carbon and molybdenum content than No. I Gearalloy
This results in higher harden ability for increased section size or higher hardness
ranges for quench and temper heat treatment. It is similar to an "8633" steel (not
a standard AISI designation) but higher in alloy content.

No. 4 Gearalloy has higher carbon content than No. 3 Gearalloy. This results in
the highest harden ability alloy cast steel (maximum section size or maximum
hardness) intended for hardening by quench and temper The harden ability is
equivalent to an AISI 4340. Chemistry is similar to an AISI 8640 steel but higher
in alloy content.

No. 6 Gearalloy has the same carbon content as No. 4 Gearalloy but has
increased alloy content. This enables hardening by normalize and temper heat
treatment to higher hardness ranges (325-365 HB maximum) than can be
achieved with No. 4 Gearalloy normalized and tempered. No. 6 Gearalloy is not
intended to be quench hardened because of quench cracking susceptibility.

Moly-Telastic and No. I through No. 4 and No. 6 Gearalloy grades of alloy cast
steel do not, by intent, conform to specific standard SAE or AISI steel
designations regarding carbon and alloy content, but contain modified carbon and
generally higher alloy content for improved depth of hardening (harden ability).
The chemical analyses are shown in Table 1.

Mechanical Properties

Mechanical properties of steel castings are generally determined from test bars
machined from standard ASTM A781 test coupons. These test coupons may be
attached to the casting or cast separately.

Minimum tensile properties, obtained from standard cast test coupons, for our
alloy cast steels are shown in Table 2.

Test bar results for tensile ductility (per cent elongation and reduction of area)
and impact strength may not be representative of actual castings due to harden
ability and section size considerations.
Strength properties such as tensile, yield, and to a lesser degree, endurance or
fatigue strength, show better correlation between test bars and actual castings,
provided hardnesses are equivalent.

For further information regarding the limitations of test bar data, please contact
our Materials Technology Department through your local Rrexnord account
executive.

Impact Properties

Typical Charpy V-Notch impact strengths for Moly-Telastic and No. I through No.
4 Gearalloys are shown in Tables 3 through 6. These values were obtained from
separate cast keel blocks and 5.0 & 10.0 inch test sections. Impact strength is
also a function of heat treatment, hardness and test temperature. Impact
properties were evaluated at T/3 depth for test sections.

Table 3 is the typical Charpy V-Notch impact strength for Moly-Telastic cast steel
in a 5.0 test section in the normalized and tempered (N&T) condition at 160-200
HB.

Impact strength in the quenched and tempered condition is higher than for the
normalized and tempered condition. Specific data may be obtained upon request.

For applications requiring higher impact strength, due to shock loading and/or low
ambient temperatures, No. I or No. 2 Gearalloy is recommended depending on
the specified hardness.

Table 4 shows the typical Charpy V-Notch impact strength (ft-lbs.) for keel blocks
of No. I Gearalloy cast steel, as a function of heat treatment and specified
hardness.

Table 5 shows the typical Charpy V-Notch impact strength for No. 2 Gearalloy
cast steel at 70*F in the water quenched and tempered condition at 207-223HB.
Table 6 shows the typical Charpy V-Notch impact strength for No. 4 Gearalloy
cast steel (5" and 10" section thickness) according to hardness in the oil
quenched and tempered condition.

Metallurgical Considerations

Harden ability -Control of melting is accomplished through computer-aided harden

ability (Di) calculations, coupled with statistical process control in order to ensure
uniform response to heat treatment.

The ideal critical diameter (Di) is defined as the diameter of a round that can be
quenched under ideal conditions (ice brine) in order to obtain a 50% martensitic
microstructure at the center of the section. The multiplication factors for
calculating (Di) harden ability, which vary according to ASTM grain size, carbon,
and individual alloy content, are available in literature and from the Materials
Technology Department.

Cast (Di) harden ability ranges, established in our Melt Shop as acceptance
criteria for our heats, are shown in Table 7.

The harden ability ranges are presented for reference purposes only and should
not be considered as part of a material specification. They are intended to
illustrate the degree of control used during manufacturing to assist in the
production and heat treatment of castings, and may be subject to slight
modification.

Jominy End Quench -Jominy end quench harden ability ranges from testing alloy
cast steels per ASTM A255 are shown in Figures I through 4. For the same reason
cited above for (Di), these Jominy end quench curves should not be part of a
material specification. harden ability ranges in Figures I through 4 are narrower
than those for wrought AISI designations, as illustrated in Figure 4 for No. 4
Gearalloy. Jominy end quench curves were not developed for No. 6 Gearalloy as
the curves were expected to be nearly horizontal and No. 6 Gearalloy is not
quench hardened.

Heat Treat Considerations

For the infrequent times that machining sequenes or other manufacturing

considerations require that heat treating be performed at the customer's plant,
our castings can be furnished in the annealed condition. The recommendations
shown in Table 8 are provided as a guide.

Processing Operations The sequence of foundry processing operations is as

follows:

1. Preproduction Analysis
o Drawings, material specifications and all nondestructive testing
requirements are analyzed.
o Layouts are made to determine riser sizing and wedging. Using
computer programs, foundry engineers calculate proper riser sizes,
location and the necessary gating.
o Pattern construction details are resolved and the pattern is
constructed.
o After construction, the pattern is dimensionally checked before
releasing for production.

2. Moulding/Coremaking Processing
During both operations, into ensureprocess inspections are critical to
ensure the following:
o Dimensional accuracy.
o Proper pouring height and mold cleanliness.
o Proper size and location of all risers and gating systems.

3. Melting Analysis
o Computer-aided melting is used, coupled with statistical process
control, to melt to a harden ability range that will ensure uniform
response to heat treating.
o The melt shop personnel have a "go"/ no go criteria established by
a computer program.
o Actual chemical analysis is determined through spectrographic
analysis and is recorded.

4. Pouring the Casting

o Precise pouring instructions are established and monitored. Results
are recorded.
5. Cooling
o Thermocouples monitor temperatures to determine the proper time
for shakeout.

6. Shakeout
o Removes a high percentage of the adhering sand from the casting.

7. Inspection
o Prior to gas cutting. the casting is visually inspected to ensure that
it was poured to the proper pouring height.
o The proper cut-off height for riser removal is established.
o Riser removal temperatures, of at least 350*F are monitored.

8. Gas Cutting
o A semi-automatic gas cutting machine is used for riser removal.

9. Annealing
o Full annealing is required to alleviate stresses that developed during
the solidification of the casting and also to remove any stresses that
may have developed during gas cutting.

10. Shot Blasting

o Removes heat treat scale.

11. Rough Clean

o Includes arc air of pads and fins, stress relieving and blasting.

12. Inspection
o Rough casting layout.
o Dimensions are recorded to ensure proper as-cast tolerances.
o Critical areas, such as rim l.D., pocket radii and bolting flanges are
ground for dry magnetic particle inspection.
 o Entire casting is also given a 100% wet magnetic particle inspection
if specified.
o All results are recorded.

13. Preheat Casting

o Furnace preheat for defect removal.

14. Defect Removal

o Defects are removed by arc air.

15. Inspection
o Magnetic particle inspection is performed to ensure complete defect
removal.
o Defect size and location are recorded.

16. Upgrade
o Whenever possible, all process welding is performed prior to final
heat treatment using heat treatable electrodes.
o Welding is done by qualified welders, and when required, according
to qualified procedures.
o Furnace preheating and furnace stress relieving are utilized.

17. Final Heat Treatment in Car-bottom Furnaces

o Furnaces are run with programmable controllers.
o Furnace charts are available upon request.

18. Inspection
o Upgraded areas and all critical areas are again magnetic particle
inspected.
o Brinell readings are taken to ensure casting is within specified
hardness range.
o Layout and rough dimensions are recorded after heat treatment to
ensure sufficient stock for machining.
o Defect sketches are recorded both before and after final heat
treatment.
o Any defects that become apparent after anal heat treatment are
 subjected to the procedures as noted in points # 12 through #16.
o If required, the casting will receive a complete reheat treatment.
o If required, test bars are pulled to verify mechanical properties.

19. Rough and/or Finish Machining and Additional NDT Requirements

o Ultrasonic and/or radiographic inspection per the appropriate
specification.
o Magnetic particle inspection.
o Brinell readings in designated areas.
o All results are recorded.

Weldability

Moly-Telastic and Gearalloy grades can be welded satisfactorily, providing that

necessary preheating and post-heating precautions are followed. Minimum
preheating temperatures are shown in Table 9.

The maximum preheat temperature should not be greater than 200 F above the
minimum required. Minimum preheat temperature should be maintained during
welding by torch heating and monitored by temperature indicating pencils or a
surface pyrometer.

The stress relieving temperature should be 1000-1250°F for annealed castings

and 50-1 00°F below the final tempering temperature for normalized and
tempered or quenched and tempered castings of all grades.

Whenever possible, furnace preheating and post-heating are preferred to local

heating with large torches. The choice of electrodes and welding techniques is
normally governed by the nature and position of the weld and the mechanical
properties required. Low hydrogen type manual arc weld rods, or CO2 shielded
flux core process wire, selected on the basis of the required strength, are
recommended. When the deposited weld metal is designed to meet the tensile
properties of the casting, welding before heat treating, using heat treatable
electrodes, e.g., 4340, is recommended.

Machinability

Alloy grades of cast steels (Moly-Telastic and Gearalloy grades) are readily
machinable, due to our ladle deoxidation practice which uses primarily calcium
and not aluminum. The use of aluminum is limited to castings less than 8T finish
 weight, as it develops aluminum oxides and decreases machinability. Aluminum
content used is less than 0.020%. The index of machinability, shown in Table 10,
is based on hardness and is related to machinability of B1112 steel (100%).

Although microstructure considerations, as well as hardness, determine

machinability, our machinability rating system is based on tool life as a function of
cutting speed (surface feet per minute).

part being produced, is the fundamental reason for this situation. Several
specifications such as ASTM E 208, A 356, and A 757 provide for the mass effect by
permitting the testing of coupons that are larger than normal and that have cooling
rates more representative of those experienced by the part being produced.