Characterisation of spatial distribution of graphite in ductile cast iron

Abstract

The present work is a contribution to establish a simple new method for the characterization of spatial distribution of the graphite in ductile cast iron. This study is a trial to explain the correlation between the spatial distribution of the particles' sections in the 2D planner section and the spatial distribution of the same particles in the 3D space. The method is simple because it avoids the complex mathematical formulations and depends mostly on measurements. The model is based on distributing polydispersed spherical grains in a cubic unit according to three configurations, ordering, random and clustering. The reference sphere method is then applied for the 3-dimensional (3D) distribution and the reference circle method for the 2- dimensional (2D) distribution in the planner section, the local volume fraction, the 3D local particle density, the local area fraction and the 2D local particle density were investigated. The method was also applied on pearlitic and ferritic ductile cast iron specimens for verification of its usefulness.