Effect of cooling rate on microstructure and mechanical properties of gray cast iron

Abstract

This paper presents the results obtained and the deductions made from a series of microstructural studies and mechanical tests involving gray cast iron which was sand cast using a variety of modules. The effect of cooling rate on the primary dendrite arm spacing (DAS), secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS), thickness of ferrite–cementite layer ( λ e ) and the hardness (HB) were evaluated. Results show that the both DAS and SDAS and also λ e are highly dependent on the cooling rate, and they decreases as the cooling rate increases. More attempts were also done to correlate the HB with DAS, SDAS and λ e . It was found that HB increases as DAS, SDAS and λ e decreases.