Niobium addition effect in molds at last cooling step on EN-GJL250 gray cast iron: Microstructural changes and electrochemical behavior

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of niobium addition as an inoculation element on the microstructure and electrochemical properties of EN-FGL250 gray cast iron. Niobium additions are in a powder form and have a 0.5 mm particle size at dfferent proportions of 1wt.% and 3wt.%. The addition was done during casting of the metal in the mold at the last cooling step of the melt cast iron. These additions have a significant impact on the phenomenon of solidification as the metal powder deposited in the sand molds creates new centers of germination and absorbs a lot of heat. The cooling rate directly affects the microstructure and electrochemical behavior. This is confirmed by SEM observations and electrochemical tests. Furthermore, the addition of niobium transforms the microstructure of gray cast iron from cellular structure into totally dendritic structure. As a consequence, the niobium addition affected the shape and size of graphite, thus considerably reducing the corrosion current density by increasing the polarization resistance Rp.