Solidification and modeling of cast iron—A short history of the defining moments

Abstract

Human civilization has evolved from the Stone Age, through the Bronze Age to reach the Iron Age around 1500 B.C. There are many to contend that today we are living in the age of engineered materials, yet the importance of iron castings continues to support the thesis that we are still in the Iron Age. Cast iron, the first man-made composite, is at least 2500 years old. It remains the most important casting material, with over 70% of the total world tonnage. The main reasons for cast iron longevity are its wide range of mechanical and physical properties coupled with its competitive price. This paper is a review of the fundamentals of solidification of iron-base materials and of the mathematical models that describe them, starting with the seminal paper by Oldfield, the first to attempt modeling of microstructure evolution during solidification, to the prediction of mechanical properties. The latest analytical models for irregular eutectics such as cast iron as well as numerical models with microstructure output are discussed. However, since the space does not permit an extensive description of the multitude of models available today, the emphasis is on model performance rather than the mathematics of model formulation. Also, because of space constrains, white iron and defect occurrence will not be covered.