Solidification Chronology of the Metal Matrix and a Study of Conditions for Micropore Formation in Cast Irons Using EPMA and FTA

Abstract

Microsegregation is intimately coupled with solidification, the development of microstructure, and involved in the formation of various casting defects. This paper demonstrates how the local composition of the metal matrix of graphitic cast irons, measured using quantitative electron microprobe analysis, can be used to determine its solidification chronology. The method is applied in combination with Fourier thermal analysis to investigate the formation of micropores in cast irons with varying proportions of compacted and spheroidal graphite produced by remelting. The results indicate that micropores formed at mass fractions of solid between 0.77 and 0.91, which corresponded to a stage of solidification when the temperature decline of the castings was large and increasing. In 4 out of the 5 castings, pores appear to have formed soon after the rate of solidification and heat dissipation had reached their maximum and were decreasing. While the freezing point depression due to build-up of microsegregation and the transition from compacted to spheroidal type growth of the eutectic both influencing solidification kinetics and the temperature evolution of the casting, the results did not indicate a clear relation to the observed late deceleration of solidification.