Abstract
In this experiment a cast iron alloy consisting of 0.019, 0.151, 0.431, and 0.646% niobium by weight was set and the microstructure solidification of iron with lamellar graphite was provided. These alloys were subjected to an abrasion test and chemical analyses of the microstructure were done by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). In addition to this, phase compositions were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Tests of mechanical strength, hardness, and tension were also applied to the alloys. The results of this experiment demonstrated that the addition of niobium to iron with lamellar graphite caused an increase in the abrasion resistance by 15%. This experiment shows that adding niobium improves the mechanical properties of grey cast iron.
Highlights
More than 90% of the cast iron in industry consists of iron with lamellar graphite
Sample surfaces were examined in back-scatter electron (BSE) mode using a Philips XL30/SFE scanning electron microscopy (SEM) device
An energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) analysis was performed on areas flagged by the EDS analyser on the SEM device
Summary
More than 90% of the cast iron in industry consists of iron with lamellar graphite. High compression strength, high thermal conductivity, ability to isolate vibration, better machinability than other cast irons, good mould filling ability, and relatively low costs (lower than 20–40% of the cost of steel) are the main reasons for the extensive usage of iron with lamellar graphite in industries such as the automotive industry. Lamellar graphite cast iron shows great strength and abrasion resistance when used as a cylinder sleeve [7]. To improve the abrasion resistance of cast iron, some early works describe various aspects of small additions of niobium (
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