Heavy Section Ductile Iron Castings Research Articles

Achieving Higher Strength and Ductility in Heavy-Section Ductile Iron Castings

Achieving Higher Strength and Ductility in Heavy-Section Ductile Iron Castings

Effect of Shrinkage Porosity and Degenerated Graphite on Fatigue Crack Initiation in Ductile Cast Iron

Heavy-section ductile iron castings solidify under low cooling rates, giving the risk to form defects like non-metallic inclusions, microporosities and degenerated shapes of graphite that have a negative effect on fatigue resistance, favoring the crack nucleation. The aim of this work is to precisely identify the defects that most affect the fatigue behavior in heavy-section castings, in order to guide the foundry to take the proper countermeasures. For this purpose, fatigue rotating bending tests were carried out on specimens machined from small-scale samples opportunely cast to reproduce long solidification times. The fracture surface of broken samples were investigated by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy in order to identify crack initiation points and fracture mechanisms. Shrinkage porosities and spiky graphite were found to play the most important effect on crack nucleation, lowering the fatigue resistance of the castings, while chunky graphite just behaved as a preferential path for crack propagation.

Fatigue strength improvement of heavy-section pearlitic ductile iron castings by in-mould inoculation treatment

Casting defects like microshrinkage porosity or degenerate graphite play a major role in fatigue behaviour of ductile cast iron. This phenomenon is even more evident in heavy-section ductile iron castings where defects are more frequent and difficult to control. This work is aimed to investigate the fatigue behaviour of heavy-section pearlitic ductile iron castings obtained with different in-mould inoculation treatments. It has been found that the inoculation process modifies the microstructure of the alloy, dimension and morphology of defects. The higher the nodule count, the lower the microshrinkage cavities dimensions.The fracture surface of broken samples has been investigated by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy in order to identify crack initiation points and fracture mechanisms. Metallographic analyses have been carried out to measure nodule count and nodules dimensions and to identify the matrix microstructure. Statistics of extreme values and Murakami approach have been used to analyse the influence of defects on the fatigue behaviour of the materials analysed. It was found that a synergic effect between degenerate graphite particles and microshrinkage porosities reduces the fatigue strength of pearlitic ductile iron castings.

Fatigue Characterization and Optimization of the Production Process of Heavy Section Ductile Iron Castings

In heavy section cast iron components, anomalous microstructures can be formed especially at the core, because of low cooling rate, with a consequent decrease in mechanical properties. The matrix microstructure, the presence of surface defects, such as inclusions and porosities, and the size and morphology of graphite nodules are critical issues to ensure the adequate performance of the component in fatigue applications. Proper design of heavy section ductile iron castings requires a database of information about microstructures and mechanical properties that nowadays is missing or is very poor. In this paper, we presented the mechanical characterization of ductile irons with solidification times up to 20 h, carried out to identify the metallurgical and the process parameters that most affect the improvement in fatigue strength. An innovative production line was designed, aimed at reproducing on a small-scale sample the characteristics of heavy walled components. A standard ferritic ductile cast iron compared to a ferritic cast iron with high silicon content and a fully pearlitic ductile cast iron were studied by tensile, Brinell hardness and rotating bending fatigue tests. Optical microscope analysis and scanning electron microscope observations of the most significant fracture surfaces were also performed. It was concluded that the ferritic cast iron is more suitable for the production of large thickness castings undergoing fatigue loads, because the decrease in ductility and its effect on other properties is less pronounced.

Effect of in-mould inoculant composition on microstructure and fatigue behaviour of heavy section ductile iron castings

In this paper, the influence of the in-mould inoculant composition on microstructure and fatigue behaviour of heavy section ductile iron (EN GJS 700-2) castings has been investigated.Axial fatigue tests under nominal load ratio R=0 have been performed on specimens taken from the core of large casting components. Metallographic analyses have been carried out by means of optical microscopy and important microstructural parameters that affect the mechanical properties of the alloy, such as nodule count, nodularity and graphite shape, were measured. Furthermore, Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to investigate the fracture surfaces of the samples in order to identify crack initiation and propagation zones.Cracks initiation sites have been found to be microshrinkages close to specimens’ surface in most cases. It was found that in-mould inoculant composition strongly influences the alloy microstructure, such as nodule count and shrinkage porosities size, as well as the fatigue resistance of heavy section ductile iron castings.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of heavy section ductile iron castings: experimental and numerical evaluation of effects of cooling rates

This paper focuses on the development of experimental relationships between the microstructure and mechanical properties of a sand cast ductile iron and on the design of a direct ‘in mould’ thermal analysis system for heavy section castings. The casting system was developed in order to obtain different thermal modules, and it has been studied by numerical simulation. The microstructure was estimated through numerical models implemented in a commercial casting simulation code and validated by comparing simulated and experimental data obtained from more than 2000 optical micrographs considering nodularity, density and size of nodules, fractions of graphite, ferrite and pearlite. Empirical relationships between the microstructure and mechanical properties were developed and then implemented in the simulation software in order to evaluate the local mechanical properties. The results of hardness and tensile tests carried out on samples extracted from the castings showed good accordance between predicted and measured mechanical properties.

Effect of Processing Parameters on the Mechanical Properties of Heavy Section Ductile Iron

The main objective of the current work is to investigate the influence of different inoculation conditions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of heavy section ductile iron (DI) castings. Inoculation treatment was done via one step and double step treatments with different amounts of inoculants. The mechanical properties of the fabricated samples were evaluated. The best inoculation procedure in terms of graphite nodules characteristics and mechanical properties was double inoculation with 0.8% inoculants added at first and 0.2% in the late inoculation step. The presence of Sb in one of the cast alloys controlled the growth of graphite nodules in these heavy section ductile iron castings; however low impact toughness was recorded. The matrix structure of ductile cast iron showed a significant influence not only on the strength and impact properties but also on the fracture mode during testing.

Filtering a Heavy-Section Di Casting—New Opportunities

Because of the increasing requirements for the quality of heavy-section ductile iron castings, foundries that manufacture large castings have been using ceramic filters regularly since around 2000.

Experimental Evidence for Metallurgical Modification Associated to Chunky Graphite in Heavy-Section Ductile Iron Castings

Heavy-section castings made of spheroidal graphite cast irons are known to be prone to graphite degeneracy. Upon the various degenerate forms of graphite reported in the literature, chunky graphite is the most common and detrimental one. A great deal of effort has been made for many years to prevent its formation but no convincing description of the factors controlling its appearance has been given so far.

Effect of Yttrium and Magnesium Segregation on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Heavy Section Ductile Iron Castings

Ductile iron specimen with dimensions of Φ590mm×800mm were prepared by treating the melt with an yttrium-containing nodulizer. Cooling curves at four locations____the center location, the location 85mm distant from the center, the location 170mm distant from the center and the location 255mm distant from the center of the heavy ductile iron casting Φ590mm×800mm was obtained. The effect of yttrium and magnesium on microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated, and the factors on the distribution of chunky graphite in the specimen were discussed as well. The results show that the largest amount of chunky graphite and the lowest mechanical properties appear at the location 170mm distant from the center. Excessive yttrium and magnesium content at the location 170mm distant from the center is the main factor for the large amount of chunky graphite. The characteristics of the solidification mode____pasty solidification and the considerably long solidification of the casting are the basic reasons for the distribution of chunky graphite of the heavy ductile iron casting Φ590mm×800mm.

Effect of Yttrium-Containing Nodulizer on the Microstructure Formation and Mechanical Properties of Heavy Section Ductile Iron Castings

Ductile iron specimens with dimensions of 400mm×400mm ×450mm were prepared by treating the melt with an yttrium-containing nodulizer. The effect of yttrium on microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated, and the formation of degenerate graphite was discussed as well. The results show that the yttrium-containing nodulizer has good nodulization fading resistance for heavy section ductile iron, since the high melting point hexagonal oxide Y2O3 particles were formed from the nodulizer in the melt and those could act as heterogeneous nuclei for graphite nodule for a long time. Segregation of Ti and MgO at grain boundaries broke the austenite shell, resulting in graphite degeneration. When heavy section ductile iron castings with pearlite matrix were cast, graphite nodule size became finer and the nodularity of graphite nodules improved due to the addition of 0.01wt% Sb to the melt, and pearlite content in specimens increased due to alloying with Cu, Cr, Mo. The heavy section ductile iron tool bed was fabricated by treating the melt with the yttrium-containing nodulizer and Ni. The nodularity of the attached block was 85%~90%, tensile strength, elongation and impact toughness were 440MPa, 23.3% and 5.0J/cm2 respectively.

Effect of mould inoculation on formation of chunky graphite in heavy section spheroidal graphite cast iron parts

The manufacturing process of heavy section ductile iron castings is strongly influenced by the risk of graphite degeneration under slow cooling rates. Appearance of this kind of defect is commonly linked to significant reductions in the mechanical properties of large castings. Studies on the effect of inoculation on chunky graphite formation in heavy sections have led to contradictory results in the literature and this triggered the present work. New experimental data are presented on the effect of mould inoculation on chunky graphite appearance during solidification of nodular irons which clearly demonstrate that mould inoculation increases the risk of chunky graphite formation in heavy sections. This is in agreement with some previous works which are reviewed, and it is suggested that the contradiction with other results could relate to the fact that these latter works dealt with chill casting.