Pattern Repairs Polyester puttics are used primarily for pattern repair, patching, and adding fillets. This class of plastics is used extensively for auto body repair. However, its toughness, excellent adhesion qualities, and grainless character are well suited to pattern repair and finish- ing. It can be squeezed into shapes with a small mold, adding features to wood and metal patterns. Making complete patterns of this material is not usually recommended, as it is subject to high shrinkage and is quite brittle. Core Gum and Core Repairing Paste It is always necessary, in a foundry, to join two or more cores together before setting them in the mould. Often, cores also need repairing of defects like poros- ity, cracks, chipped-off portion, etc. The paste used for jointing or sealing has to be so chosen that it does not lead to any casting defects. The paste should set to a hard refractory mass on drying, without pealing off or cracking and should withstand metal flow without being washed away. Its gas content should be low. Two types of core gums are used: 1. The paste consists of refractory clay like plastic fireclay or china clay, a binder like bentonite, dextrin or sodium alginate, and water to a desired consistency. The gas content in this type is usually high and varies between 35 and 45 mL/g. 2. The paste is made up by thoroughly mixing sodium silicate with materi- als such as fireclay, china clay, soapstone, bentonite, silica flour, ete. This type is normally supplied by foundry chemical manufacturers, based on proprietary formulations. The gas content of this variety is low and not more than 25 mLig. Surface Hardening of Ductile tron Duetile iron responds readily to surface hard- ening by flame, induction, or laser heating. Be- cause of the short heating cycle in these proc- esses, the pearlitic types of ductile iron ASTM 80-60-03 and 100-70-03 are preferred. Irons without free ferrite in their microstructure re~ spond almost instantly to flame or induction heat-ing and require very litle holding time at the austenitizing temperature in order wo be fully hardened. With a moderate amount of free ferrite, the response may be satisfactory, but an entirely fer- fitic matrix, typical of the grades with high duc- tility, requires several minutes at 870 °C (1600 *F) tobe fully hardened by subsequent cooling. A ‘matrix microstructure of fine peaite, readily ob- tained by normalizing, has a rapid response to surface hardening and provides excellent core support for the hardened case. ‘With proper technique and the control of tem- perature between 845 and 900 °C (1550 and 1650 SF), the ranges of surface hardness expected in ‘commercial production for ductile iron with dif- ferent matrices are: © Ductile iron, fully annealed (ferritic), water quenched behind the flame or induction coil, 351045 HRC * Ductile iron, predominantly ferrtic (partly Peatltic), siress relicyed prior to heating, self quenched, 40 10 45 HRC * Ductile iron, predominantly ferrtic (partly pearlitic), suess relieved prior to heating, water quenched, 5010 55 HRC * Ductile ion. mostly pearlitic, stress relieved before heating. water quenched, 58 to 62 HRC Table 4 summarizes typical hardness values obtained after induction hardening a standard al- loyed grade (grade 80-$5-06) and heat-treatable grades alloyed with nickel-molybdenum and copper-molybdenum (see Table 5 for composi tions). Heating time and temperature, amount of dissolved carbon, section size, and rate of quench help to determine final hardness values. Soluble- oil or polymer quench media are often used to minimize quench cracking where the casting sec- tion changes. Flame- or indlction-hardened ductile iron cast- ings have been used for heavy-duty applications such as foils for cold working titanium, ring gearsfor paper-mill drives, crankshafts, and large sprockets for chain drives. More detailed infor- mation on the flame hardening and induction hardening processes can be found in Volume 4 of the ASM Handbook, The response of ductile iron to induction hardening depends on the amount of pearlite in the matrix of as-cast, normalized, and normalized and tempered prior structures (Ref 15). In quenched and tempered iron, the secondary graphite nodules formed during tempering are close enough together to supply sufficient carbon to the matrix by re-solution during induction heating. In the as-cast condition, a minimum of 50% pearlite is considered necessary for satisfactory hardening with induction heating cycles of 3.5 8 and longer and hardening temperatures of 955 10 980 °C (1750 wo 1800 °F). Structures containing. Jess pearlite can be hardened by using higher temperatures, but at the risk of retaining austenite, forming ledeburite, and damaging the surface. With more than 50% pearlite, hardening temperatures may be reduced to within the range of 900 to 925 “C (1650 to 1700 °F). In the Normalized Condition. For beating cy- cles of 3.5 s and longer, at temperatures of 955 to 980 °C (1750 to 1800 °F), 50% pearlte in a prior structure is considered a minimum. Normalized and tempered irons exhibit a poor response with lower pearlite content because of the depletion of the matrix carbon. In the tempering operation, the ‘carbon migrates from the pearlite matrix to the ‘graphite nodules, In the heating cycle, carbon is reabsorbed in the matrix from the nodule; how- ever, there is insufficient time for it to migrate throughout the ferric areas. Another factor in the response of ductile iron is the graphite nodule ‘count: the greater the number of nodules per unit area, the deeper the hardening for any given heat cycle. This effect is more evident as the percent- age of ferrite increases (Fig. 24). ‘Quenched and tempered nodular iron responds quite welll to induction hardening over a wide range of microstructures containing up t 954%ferrite. As a prior treatment, quenching and tem-' ering has the advantage of permitting a lower prior hardness, but there isa risk of distortion and quench cracking. Table 4 Induction hardening response of ductile irons heated to 900 °C (1650 °F) for various times ‘Specimens were 25 ram (Vin. diam discs 12 ma (0.5 in, thick machined from as-cast and priot heat-treated burs. See Table 5 or chemical compasitions of the ions tested, Pri ese he Sertce Price marinstrecture, Heat Tramformation a Aeytype hard TR Serre tv ime Tec MB eqavakar Steet ‘Unaloned 11 95 Fully annealed) 2 28 as B » 31 ey 20 o 0 7 ey 4 sas o 38 8 sot ° NiMoalloyed 161 9S Fillyanealedia) 2° “7 0 B » 361 » » ” 486 6 = Pf 28 . s 8 se 3 NiMoalloyed 222 16 Normatizedb) is eo aus ° 3 » a ° 2» 9 a 0 Ey % 57% o B 9 6 ° CoMoalioyed 171 95 Fllyanneaiegiay 8 » 7 0 B % 336 9 » ” Po 7 = st 483 2 * ss so ° CeMoaihyed 268 5 Noemalinskb) 5 o 63 ° B 9 ox ° ey 9 a ° ey se 13 ° 8 3 9s ° CuMoalkyed 239 Ye Normaizedtb) 5 9 a ° B o 633 ° 2 9 oo ° Fy 6 63 ° 8 2 as ° (a) Annealing was performed at 715 °C (1320 F) for 6 followed by air cooling to room temperate. (b) Normalizing was performed (1900 °C (1650 °F} for Ih followed by forced air cooting to room temperature. Source: Ref 14Table 5 Chemical composition of ductile irons in Table 4 Grade 367 cr) 030 ‘002 oot 001 003 [Ne Mo alloyed ae 268 om oot om 136 om CuMoalloyed 368 263 023 oot 021 10 Sewece: ef 14 ae | ee Le Howl : Sad t : a 1 5 ee a tas as Fig. 24 nap tmer rp nt hanna HRC an gga aden norman aneng se