PROPERTIES OF CAST COMPONENTS MADE FROM

DUCTILE IRON AND GREY CAST IRON

Ductile iron was invented in the year in 1943 by an young metallurgist
named Keith Millis who work for International Nickel om!any who had been
finding difficulties in the shortage of chromium "#ear resistant in Iron$% During his
research he found an alternative to overcome the crisis of chromium where the
magnesium alloy was added into molten iron to !roduced s!heroidal gra!hite
structure of iron& namely as ductile iron%
'he demand of ductile iron continuously increased in the sector of automotive
for !roducing crankshaft& camshaft& !iston& diesel engine !arts& valves and many
other associated com!onents% 'his was due to the addition of magnesium into
cast iron that resulted a high strength to weight ratio of ductile iron% (esides&
ductile iron is ine)!ensive and has good castability com!ared to steel%
'he formation of ductile iron is due to the degeneration of brittle cast iron with
flake structure of gra!hite into s!heroidal gra!hite% om!ared to cast iron& ductile
iron has higher ductility& tensile strength& resistance to elevated tem!erature
o)idation and machinability% *ence ductile iron became an alternative to steel due
to its su!erior mechanical !ro!erties%
+ig showing microstructure of cast iron with gra!hite flakes
+ig showing microstructure of ductile iron with nodular form
ADDITION OF MAGNESIUM
Magnesium is the most effective s!heroidi,ing agent but it does not react
individually with iron% -iolent chemical reaction might take !lace when using
magnesium alone to !roduce the nodular sha!e of gra!hite% 'his is due to lower
boiling !oint of Magnesium "1.9. /$ com!ared to ferrous melting !oint
"1031 /$% 'hus& magnesium ferrosilicon "Mg+e2i$ alloy was develo!ed and
made the iron treatment easily% Magnesium ferrosilicon also gives the highest
reliability to the magnesium recovery%
'he addition of magnesium ferrosilicon into the melt of iron is known as
inoculation !rocess% 'he mechanism of heterogeneous nucleation results the
formation of small crystals in nodular sha!e% 3ow content of !hos!horus and
sulfur are very im!ortant in controlling the inoculation !rocess in order to
obtain higher number of nodules in structure%
'here are two ty!es of inoculation& early inoculation and late
inoculation% In mould treatment is a method of late inoculation% 4 s!ecific location
called as reaction chamber is essential to build in the gating system for
magnesium treatment% It is the most effective techni5ue to obtain highest
magnesium recovery and eliminate the fading !roblem com!ared to tundish
!rocess& sandwich treatment& and o!en ladle treatment%
(esides& it consumes less inoculant agent during inoculation% 4s a result&
the formation of ductile iron is influence by the addition of magnesium and
techni5ue used for inoculation% 'hese factors will directly give im!act to the grain
si,e& sha!e and distribution of gra!hite which tends to change the
microstructure& !hysical !ro!erties and mechanical !ro!erties%
PRODUCTION OF NODULAR CAST IRON WITH MAGNESIUM TREATMENT
'he !roduction of nodular cast iron im!roved the mechanical !ro!erties of
cast iron like ductility and tensile strength% Nodular cast iron has su!erior mechanical
!ro!erties es!ecially ductility and thus well known as ductile cast iron% Metallurgical
and metallogra!hic control is very im!ortant to the !roduction of ductile iron% 'he
fundamental material is !ure cast iron with low !hos!horus content but free from
im!urities%
'he average com!osition of nodular cast iron is shown in the following table
Table showing alloing ele!en"s in no#$la% &as" i%on

4ddition of magnesium to the melt of cast iron is the critical !art of !roduction
!rocess% It tends to !reci!itate the flake gra!hite in cast iron to from discrete nodules
which is the s!heroidals sha!e of gra!hite in ductile iron% Magnesium boils at about
11.. / but cannot be added directly to molten cast iron due to the risk of e)!losion%
'hus& magnesium is necessary alloyed with nickel or silicon for safe condition% 'he
magnesium treatment must be conducted immediately to resist o)idation and
eva!oration that may lead to magnesium fades away% 'his means the nodular
structure in cast iron will !artly disa!!ears and yields unacce!table ductile iron with
low nodular density%