Thermal

Analysis
&
Cooling
Curves

Rio Tinto
Iron & Titanium
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Every body know this

system, frequently found
near the furnaces or the
cupolas

It’s a Thermal Analysis System

to check especially:
Ceq, C, TL, Si or Undercooling

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How does it work ?

It records the different steps of the cooling for the liquid and
solid alloy, by measuring of different electrical values. A
specific electrical value corresponds to each step of the
physical aspect of the « alloy ». These values are translated to
a graph.

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Some definitions:

TL: Liquidus temperature

1250
TE low: Low eutectic
temperature

TE upper: High eutectic T Liq

1200

Tem perature: °C
temperature
Te Gray
TE Gray: Gray eutectic
∆T Te Upper
temperature R
Te Low
1150 T Sol
TE White: White eutectic
temperature Te White

TS: Solidus temperature

1100
∆T: Undercooling 0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Time: s
R: Recalescence

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For Iron:
Each iron grade has a specific curve:

1: Lamellar graphite iron

2: DI
3: DI with low nodules count
4: White iron
5: pseudo lamellar graphite + lamellar graphite

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For Example:

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For DI, there are different typical curves:

Base Iron

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For DI, there are different typical curves:

Treated iron

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For DI, there are different typical curves:

Treated iron
+
Inoculation

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Why using Thermal Analysis?:

A last Definition.

Undercooling = TE gray – TE low

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Why using Thermal Analysis?:

What happens if undercooling ( ∆ T ) becomes too high ?

Fe3C
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Why using Thermal Analysis?:

What happens if « TS » becomes too low ?

Inverse
Inverse Chill
Chill
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Why using Thermal Analysis?:

Inverse Chill

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Why using Thermal

Analysis?:

The A, B, C curves

That gives
different
Cooling curves

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Why using Thermal Analysis?:

= TE
Gray

Small Delta T =
High Nucleation

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Why using Thermal Analysis?:

High Nucleation = Thermal Analysis

can prevent
less shrinkage
shrinkage

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Why using
Thermal
Analysis?:

Thermal Analysis
can check the
iron quality
during
elaboration:
Especially after a
long maintain in
the furnace

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Present Possibility:
Thermal Analysis with using the first and second derivations

This value could qualify the good nucleation

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Present Possibility:
Thermal Analysis with 3 cups: presently for gray iron

This gray value is the right estimation of what we will probably obtain
in the casting regarding the white and the graphitic iron
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 Caldobase = Fonte de Base
C=3.64 Si=1.72 S=0.011 Cu=0.05 Mn=0.15
20
Température four=1494

Concrete
Examples:

1 = Fonte de Base avec ajout de graphite

C=3.66 Si=1.72 Température four=1512

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 1inoculada = Fonte traitée _ en poche
C=3.62 Si=2.4 S=0.003 Mg=0.044 0.4% inoc.
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Température poche=1405

Concrete
Examples:

2inoculada = Fonte traitée _ en poche

C=3.69 Si=2.34 S=0.002 Mg=0.041 0.4% inoc. Température poche=1395

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1200

1180 Liquidus Time

Eutectique bas 13:55 without Te
1160
Eutectique haut without Te + 1 Kg/T of good
1140 14:30 graphite, Tfurnace = 1394°C
without Te + strong
1120
14:40 inoculation in the cup
1100 graphite + 1.5Kg FeSi
13:40 13:55 14:09 14:24 14:38 14:52 14:50 correction, T furnace = 1470°C

Surfusion
35 3.95
Recalescence
14:35 with Te 30
Ceq
T solidus = 1119°C 25 3.9
20
15 3.85
Super
10
5 3.8
Gray Iron 0
-5 13:55 14:30 14:40 14:50 3.75

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1160
Time
1155
without Te, T furnace =
1150 15:45
1413°C
1145 without Te + 1 Kg/T of good
15:50
graphite
1140 15:55 without Te + inoculation
1135 Liquidus without Te, T furnace =
16:10
Eut ect ique bas 1529°C
1130
Eut ect ique haut 16:20 without Te after Mg treatment
1125 without Te with ladle
16:25
15:36 15:50 16:04 16:19 16:33 inoculation

25 4.4
Surfusion
4.35
16:00 with Te 20 Recalescence
4.3
T solidus = 1128°C 15
Ceq
4.25
10 4.2
4.15
5
4.1
Ductile Iron 0 4.05
15:45 15:50 15:55 16:10 16:20 16:25

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Conclusions:

Thermal Analysis can check:

the risk to obtain Fe3C and inverse chill
the risk to obtain shrinkage or porosities
Thermal Analysis gives a very good quality index by
the undercooling value
Thermal Analysis is cheap, has a good reproducibility,
human influence is low, traceability is easy

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