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CAST IRON
 Carbon content of 2% to 5%.
 Melting point- 1204°C
 Carbon can occur as: combined carbon (Fe3C) or free carbon (graphite)

Classification of Cast Irons is based on metallographic structure

1. White Cast Iron (combined carbon Fe3C)
2. Malleable Cast Iron (free carbon as irregular particles)
3. Chilled Cast Iron (white cast iron at the surface and gray cast iron at the interior)
4. Grey Cast Iron (Flake Graphite)
5. Spheroidal Graphite (SG) / Ductile Cast Iron / Nodular Cast Iron (free carbon as
spheroids)
6. Alloy Cast Iron

WHITE CAST IRON

 Hard and brittle and cannot be machined easily.
 carbon is present only as carbides
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 Melting point - 1260°C

 It can be used as liners of cement mixers, ball Mills, drawing dies and extrusion nozzles.
 Used for making malleable cast iron.

MALLEABLE CAST IRON

Malleable irons are a class of cast irons with mechanical strength properties that are intermediate
to those of gray and ductile cast irons.
 Melting point - 1260°C

It can be widely used as:

Pipe fittings, Chain-hoist assemblies, Railroad equipment, Also as industrial casters e.t.c.

GRAY CAST IRON

 Melting point= (1127 – 1204) °C

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CHILLED CAST IRON

 When a localized area of gray cast iron is cooled very rapidly from the melt, cast iron is
formed at the place that has been cooled. This type of white cast iron is called chilled cast
iron.
 A chilled iron casting can be produced by adjusting the carbon composition of the white
cast iron, so that the normal cooling rate at the surface is just fast enough to produce white
cast iron, whereas the slower cooling rate below the surface will produce gray iron or
ductile iron.

Fracture of chilled iron casting showing the white, mottled & gray portion.
What is mottled cast iron?
Iron which consists of a mixture of variable proportions of gray iron and white cast iron;
such a material has a mottled fracture.
Applications: Railway car wheels, crushing rolls, heavy machinery.

Spheroidal Graphite (SG) / Ductile Cast Iron / Nodular Cast Iron

Very similar in composition to gray cast iron, but the free graphite in these castings precipitates
from the melt as spherical particles rather than flakes.
Spheroidal graphite particles form during solidification by adding small amount of Magnesium or
Cerium.
## Nodular grey cast iron is obtained from the grey cast iron by adding a small amount of [IES-2001]
(a) Manganese (b) Phosphorus (c) Magnesium (d) Chromium
## Cast irons consists of carbon in rosette form. [IES-2009]
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Alloy Cast Iron

Alloy cast irons contain more than 3% of one or more of the elements such as Ni, Cr, Cu, Si, Mo,
V in white iron, grey iron or ductile iron to improve one or more of the properties such as resistance
to corrosion, heat or wear, and strength, hardness, shock and impact resistance.
Silicon in Cast Iron

 It increases fluidity
 It is a graphitizer
Consider the following statements: [IES-1995]
Addition of silicon to cast iron
1. Promotes graphite module formation.
2. Promotes graphite flake formation.
3. Increases the fluidity of the molten metal.
4. Improves the ductility of cast iron.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1and 4 (b) 2 and 3 (c) 1and 3 (d) 3 and 4

Sulfur in Cast Iron

 The effect of sulfur on the form of carbon is the reverse of silicon.
 Higher the sulfur content, the greater will be the amount of combined carbon, thus
tending to produce a hard, brittle white iron.
 Iron sulphide (low melting compound) increases the possibility of cracking at elevated
temperatures.
Manganese in Cast lron
 Manganese is a carbide stabilizer
Phosphorus in Cast lron
 Phosphorus increases fluidity.
 Iron phosphide forms a ternary eutectic with cementite and austenite (pearlite at room
temperature). The ternary eutectic is known as steadite.
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Melting Temperatures of Common Metals

Aluminum: 660°C
Brass: 930°C
Aluminum Bronze*: 1027-1038°C

Chromium: 1860°C

Copper: 1084°C

Gold: 1063°C
Inconel*: 1390-1425°C

Cast Iron: 1204°C

Lead: 328°C

Molybdenum: 2620°C

Nickel: 1453°C

Platinum: 1770°C

Silver: 961°C

Carbon Steel*: 1425-1540°C

Stainless Steel*: 1375 – 1530°C

Titanium: 1670°C

Tungsten: 3400°C

Zinc: 420°C Alloys have more than one element, therefore their melting temperature is a range that is
dependent on the alloy composition.
## 18/8 stainless steel contains [IES-1996]
(a) 18% stainless, 8% chromium. (b) 18% chromium, 8% nickel.
(c) 18% tungsten, 8% nickel. (d) 18% tungsten, 8% chromium.