Metallurgy of Grey Cast Iron

Dr Sandip Bhattacharyya
 Overview of cast iron
 Iron with 1.7 to 4.5% carbon and 0.5 to 3% silicon
 Lower melting point and more fluid than steel in
terms of better castability.
 Low cost material usually produced by sand casting
 A wide range of properties, depending on composition
& cooling rate
 Strength
 Hardness
 Ductility
 Thermal conductivity
 Damping capacity
Effects of Elements on Cast Iron:
Vanadium (0.01-0.5%) : Increases hardness strength
and machinability.
Copper (0.02-2.5%) : Promotes formation of graphite.

Molybdenum (0.15-0.9%) : To improve tensile strength,

hardness to casting and also improves toughness, fatigue
strength machinability, hardenability.

Chromium (0.15-0.9%) : Acts as a carbide stabilizer,

increases strength, hardness and wear-resistant.

Nickel (0.25-2.0%) : Aids fusibility and fluidity but induces

brittleness.

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Effects of Elements on Cast Iron:
Phosphorus (1.0%) : Aids fusibility and fluidity but
induces brittleness.
Sulphur (0.1%) : Makes hard and brittle
Manganese (0.75%) : Harden the cast iron by
encouraging the formation of carbide.
Silicon (2.5%) : Promotes the formation of free graphite >
4% which makes the iron soft and causes brittleness
machinable.
Carbon : -6.67% Graphite (formed by slow cooling of
carbon) tough iron, easy to machine cementite (rapidly
cool) high tensile strength, difficult to machine element.
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Iron carbon diagram
 Liquid
+ L L + Fe3C
Austenite
Carbon
910˚C Cast Iron
Steel  + Fe3C
+
723˚C

  + Fe3C

0% 0.8% ~2% ~3%

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Production of cast iron

 P i g iron, scrap steel, limestone and

carbon (coke)
Cupola
 E l e c t r i c arcfurnace
 E l e c t r i c induction furnace
 U s u a l l y sand cast, but can be gravity die
cast in reusable graphite moulds
 N o t formed, finished by machining
Types of cast iron

 G r e y cast iron - carbon as graphite

 W h i t e cast iron - carbides, often alloyed
 D u c t i l e cast iron
 nodular, spheroidal graphite
 M a l l e a b l e castiron
 C o m p a c t e d graphite cast iron
 CG or Vermicular Iron
Effect of cooling rate
 Slow cooling favours the formation of graphite &
low lhardness
 Rapid cooling promotes carbides with high
hardness
 Thick sections cool slowly, while thin sections
cool quickly
 Sand moulds cool slowly, but metal chills can be
used to increase cooling rate & promote white iron
Grey cast iron

 F l a k e graphite in a matrix of pearlite,

ferrite or martensite
 W i d e range of applications
 L o w ductility - elongation 0.6%
 G r e y cast iron forms when
 Cooling is slow, as in heavy sections
 High silicon or carbon
 Gray Cast Irons contain silicon, in addition tocarbon, as a primary alloy.
Amounts of manganese are also added toyield the desired microstructure.
Generally the graphite exists in the form of flakes, which are surrounded by an
a-ferrite or Pearlite matrix. Most Gray Irons are hypoeutectic, meaning they
have carbon equivalence (C.E.) of less than 4.3. Carbon content (2.5-
4% wt C). Silicon content (1-3% wt).

Gray cast irons are comparatively weakand brittle in tension due toits
microstructure; the graphite flakes have tips which serve as points of stress
concentration. Strength and ductility are much higher under compression
loads.
Typical properties
 Depend strongly on casting shape & thickness
 Low strength, A48 Class 20, Rm 120 MPa
 High carbon, 3.6 to 3.8%
 Kish graphite (hypereutectic)
 High conductivity, high damping
 High strength, A48 Class 60, Rm 410 MPa
 Low carbon, (eutectic composition)
Graphite form
 Uniform
 Rosette
 Superimposed (Kish and
normal)
 Interdendritic random
 Interdendritic preferred
orientation
Matrix structure

 P e a r l i t e or ferrite
 Tr a n s f o r m a t i o n is to ferrite when
 Cooling rate is slow
 High silicon content
 High carbon equivalence
 Presence of fine undercooled graphite
Properties of grey cast iron

 M a c h i n e a b i l i t y is excellent
 D u c t i l i t y is low (0.6%), impact resistance
low
 D a m p i n g capacity high
 T h e r m a l conductivity high
 D r y and normal wear properties excellent
Applications

Engines
 Cylinder blocks, liners,
 B r a k e drums, clutch plates
 P r e s s u r e pipe fittings
 M a c h i n e r y beds
 F u r n a c e parts, ingot and glass molds