Cast Iron

Alloys of iron and carbon with

more than 2.11% carbon are
called cast irons.
 Classification of cast iron
Type of cast Graphite Ductility
iron
White No No Fast cooling rates
Gray Flake No Slow cooling rates
Malleable Spherical Yes White iron +
aggregates annealing heat
treatment
Nodular Nodular Yes Additions made so
that nodules of
graphite form
instead of flakes
 Gamma+Fe3c


Iron rich end of the Fe-C phase diagram

 White cast iron

• Fe3C + pearlite
• Hard, brittle
• Shows a “white” crystalline fractured
Surface
• Excellent wear resistance
• High compressive stress
White Cast Iron

Fe3C

Pearlite
White cast iron (Contd.)

•Has excellent wear resistance

•But is very brittle
•Finds use as
 balls for grinding mills,
 liners for cement mixers and
 rolls for paper manufacture
 Gray cast iron

During slow solidification carbon in

Fe separates or graphitizes to form
separate graphite flakes
 Microstructure of gray
cast iron
Separate graphite
flakes form

X500
X100
 General characteristics/advantages
of gray cast iron
• Cheaper than steel, as temperature to be
attained for making it is several hundred
degrees lower than for casting steel. Also
control of impurities is not critical here, as in
steel making.
• It has excellent fluidity, even large complex
shapes can be cast advantageously.
• Excellent machinability, as chip formation is
promoted by the graphite flakes. In addition the
flakes serve as a lubricant for the cutting tool.
 General
characteristics/advantages
• The of grayofcast
wear resistance gray iron isiron
very good, as graphite flakes act as lubricant.
• The damping capacity (ability to damp vibrations) of gray iron is superior to that
of steel
• Can be alloyed to improve properties, e.g. Nihard iron with 4%Ni and 1.5%Cr has
excellent wear resistance.
• Graphite flakes are sharp at their tips and act like internal cracks or stress raisers.
For this reason gray iron is brittle and shows only about 0.5% elongation in
tension.
 Great at dampening!

Relative ability of ferrous metals to dampen

vibrations. The energy absorbed per cycle, or
specific damping capacity of these can differ by
more than 10 times.
Factors that promote the
formation of graphite
Slow cooling
• Thick cross sections or castings in sand moulds tend
to have graphite, as the cooling rate is slow.
• Chill castings (in metal moulds) and thin cross
sections tend to have cementite.
• This effect can also be seen in the fracture
appearance across the cross section varying from
white at the surface to gray inside. The transition
region has the “mottled” appearance
Factors that promote the
formation of graphite
Alloying elements influence graphitization:
• Silicon has a very high effect.
• Effect of alloying elements other than Si is described in
terms of
Si equivalent = %Si+3(%C)+0.3(%Ni)+0.3(%Cu)+0.5(%Al)-
0.25(%Mn)-0.35(%Mo)-1.2(%Cr)
• Increasing carbon in the melt tends to promote graphite
formation
Silicon promotes graphitization
Stress-strain curves in tension and compression
for Class 20 and Class 40 cast irons
 Uses of gray iron
• The good damping capacity and the high compressive
strength make it suitable as a base for erection of machinery.
• Ease of machining, good wear resistance and damping
capacity are utilized in applications such as locomotive and
internal combustion engine cylinder blocks and heads
• Ease of casting and low cost make it suitable for flywheels
and counterweights for lifts
• Niresist with 20%Ni and 2%Cr has excellent corrosion
resistance and heat resisting properties and is used for
handling alkalis at high temperatures.
 Malleable cast iron

• White cast iron (typical composition 2.5%C and

1%Si)+ prolonged heat treatment at 900-950 oC
followed by very slow cooling
• During this treatment cementite decomposes to
the more stable form (graphite). The free carbon
precipitates in the form of spheroidal particles
(nodules)
Malleable cast iron-Contd.

•Has a tensile strength up to 700 MPa,

with an elongation of 10-15%
•They are more expensive than gray
irons, because of the heat treatment
involved.
•They are used in applications such as
automobile crankshafts, chain links and
brackets.
 Ductile/nodular/spheroidal
graphite(SG) cast iron
• Small quantities of Mg (modifier)
added to the melt to produce this iron
• The basic composition of the melt is 3-4%C and
2.5%Si
• The fairly high Si equivalent produces
graphitisation during solidification.
• The modifier has the effect of making the growth
rate of graphite same in all directions, so that a
spherical shape results
Contrasting gray and nodular/ductile
cast iron

Separate graphite
flakes form

Mg added to molten iron –

helps spherodise graphite
Low levels of minor elements
such as S and P

X100

X100
X500
Gray
Ferritic
vs
Nodular
cast iron
Pearlitic

Gray – graphite as Nodular – graphite as

flakes nodules
Brittle Ductile
Nodular iron (Contd.)

• Nodular iron is a major engineering material, as it combines the

advantages of steel with the processing economies of iron
• Tensile strength ranges from 400 to 700 MPa, with elongation in the
range 10-18%
• Agricultural components, industrial fan hubs, coke oven doors,
crankshafts and gears are some of the applications
Applications of ductile cast irons