Effect of Boron and Cross-Section Thickness on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ductile Iron

Eeffect of Boron addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ductile iron, GJS-500-7 grade was studied. Three cast batches with the Boron content of 10, 49 and 131ppm were cast in a casting geometry containing plates with thicknesses of 7, 15, 30, 50 and 75mm. Microstructure analysis, tensile test, and hardness test were performed on the samples which were machined from the casting plates. Addition of 49 ppm Boron decreased pearlite fraction by an average of 34±6% in all the cast plates. However, minor changes were observed in the pearlite fraction by increasing Boron from 49 to 131 ppm. Variation in the plate thickness did not affect the pearlite fraction. The 0.2% offset yield and ultimate tensile strength was decreased by an average of 11±1% and 18±2%, respectively. Addition of 49 ppm Boron decreased Brinell hardness by 16±1%, while 11±2% reduction was obtained by addition of 131ppm Boron

The effect of chemical composition on the metal expansion penetration in grey cast iron

In some grey cast iron components which are cast in sand moulds, the metal sometimes penetrates into the mould producing defects and causing difficulties when cleaning the components. To improve knowledge of the metal penetration mechanism a series of test castings was performed at ITT Flygt’s foundry where the influence of chemical composition was studied. The chemical composition of the melt was changed in the ladle before pouring. The result showed that the carbon and phosphorus content had an influence on metal penetration. The metal penetration tendency decreased when decreasing the carbon content as well as when increasing the phosphorus content. The penetration areas were analysed in a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Analysis (EDS). The analysis showed that the average chemical composition in the penetration zones was close to the initial composition of the alloy. Consequently, no significant macro segregation of carbon or phosphorous could be observed. The whole casting process was simulated with the software MAGMAsoftTM, in order to investigate the solidification characteristics as well as the porosity formation in the casting studied. For this, a special module for cast iron was used, MAGMAironTM, where nucleation and growth of all relevant phases are considered. During simulation it is possible to detect the areas where porosities are likely to be formed. The results show that expansion penetration generally occurs in the same areas depending on the mode of solidification. The inoculation and solidification behaviour will result in excess or deficiency of the metal at the end of solidification, which will lead to either metal penetration or formation of porosities

The effects of local variations in mechanical behaviour – Numerical investigation of a ductile iron component

The effects of incorporating local mechanical behaviour into a structural analysis of a cast ductile iron component are investigated. A recently presented simulation strategy, the closed chain of simulations for cast components, is applied to incorporate local behaviour predicted by a casting process simulation into a Finite Element Method (FEM) structural analysis, and the effects of the strategy on predicted component behaviour and simulation time are evaluated. The results are compared to using a homogeneous material description. A material reduction method is investigated, and the effects of material reduction and number of linearization points are evaluated. The results show that local mechanical behaviour may significantly affect the predicted behaviour of the component, and a homogeneous material description fails to express the stress-strain distribution caused by the local variations in mechanical behaviour in the component. The material reduction method is able to accurately describe this effect while only slightly increasing the simulation time. It is proposed that local variations in mechanical behaviour are important to consider in structural analyses of the mechanical behaviour of ductile iron components.CompCAS

Potential for improved mechanical properties in cast aluminium alloys

The aim of this work is to investigate the potential to improve the mechanical properties of some aluminium alloys, in order to obtain castings with optimum properties. Experiments have been made with pure aluminium, aluminium alloyed with 1% Si and 0,9% Mg and four aluminium cast alloys with 7-12% Si and various amounts of iron, magnesium, copper and manganese. To achieve the best possible solidification, gradient solidification technology of tensile specimen has been used, in order to explore the limits of the mechanical properties in relation to the microstructure. The experiments show that it is not possible to obtain good fracture toughness in alloys with a high iron content. The results also show that many of the aluminium alloys frequently used today are not processed in a way that allows optimal mechanical properties to be achieved. The alloys with a maximum of 0,4% Fe can give 10-23% fracture elongation, depending on other alloying elements such as Si, Mg and Cu. For these alloys it is worthwhile to improve the melt treatment and the casting process to obtain properties close to, or even better than can be achieved in other manufacturing processes. The experiments have given results for both columnar and equiaxed primary solidification structures

Casting and stress-strain simulations of a cast ductile iron component using microstructure based mechanical behavior

The industrial demand for increased component performance with concurrent reductions in component weight, development times and verifications using physical prototypes drives the need to use the full potential of casting and Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations to correctly predict the mechanical behavior of cast components in service. The mechanical behavior of the component is determined by the casting process, and factors as component geometry and casting process parameters are known to affect solidification and microstructure formation throughout the component and cause local variations in mechanical behavior as well as residual stresses. Though residual stresses are known to be an important factor in the mechanical behavior of the component, the importance of local mechanical behavior is not well established and the material is typically considered homogeneous throughout the component. This paper deals with the influence of solidification and solid state transformation on microstructure formation and the effect of local microstructure variations on the mechanical behavior of the cast component in service. The current work aims to investigate the coupling between simulation of solidification, microstructure and local variations in mechanical behavior and stress-strain simulation. This is done by performing several simulations of a ductile iron component using a recently developed simulation strategy, a closed chain of simulations for cast components, able to predict and describe the local variations in not only elastic but also plastic behavior throughout the component by using microstructural parameters determined by simulations of microstructural evolution in the component during the casting process. In addition the residual stresses are considered. The results show that the FEM simulation results are significantly affected by including microstructure based mechanical behavior. When the applied load is low and the component is subjected to stress levels well below the yield strength of the material, the residual stresses highly affects the simulation results while the effect of local material behavior is low. As the applied load increases and the stress level in the component approaches and passes the yield strength, the effect of residual stresses diminishes while the effect of local mechanical behavior increases. In particular the predicted strain level is heavily affected by the use of local mechanical behavior. It is proposed that it is important to include both local mechanical behavior and residual stresses in stress-strain simulations to predict the true mechanical behavior of the component.Ingår i projekt1?Ingår i projektOm publikationen ingår i ett projekt, ange projektets namn. För att ange flera projekt, klicka på Ytterligare projekt.xCompCAS

The effect of chemical composition on the metal expansion penetration in grey cast iron

In some grey cast iron components which are cast in sand moulds, the metal sometimes penetrates into the mould producing defects and causing difficulties when cleaning the components. To improve knowledge of the metal penetration mechanism a series of test castings was performed at ITT Flygt’s foundry where the influence of chemical composition was studied. The chemical composition of the melt was changed in the ladle before pouring. The result showed that the carbon and phosphorus content had an influence on metal penetration. The metal penetration tendency decreased when decreasing the carbon content as well as when increasing the phosphorus content. The penetration areas were analysed in a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Analysis (EDS). The analysis showed that the average chemical composition in the penetration zones was close to the initial composition of the alloy. Consequently, no significant macro segregation of carbon or phosphorous could be observed. The whole casting process was simulated with the software MAGMAsoftTM, in order to investigate the solidification characteristics as well as the porosity formation in the casting studied. For this, a special module for cast iron was used, MAGMAironTM, where nucleation and growth of all relevant phases are considered. During simulation it is possible to detect the areas where porosities are likely to be formed. The results show that expansion penetration generally occurs in the same areas depending on the mode of solidification. The inoculation and solidification behaviour will result in excess or deficiency of the metal at the end of solidification, which will lead to either metal penetration or formation of porosities