Assignment 7.

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1. Define cast iron.
 Cast iron is basically the alloys of iron and carbon which covers a wide range of properties.
 It contains 2 to 4% carbon and 1 to 3% silicon that pass through the eutectic reaction during
solidification.
 Small % of other constituents silicon, manganese, sulphur and phosphorus, termed as
plain cast irons and if nickel, chromium, copper and manganese added, the cast irons
termed as alloy cast irons.
2. Give the classification of CI.

I. White cast iron.

 White cast iron has a white fracture color due to the presence of iron carbide, or
cementite Fe3C. The presence of carbon in this form, as opposed to graphite, is the result
of a lower silicon content compared to grey cast iron. White cast iron typically contains
1.8 wt.% – 3.6 wt.% carbon, 0.5 wt.% – 1.9 wt.% silicon and 1.0 wt.% – 2.0 wt.%
manganese.
 II. Gray cast iron.
 Grey cast iron, or gray iron, has a dark grey fracture color due to a graphitic
microstructure. The presence of graphite flakes is due to the addition of silicon, which
acts to stabilize carbon in the form of graphite as opposed to iron carbide. Grey cast iron
typically has a composition of 2.5 wt.% – 4.0 wt.% carbon and 1.0 wt.% – 3.0 wt.%
silicon.
III. Malleable cast iron.
 Malleable cast irons are formed via a slow annealing heat treatment of white cast iron.
This results in the conversion of carbon, in the form of iron carbide in white iron, to
graphite, with the remaining matrix being composed of ferrite or pearlite. The graphite is
present in the form of spherical or nodular shapes.
IV. Nodular cast iron (ductile).
 Ductile cast iron, also known as nodular cast iron and spherical graphite cast iron, is
defined by the presence of graphite in the form of spherical nodules, as with malleable
cast iron. Differently to malleable cast iron, ductile cast iron is formed not by heat
treatment of white iron, but through a specific chemical composition.
3. Explain manufacturing of steel by a diagram.
4. Discuss the role of following element in steel.
1) Carbon(C).
 Carbon is the most important element in steel, it is essential in steels which have to be
hardened by quenching and the degree of carbon controls the hardness and strength of the
material, as well as response to heat treatment(hardenability).
And ductility, forgeability and machinability will decrease if the amount of carbon
increases, as well as weld ability properties of the steel.
2) Silicon (SI).
 Silicon is one of the principal deoxidizers for steel. Silicon helps to remove bubbles of
oxygen from the molten steel. It is the element that is most commonly used to produce
semi- and fully killed steels, and normally appears in amounts less than 0.40 percent,
usually only small amounts (0.20%) are present in rolled steel when it is used as a
deoxidizer. However, in steel castings, 0.35 to 1.00% is commonly present.
5. Draw the Microstructure of all the Cast iron.
6. Discuss Graphitization and Nodularization.
 Graphitization is a form of material degradation occurring when the microstructure of
some carbon and low alloy steels breaks down after long exposure to elevated
temperatures (825 - 1300 F), causing the metal to weaken and be susceptible to cracking
failures. The steel tends to break down to form iron and carbon (graphite); the latter of
which will migrate to the material’s grain boundaries forming graphite nodules, which
are what causes the metal to become brittle, losing strength, toughness, creep resistance,
and ductility.
7. How does the sound of CI compare to those of other material?
 “Cast iron” is a generic term that refers to a range of iron alloys, but is typically
associated with the most common, gray iron. While cast iron may sound like the cast
form of pure iron, it's actually an alloy containing 2 to 4% carbon, plus smaller amounts
of silicon and manganese.
 Compared to wrought iron or steel, cast iron is brittle, hard, and non-malleable. It can’t
be bent, stretched, or hammered into shape. Its weak tensile strength means that it will
fracture before it bends or distorts.

 Compared to steel, cast iron has a lower melting point, and is more fluid and less reactive
with mold materials, making it well-suited for casting.

8. How does graphite form in each type of cast iron? Does a sharper point
in graphite formations lead to a higher or lower stress concentration?
 The carbon in steel is in the interstitial sites or used for form cementite (Fe3C), a high
hardness iron compound. In cast iron, the richer carbon phase facilitates graphite
precipitation, a crystalline form of carbon.
 The advantage that cast iron has in graphite formation, instead of cementite, is not
obvious at first. The graphite is considerably weaker than cementite and weaker than the
iron around it, acting essentially as voids in the material, weakening the metal and
reducing ductility. The graphite flakes do offer non-mechanical advantages, such as
vibration damping and wear resistance, along with being extremely cheap to produce.
9. What addition enabled iron ore to be fully melted? Which other element
is added to facilitate casting and improve Graphitization?
 Although early civilizations could not produce fires hot enough to melt iron ore, they
could heat and work the metal to remove impurities, and shape by hammering. This
produced wrought iron which mostly kept the composition of the ore with an addition of
carbon from the coals during heating. If even more carbon is added and the carbon
content is raised to near 4 wt %, the melting temperature drops considerably and makes
melting iron feasible with early furnaces. This technique enabled early metallurgists to
melt fully the iron ore and led to the first liquid iron that, cast easily into a variety of
shapes, suitably named cast iron.
 In addition to the high carbon content, 1-3% weight silicon added to the iron increases the
potential for graphite formation, or graphitization. The presence of silicon also increases
the fluidity of the liquid, which improves castability. As cast iron techniques improved,
other added alloying elements made cast iron stronger or more durable, while retaining its
desirable characteristics. Elements such as magnesium, phosphorus, and cerium could be
added for a variety of reasons but may decrease graphitization potential, which may
necessitate the need for more elements to create a balance for graphite formation.
10. Name the element required for Nodularization.
 A nodulizer alloy for the production of high strength, high ductility spheroidal graphite
iron is disclosed. The nodulizer alloy of the present invention is economical, efficient and
produces pearlite grade spheroidal graphite iron with uniform and controlled
microstructure. Carbon, silicon, phosphorus are required for Nodularization.