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JOURNAL OF IRON AND STEEL RESEARCH, INTERNATIONAL. 2010, 17(12): 38-45

Influence of Gating System, Sand Grain Size, and Mould Coating on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Thin-Wall Ductile Iron
Hassan Iafari':" , Mohd Hasbullah Idris! , Ali Ourdjini' , Majid Karirnian' , Gholamhassan Payganeh'
O. Department of Materials Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor , Malaysia; 2. Department of Materials Engineering, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran 16785-136, Iran)
Abstract: Two gating systems namely stepped and tapered runners were used to cast strip samples with different thicknesses by COz/silicate process using sand grain sizes of AFS 151 and 171. To assess the effect of mould coating on the properties of thin-wall ductile iron, half of the moulds were coated whilst the rest were not coated. Molten metal with the carbon equivalent of 4. 29 % was prepared and poured at 1450 C. Microstructure of the specimens was analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopes. Count, area fraction, roundness and diameter of the graphite nodules of the samples were measured by image analyzer. Brinell hardness and tensile tests of all the samples were also conducted. The results show that by using stepped runner gating system with uncoated and coarse sand mould, roundness and count of the graphite nodules decrease whereas diameter and area fraction increase. Although fine sand and coated mould cause longer distance of molten metal travel, hardness and strength of the samples decrease. Key words: thin-wall ductile iron; gating system; sand grain size; mould coating; mechanical property; microstructure

Owing to awareness of energy conservation and environmental sustainability, demand in the use of light materials and new technologies in automotive industry has been created[I-2]. In recent years, thinwall ductile iron CTWDI) has been considered as a substitute for steels and light alloys owing to its properties such as high strength and good ductility'<l , very good castability and machinability, and high wear and impact resistance[3-6]. In the past, thin-wall casting has been used in the automotive industry for parts such as cylinder head, engine block, and outlet manifold with thickness less than 6 mm. The thickness requirement then gradually decreased to the thickness of less than 5 mm and finally 4 mm. Today, parts with thickness of less than 3 mm can be found in automotive parts and thin light-duty parts with 1 or 2 mm in thickness produced by casting like manifold are under investigation-'". TWDI casting tends to develop white structure or chill zone owing to rapid solidification and is inclined to produce microporosity during solidification which both impair the mechanical properties and reBiography: Hassan Jafari0969-), Male, Doctor Candidate, Lectureship;

duce machinability[8-9]. Conventional ductile Iron has similar solidification phenomenon to TWDI; however, they vary in morphology. Unlike the conventional ductile iron, TWDI dendrite and graphite nodules grow directionally during solidification. Consequently, alloying elements segregation takes place in TWDI castings and decreases their mechanical properties-'". It is observed that austenitic dendrites, which are present in the hypereutectic molten metal, affect thin-wall ductile iron more than thick wall ductile iron[IO]. It is reported that two-step solidification occurs in thin-wall casting having less than O. 75 mm in thickness compared to one step for castings with more than 8 mm in thickness'U. Previous studies have shown that the characteristics of the molten metal, mould material, and mould coating affect the heat dissipation rate which may influence the fluidity and lead to the formation of white cast structure in TWDI. Therefore, understanding of these factors is vital in overcoming problems in producing TWDI. This research is aimed at investigating the effect of gating system, mould coating
E-mail: jafari_h@yahoo.com; Received Date: December 4, 2009

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Influence of Gating System, Sand Grain Size, and Mould Coating on Thin-Wall Ductile Iron

39

and mould sand grain size on metallurgical and mechanical properties of TWDI castings.

Experimental

Two wooden patterns with 8 strips having 500 mm in length, 25 mm in width and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 mm in thickness attached directly to the runner (Fig. 1) were designed, fabricated and painted to increase durability and surface smoothness. The height of the sprue was 250 mm and gates were designed in the drag. Dimensions of the pattern were calculated in such a way that molten metal can enter the strip cavities at the same velocity. Two different runners namely stepped and tapered runners were used to study the solidification behaviour and the microstructure of each strip, independently. Each
(a)

strip was separated at a distance of 30 mm in order to eliminate the effect of heat from the neighbouring strips. Eight moulds were made by a CO 2 / silicate sand molding process according to Table 1 for the investigation. Graphite-based zircon-containing material (Mould Coat 633, Farsiran Co, Iran) was used as coating. Low impurity pig iron ingot and gray iron and steel scraps were charged and melted in a medium frequency induction furnace with 60 kg in capacity. The chemical composition of the molten metal prepared was of carbon equivalent (CE) of 4. 29% (Table 2) indicating a eutectic composition. A tundish sandwich method was used for spherodizing the molten metal by adding ferro-silicon alloy containing magnesium of 5% in the ladle. The
(b)

L
(a) Tapered runner; (b) Stepped runner.

Fig. 1 Table 1
Mould

Two types of patterns used in casting of TWDI specimens

Mould conditions used for producing the strips

Gating system Sand grain size (AFS standard) Coating Yes No

Stepped

Tapered

151

171

1 2 3 4 5
6

-J -J -J -J -J -J -J -J

-J -J -J -J -J -J -J -J

-J -J -J -J -J -J -J -J

molten metal was poured at temperature of 1450 C. Fig. 2 shows a typical picture of some TWDI castings produced in this research. To evaluate the fluidity, the length of molten metal travel in each cavity of the tapered runner mould (solidified strips) was measured. For metallographic analysis, a specimen of 30 mm in length was cut from each cast strip [Fig. 3 (a) ] and then ground, polished and etched with 2% of Nital

7
8

Table 2
C Si

Chemical composition of molten metal

(mass percent, S P Mn Mg CE

%)
Fe

3.492

2.399

0.010

0.029

0.495

0.003

4.291

Balance

Fig. 2

Typical TWDI castings produced for the research

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Journal of Iron and Steel Research, International

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(a)

(b)

Unit:mm

30

Fig.3

Schematic drawing of sampling position (a) and tensile test sample (b)

solution. The microstructure of the samples was examined by optical and scanning electron microscopes (model Leo 440, LEO Electron Microscopy Ltd, Cambridge, England). Clemex Image Analyzer (CIA) was used to qualitatively measure metallographic characteristics such as graphite nodule count, area fraction of graphite nodules, and roundness. Tensile test was conducted according to ASTM A370-03 standard using universal MTS testing machine with capacity of 15 t and a cross speed of 2 mm/min. Fig. 3 (b) shows the tensile test samples used in this research. The fractured surface of the selected tensile test samples was examined using SEM. Brinell hardness test was performed on all samples, according to ASTM EI0 standard, with the size of 30 mrnX 25 mm and different thicknesses, using Instron Wolper testing machine. A load of 5 kN for the samples with 2. 3 and 3. 3 mm in thickness and the load of 29. 6 kN for higher thicknesses, respectively, were applied in order to make the test safely.

5 6 Thicknesslmm

Fig.4

Variation of mould filling ability with sample thickness

reduce solidification rate of the TWDI castings, thereby allowing longer distance of molten metal travel. Based on the results shown in Fig. 4, it can be stated that section thickness is directly proportional to mould filling ability, i. e. decreasing cross section and consequently reducing casting modulus cause increase in the solidification rate of the cast samples thus less distance travel of the molten metal.

2
2. 1

Results and Discussion

Fluidity Fig. 4 shows the effect of sand grain size and mould coating on the ability of molten metal to fill the cavities with different thicknesses in tapered runner mould. It can be observed that by using finer sand grain size (AFS 171) and applying mould coating, the ability of filling the mould by molten metal increases for all samples. The highest mould filling ability is obtained using fine sand grain size with mould coating (mould 5) whilst the lowest mould filling ability is observed on coarse sand grain and uncoated mould (mould 1). U sing fine sand grain size and graphite-based zircon-containing coating, which develops a thermal barrier between the solidified metal and the mould sand, retards the transfer of heat to the sand mould and the surrounding atmosphere. This phenomenon may prohibit chilling and

Graphite nodule count The graphite nodule count is an important factor in the characterization of the microstructure and therefore significantly affects the mechanical properties of ductile iron[12]. Fig. 5 shows that the graphite nodule count decreases with increasing sample thickness in all cast samples. The graphite nodule count depends on the solidification rate[13]. Owing to the decrease in thickness of sample, heterogeneous nucleation rate increases, thus leading to shorter solidification times and increase in the graphite nodule count. Fig. 5 also reveals that by using mould coat and fine sand grain size, lower heat transfer from the molten metal to the surrounding air is experienced. This results in the decrease of cooling rate and the increase of solidification time and as a result, the graphite nodule count decreases in the TWDI castings. Mould 2 is observed to register the highest

2. 2

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Influence of Gating System, Sand Grain Size, and Mould Coating on Thin-Wall Ductile Iron

41

1050 . . . - . ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , Mould 1 Mould 3 "Mould 5 -Mould 7 850

650

450 '--_-'-_........_---'-_-''--_-'--_........._--' 4 5 6 7 8 9 3 2 Thicknesslmm

Fig.5

Variation of nodule count with sample thickness

quantity of nodules compared to the other moulds. In general, when casting in the same conditions, samples produced from stepped runner mould show higher nodule count than those produced from the tapered runner mould. It has been reported that nodule count between 500 and 700 mm" produces TWDI castings with good mechanical properties-":', Indeed, the results of the present work showed that the majority of the cast samples tested possesses similar nodule count within this range. From Fig. 5,

it can also be observed that mould 5 shows the lowest nodule count than the other moulds, inferring that the effect of mould coat on nodule count is more than the effect of sand grain size. Owing to the decreasing number of graphite nodule count or coarsening of the nodules, less uniform distribution of the graphite nodules is observed in the matrix, which produces casting of inferior mechanical properties. Examples of unetched micrographs for samples with 3.3, 5.4, 7.5 and 8.5 mm in thicknesses are shown in Fig. 6. It can be seen that the nodule count decreases with increasing sample thickness, which is consistent with the findings of other researchers'{':". This may be due to the longer solidification time experienced by the castings.

2.3

Graphite nodules area percentage

Fig. 7 illustrates the variation of nodule area percentages in samples with different thicknesses cast in various mould conditions. The results show that the percentage of nodules area increases with increase in the thickness of the samples for all moulds. Therefore, owing to longer solidification time, thicker

(a)

3.3

mm;

(b) 5.4

mm s

(c)

7.5

mm;

(d) 8.5

rnm,

Fig. 6

Microstructures of unetched samples produced in mould 1

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Journal of Iron and Steel Research, International

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11
10
oS ., a ., 0

8
7
6 5
c Mould 2 o Mould 4 e Mould f o Mould 8

:
Z

mould and from moulds made of coarse sand grain size shows higher values. From the curves, it can be stated that the same result emerges from samples cast in stepped runner moulds. Furthermore, the curves reveal that the average nodularity of the graphite nodules is higher than 80 % and it is more than 90 % for samples produced from mould 2.

5 6 Thicknesslmm

Fig,7

Variation of nodule area percentages with sample thickness

samples produce higher nodule percentage. Fig. 7 also indicates that by using fine grain size sand and mould coat in stepped runner mould and owing to longer solidification time, moulds 5 and 2 produced the highest and lowest nodule area, respectively. It is known that the amount of graphite nodule area in the matrix is independent of the size of graphite nodules[15] .

Nodularity The effect of TWDI castings thickness and mould condition on the average graphite nodularity is demonstrated in Fig. 8. It can be clearly observed that the average nodularity of the graphite nodules is influenced by the thickness of the samples. As stated earlier, by decreasing the thickness of the sampies, the cooling rate during solidification raises and consequently nodule count increases; therefore, the nodularity of the TWDI castings is enhanced[15-16]. As the mechanical properties of TWDI castings, especially strength and ductility, depend directly on graphite nodularity, more nodularity of graphite nodules leads to a higher mechanical properties in TWDI castings-U. Moreover, the average nodularity of the samples produced from uncoated
100
94 88
82

2. 4

Graphite nodule diameters The diameter of graphite nodule is shown in Fig. 9 as a function of thickness and mould conditions. It can be observed that there is an increasing trend in graphite nodule diameter with increasing sample thickness. Finer sand grain size used in the preparation of the mould, coating mould cavity, stepped runner gating system, and increase in the sample thickness lead to the increase in solidification time. As a result, the diameter of graphite nodules increases in all samples. Samples cast in moulds 5 and 2 show larger and smaller graphite nodule diameters respectively when compared to other samples. It is also observed that the diameter of graphite nodules in samples ranges from 9 to 17 flm. The graphite nodule diameter has strong influence on mechanical This has been proven that
smaller graphite nodule diameter in TWDI castings promotes higher strength and ductility.

2. 5

Mechanical properties Fig. 10 shows the results of the hardness test for the samples produced from different moulds as a function of sample thickness. It is clear that the hardness in all samples decreases with increasing the thickness from 2. 3 mm to 8. 5 mm. This may be due to the formation of iron carbides in the microstructure because of the high cooling rate associated with thin sections. The precipitation of iron carbides in the microstructure has a negative effect on the me17

2. 6

Mould 1 n Mould 2 Mould 3 o Mould 4 Mould 5 t:.Mould 6

'"
. ,t-----lh ......
.........-.........
2

15

:
Z
0

'8
...
- _

....--._--..

76

.. ..........
8

13 .,
Mould Mould Mould Mould 1 0 Mould 2 3 o Mould 4 5 t:. Mould 6 7 0 Mould 8

--'lIlo

o 11 Z

456
Thicknesslmm

Thicknesslmm

Fig.8

Variation of graphite nodularity with sample thickness

Fig.9

Variation of nodule diameter with sample thickness

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Influence of Gating System. Sand Grain Size. and Mould Coating on Thin-Wall Ductile Iron

43

6301'""11,....-----------------, Mould 1 0 Mould 2 Mould 3 0 Mould 4 .. Mould 5 "Mould 6 530 Mould 7 0 Mould 8
gj 430

330 230 ' - - -.........----'---'--....1..----=---=::.:==0.........: 2 3 4 5 6 9 Thickness/mm

Fig.l0

Variation of hardness value with sample thickness

chanical properties especially on ductilitf4.1s-19]. Free carbide TWDI casting could guarantee sound casting, which possesses optimum mechanical properties. Based on Fig. 9, the use of mould coating, fine sand grain size and tapered runner increase the solidification time, which decreases the formation of iron carbide. Fig. 11 shows the iron carbide formed in the samples cast in moulds 1 and 7. As can be seen, castings from mould 1 contain more carbides than that of mould 7 and hence its hardness value is higher.

The results of the tensile strength test are shown in Fig. 12. Owing to the small size of castings, tensile test was not performed for the samples with wall thickness less than 4 mm. Fig. 12 shows an increasing trend in ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of TWDI castings with a decrease in thickness. This is probably due to the formation of iron carbide in the microstructure. It also shows that by using fine sand grain size and mould coating, a significant reduction in both ultimate tensile strength and yield strength values is observed. In casting of TWDI, better strength may be achieved by promoting high cooling rate, which in turn produces high graphite nodule count and roundness. Fig. 13 exhibits fractured morphology of a TWDI casting sample with thickness in 4. 4 mm after undergoing a tensile test. A cleavage fracture can be clearly observed which reveals a considerable amount of iron carbide precipitated in the microstructure. The effect of sand mould size and mould coating on the elongation of the samples taken from TWDI castings with different thicknesses is shown in Fig. 14. It can be seen that compared to the strength.

Fig.ll
550
(a)

Microstructures of samples cast in mould 1 (a) and mould 7 (b)

550 (b)

. . . . . . __ . . . .
Mould 8 \ ............... Mould 6

_
..
Mould 4
"0

tl

al

350

Fig.12

Variation of ultimate tensile strength (a) and yield strength (b) with sample thickness

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Journal of Iron and Steel Research, International

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Fig. 13

SEM fracture morphology of a TWDI casting sample with thickness of 4. 4 mm after tensile test

lOr-----------------,

2L.......

'--_ _-'-_ _.......

..LI

8.5

Fig. 14

Variation of elongation with sample thickness

the elongation shows an opposite trend and increases with increasing the thickness of the samples. Moreover, by using finer sand grain size and mould coating in production of the castings, the same behaviour is observed. The increase in ductility is attributed to an increase in ferrite content (Fig. 11) owing to the slower cooling rate of the castings. In other words, in thinner castings, the formation of carbide in the matrix causes a decrease in elongation. It is worth noting that according to Fig. 14, the effect of mould coating is more obvious than the sand grain size owing to higher ability in decreasing the cooling rate.

the microstructure of TWDI casting increases. 3) Thin section castings have increased the average nodularity, nodule count, and area percentage and decreased diameter of graphite in the microstructure of TWDI casting. 4) Stepped runner gating system Improves the graphite nodule characteristics, resulting in a positive influence on hardness and strength of TWDI casting. 5) By using fine sand grain size and mould coating, the hardness and strength of TWDI castings decrease, but elongation increases. 6) Mould coating has a more significant effect on the mechanical and metallurgical properties of TWDI castings than sand grain size. The authors wish to thank the Research Management Center (RMC) of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for the financial support and Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University (SRTTU) for providing the necessary facilities.
References :
[IJ Choi J O. Kim J Choi C O. et al. Effect of Rare Earth Element on Microstructure Formation and Mechanical Properties of Thin Wall Ductile Iron Castings [J]. Materials Science and Engineering, 2004. 383A( 2): 323. Sosa A D, Echeverria M D, Moncada 0 J, et al. Surface Reactivity of Thin Wall Ferritic Ductile Iron. The Effect of Nodule Count and Grinding Variables [J]. Materials Letters, 2008, 62 (1):100. Druschitz A P. Fitzgerald D C. Lightweight Iron and Steel Castings for Automotive Applications [CJ //Society of Automotive Engineers. SAE 2000 World Congress. Detroit: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2000: 11.

Y:

Conclusions
[2J

1) Using fine sand grain size and applying graphite-based zircon-containing coating on the mould cavity can improve the fluidity of TWDI castings. 2) Using Fine sand grain size associated with graphite-based zircon coating in mould making reduces average nodularity, nodule count, and area percentage. However, the diameter of graphite in

[3J

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Influence of Gating System, Sand Grain Size, and Mould Coating on Thin-Wall Ductile Iron
[13J

45

Dommarco R C, Jaureguiberry A J, Sikora J A. Rolling Contact Fatigue Resistance of Ductile Iron With Different Nodule Counts and Matrix Microstructures [J]. Wear, 2006, 26H2): 172. Bockus S, Venckunas A, Zaldarys G. Relation Between Section Thickness, Mictostructure and Mechanical Properties of Ductile Iron Castings [jJ. Materials Science (MEDZIAGOTYRA), 2008, 14(2): 115. Katz S, Warren A. Thin Wall Iron Castings: Planning the Future [J]. Foundry Management and Technology, 1997, 125: 34. Campbell J. Thin Wall Castings [J]. Materials Science and Technology, 1988, 4(3): 194. Schrems K K, Hawk J A, Dogan

Dommarco R C, Sousa M E, Sikora J A. Abrasion Resistance of High Nodule Count Ductile Rolling Contact Fatigue Resistance of Ductile Iron With Different Matrix Microstructures

[J]. Wear, 2004, 257(11): 1185.

[14J Labrecque C, Gagne M, Javaid A. Optimizing the Mechanical Properties of Thin-Wall Ductile Iron Castings [J]. AFS [15J Transactions, 2005, 113(5): 677. Osafune Y, Yuyama M. Microstructure and Properties of Austempered Ductile Cast Iron With Refined Graphite Nodules [J]. International Journal of Cast Metals Research, 2008, 2Hl/2/3/4): 90. [16J et al. Statistical Analy[17J Borrajo J M, Martinez R A, Boeri R E, et al. Shape and Count of Free Graphite Particles in Thin Wall Ductile Iron Castings [J]. lSI] International, 2002, 42(3): 257. Costa N, Machado N, Silva F S. Influence of Graphite Nodules Geometrical Features on Fatigue Life of High-Strength Nodular Cast Iron [J]. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 2008, 17(3): 352. Pedersen K M, Tiedje N S. Graphite Nodule Count and Size Distribution in Thin-Walled Ductile Cast Iron [J]. Materials Characterization, 2008, 59(8): 1111. Dix L P, Ruxanda R, Torrance J, et al. Static Mechanical Properties of Ferritic and Pearlitic Lightweight Ductile Iron Castings [CJ //Frink K. AFS Transactions, Vol. 111 Proceeding of 107th Annual Casting Congress. Milwaukee: American Foundry Society, 2003: 1.

[5J

[6J [7J [8J

o N,

sis of the Mechanical Properties of Thin-Walled Ductile Iron Castings [J]. SAE Transactions, 2003, 112(5): 420. [9J Sheikh M A. Production of Carbide-Free Thin Ductile Iron Castings [J]. Journal of University of Science and Technology Beijing, 2008,15(5): 552. [10J Horie H, Kowata T, Chida A. Effect of Rare Earth Elements on Chill Formation and Nodule Count in Thin-Section Spheroidal Graphite Cast Iron [J]. Journal of Cast Metals, 1988, 1 (2): 90. Rundman K B. Metal Casting, Reference Book for MY4130 [MJ. Houghton: Michigan Technological University, 2001. Kippola D E, Goodrich G M. Factors Affecting Ductile Iron's Impact Tensile Strength [J]. Modern Casting, 2001, 4: 42.

[18J

[19J

[l1J [12J

(Continued From Page 37)

References:
[IJ [2J WANG Guo-dong. Flatness Control and Flatness Theory [MJ. Beijing: Metallurgy Industry Press, 1986 (in Chinese). Carlstedt A G, Keijser O. ModernApproach to Flatness Measurement and Control in Cold Rolling [J]. Iron and Steel Engineer, 1991, 68(4): 18. [3J ZHENG Gang, XIE Yun-peng, LIU Ding. The Method of Flatness Measurement and Control [J]. Heavy Machinery, 2002(4): 2 (in Chinese). LIANG Xun-guo , ]lAO Zhi-jie, WANG Guo-dong, et al. The Technology of Flatness Measurement in Cold Rolling [j]. Metallurgical Equipment, 2006, 27 (6): 36 (in Chinese). ZHONG Chun-sheng , PANG Yu-hua , MAO Xiao-chun , et al. Brief to the Trend of Studying the Methods for Profile Measuring and Control [J]. Heavy Machinery, 1998, 45(6): 1 (in Chinese). [6J PANG Yu-hua, ZHONG Chun-sheng , WANG Iing-tao. Trend of Research and Development of Strip Flatness Measuring Apparatus [J]. Research on Iron and Steel, 2000, 116(5): 59 (in Chinese). [7J [8J LI Jin. Profile Measurement and Control of Cold Strip [J]. China Instrumentation, 1999, 18(4): 27 (in Chinese). YU Bing-qiang , SUN Ya-bo, LIU Hong-min, et al. Compensation Model for Shape Measuring of Cold Strip Rolling [J]. Journal of Iron and Steel Research, International, 2010, 17 (6): 21.

1 000

Sampling point

2 000

3 000

Fig. 4

Effect chart of application

[4J

Conclusions
[5J

The contact flatness measuring roll is widely used in cold strip mill. The deflection compensation of flatness measuring roll was studied and the algorithms were described. The method compensation of the deflection flatness measuring roll has been successfully applied to 1780 UC mill, and better results are obtained. The flatness measuring system was improved and the flatness quality reached a higher lever by using this model of compensation deflection for flatness measuring roll.