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G Iron by Admin on January 16, 2011 Ductile Iron, also known as ductile cast iron, nodular cast iron, spheroidal graphite iron, spherulitic graphite cast iron and SG iron, is a type of cast iron invented in 1943 by Keith Millis. The Graphite in Ductile iron is in the shape of Nodules rather than Flakes as in Grey Iron. Composition of S.G Iron: - Carbon 3.3 to 3.4% - Silicon 2.2 to 2.8% - Manganese 0.1 to 0.5% - Magnesium 0.03 to 0.05% - Phosphorus 0.005 to 0.04% - Sulfur 0.005 to 0.02% - Iron (Balance) *Required composition may vary for the properties to be achieved but the sulfur, phosphorus and Magnesium content should remain within the limits provided. Other elements such as copper or tin may be added to increase tensile and yield strength while simultaneously reducing elongation. Improved corrosion resistance can be achieved by replacing 15% to 30% of the iron in the alloy with varying amounts of nickel, copper, or chromium. Process of Making S.G Iron : Charge Materials Required : 1. 2. 3. 4. Pig Iron or Sorel Metal(For Best Results) Steel Scrap Return Ductile Iron Scrap Ferro Alloys

Superiority of Sorel Metal Vs Pig Iron (i) Practically no Manganese (0.009%) (ii) Low content of Elements that promote Carbide formation (iii) Low content of Elements that interfere with the Spherodization of the graphite Desulphurization : These are the compounds that remove sulfur from the melt. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Caustic soda (NaOH) Soda Ash (Na2CO3) Burnt Lime (CaO) Limestone (CaCO3) Calcium Carbide (CaC2) Calcium Cyanide (CaCN2)

Sphrodizing Treatment : There exist a long list of elements capable of spherodizing the graphite , but only Magnesium together with some calcium , cerium and some other rare earth elements are commonly used for this purpose.

Spherodizing Methods (Fe-Si) : (i) Laddle transfer Method (Sandwich Method) (ii) Covered Laddle Method (iii) Treatment with Porous Plug or other Stirring Methods Laddle Transfer Method : The magnesium master alloy is placed on the bottom of the empty treatment ladle and liquid iron is poured over it. The liquid iron should be poured away from the location of Alloy and the filling should be fast. A popular variation is the sandwich process where on the master alloy are placed small steel pieces about 2% of the total melt to be treated. On heating , melting and superheating 2% steel approximately 26degree C is lost. Use of Ferro Silicon as sandwich cover rather than steel castings is recommended strongly. Both base iron silicon and silicon as part of the inocculant are much more effective in prevention of the as-cast carbides than silicon added with the master alloy. Inocculation : (Fe-Si) Its aim is to provide the melt with seeds or nuclei onto which the solid phases grow during freezing. The inoculation of ductile irons produces heterogenous nuclei for the graphite spheroids. Microstructure of S.G Iron:

Applications of S.G Iron : Application of ductile iron is in the form of ductile iron pipe, many automotive components, where strength needs surpass that of aluminum but do not necessarily require steel. Other major industrial applications include off-highway diesel trucks, class 8 trucks, agricultural tractors, and oil well pumps. Defects in S.G Iron : Shrinkage Control There are many causes of shrinkage in ductile iron, experience globally has shown that about 50% of shrinkage defects are related to sand systems, feeding and gating. The other 50% may be attributed to metallurgical factors such as carbon equivalent, temperature, inoculation or high magnesium residuals. Compacted Graphite within the structure :

Sample with compacted graphite present in the matrix due to partly failed. There are several causes of this, the most common being that the nodularisation process has partly failed. Incorrect weighing of the nodulariser or the use of the wrong nodulariser are possible reasons for the failure, although a long holding time in the ladle or excessive temperatures can be contributory factors. Low Nodule Count :

Two casting with the same metal treatment resulting in a) low nodule count due to long pouring time and b) normal nodule count with normal practise. As the compacted graphite mentioned above may commonly be attributed to the nodulariser, then low nodule counts tend to be a function of the inoculant. Figure shows a low count compared to the foundrys normal practise. Avoiding long holding times in the furnace and prolonged pouring time post-inoculation will help to achieve consistent nodule counts, as will improving the responsiveness of the iron via preconditioning. The use of a specialist powerful inoculant will give the most consistent results. Exploded graphite Characteristically, exploded graphite looks exactly as the name might suggest that the graphite has been blown apart. Most MgFeSi alloys contain some rare earth metals, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, praesodimium etc and these are beneficial in that they neutralise the effects of some detrimental tramp elements such as lead, bismuth, antimony, titanium etc . Rare earth elements are also nodularisers and aid the effects of the magnesium. In excess, however, rare earths can cause exploded graphite. This is more especially when high purity charges are used which are low in tramp elements. Exploded graphite is normally found in thicker section castings with slow cooling rates or at very high carbon equivalent levels.

Sample with exploded graphite present due to excess concentration of rare earth metals.

Sample with flake graphite on the surface of the casting due to high sulphur content in he moulding sand.

S.G. Iron Castings Confirming to ASTM and DIN STANDARD C- 3.5 to 4.6% Si- 2.0 to 4.0% Mn- 0.4% max S- 0.03% max P- 0.08% max Used in agricultural utilities, earth-moving equipment, automotive parts, and mill equipment.

Chemical composition of the SG cast iron (wt. %). C = 3.1 Si = 3.4 Mn = 0.53 S = 0.01 P = 0.03 Mo = 0.01 Cr = 0.05 Ni = 0.05