Composite Materials Processing of Cast Iron and Ceramics Using Compo-Casting Technology

Abstract

The compo-casting technology of ceramics and cast iron is expected to be one of the major casting technologies that can expand the application fields of cast iron. This technique allows the heat energy of the molten metal to be utilized to produce cast iron products which are added with functions of ceramic materials. The largest problem in compo-casting technology is generation of cracks caused by thermal shock. Although this crack generation can be prevented by reducing the thermal stress by means of preheating ceramics, the necessary preheating temperature is considerably high and its precise controlling is difficult at the practical foundry working sites. In this study, we tried to numerically predict the critical preheating temperature of ceramics using the thermal stress analysis in unsteady heat transfer and the Newman's diagram, and found that the preheating of ceramics to reduce thermal stress could be substituted with placing an appropriate cast iron cover around the ceramics.Excellent results were obtained by using a method whereby a ceramic bar was covered with a flake graphite cast iron cover and fixed in a sand mold and then molten metal was poured.Then, two or three ceramics were examined at the same time under the compocasting condition. As a result, three specimens could be done at the same time by adjusting the cover space to 15mm. Moreover, irregular shape ceramics were examined under the compocasting condition. As a result, the compocasting could be done by devising the cover shape. In each condition, it was confirmed that the cover shape made from the analytical result was effective to the compocasting by doing the thermometry of the specimens. Kinki University (3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashiosaka 577-8502, Japan)