Quantitative Analysis of Ductile Iron Microstructure – A Comparison of Selected Methods for Assessment

Abstract

Stereological description of dispersed microstructure is not an easy task and remains the subject of continuous research. In its practical aspect, a correct stereological description of this type of structure is essential for the analysis of processes of coagulation and spheroidisation, or for studies of relationships between structure and properties. One of the most frequently used methods for an estimation of the density Nv and size distribution of particles is the Scheil - Schwartz - Saltykov method. In this article, the authors present selected methods for quantitative assessment of ductile iron microstructure, i.e. the Scheil - Schwartz - Saltykov method, which allows a quantitative description of three-dimensional sets of solids using measurements and counts performed on two-dimensional cross-sections of these sets (microsections) and quantitative description of three-dimensional sets of solids by X-ray computed microtomography, which is an interesting alternative for structural studies compared to traditional methods of microstructure imaging since, as a result, the analysis provides a three-dimensional imaging of microstructures examined.

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and Potentiodynamic Polarization Studies Affected by the Microstructure Array of a Monotectic Al-Pb Alloy in a NaCl Solution

“…29 Underwood 30 has reported basic stereological measurements to determine the number of point features (or phase) in a microstructure per area or per length. The Saltykov method 29,31 and/ or Scheil-Schwartz-Saltykov 32 analysis have been widely used to determine dispersed particles size and diameter. Using the Saltykov method, the distribution of droplet diameters for samples from positions P1, P2, and P3 are shown in Figure 3.…”

Derivation of Equations for a Size Distribution of Spherical Particles in Non-Transparent Materials

“…The methods from the first group are currently most frequently used for an analysis of the graphite size distribution in ductile iron [8][9][10]. The accuracy of these methods has been improved in [11].…”

Spheroidal graphite coalescence during thermal cycling in the ferritic domain of a high-silicon cast iron studied by optical microscopy and X-ray computed tomography

“…Regarding SGI, more systematic studies have been carried out using laboratory XCT, e.g. to compare 3D size distributions as calculated from 2D observation and 3D measured distributions [15,16]. Yayun Yin et al [17] in vestigated tbe effect of casting section size (cooling rate) on tbe 3D size and shape distribution of spheroids.…”