Study of the Influence of Alloying Elements on the Mechanical Characteristics and Wear Behavior of a Ductile Cast Iron

Abstract

In the present work, the influence of alloying elements, on the mechanical characteristics and wear behavior by modification of the chemical composition of the ductile iron was studied, in order to improve these characteristics for the manufacture of agricultural tractors parts in particular front and rear axles, ploughshares, gear crankcase, pinions, transmission shafts, crankshafts, etc... The cast iron investigated was prepared in an induction furnace at 1500°C and inoculated with a ferro-silicon-magnesium to 45% Si and 10% Mg. The specimens were casted into self-hardening sand moulds at 1450°C, after an addition of alloying elements, Manganese (0.6%), Nickel (0.5%), Molybdenum (0.2%) and Vanadium(0.1%)) in the base spheroidal graphite cast iron produced. Various techniques, Optical microscopy, Microhardness, Hardness, Tensile strength, Impact resistance, and Wear tests (Wear resistance and Friction coefficient) were used to characterize these specimens. The obtained results show that the tested samples have ductile iron structures formed by ferrite and pearlite. Moreover, mechanical and wear tests prove that the alloyed cast iron has improved characteristics compared to unalloyed cast iron and shows the positive effect of alloying elements on these characteristics.

Effect of cylinder liner cast iron microstructure on friction and wear process

“…On the one hand, ferrite is more prone to wear than pearlite due to its flexibility and ductility. As discussed in the literature [10,50-52], increased ferrite content in cast iron material can reduce its wear resistance. On the other hand, due to stress concentration, ferrite around graphite is more prone to wear and fall off than that in the pearlite matrix.…”

Mechanical Properties and Fracture Toughness Prediction of Ductile Cast Iron under Thermomechanical Treatment

“…Variation in the mechanical performance and fracture toughness by maintenance temperature for ductile cast iron was found. On the other hand, alloying elements [21] such as copper and copper-nickel can reduce the fracture toughness of ductile cast iron [22]. Susil K. Putatunda [23,24] investigated the effect of four temperature steps and a two-step bainitisation process on fracture toughness.…”