Ductile Iron Casting

Ductile iron is a type of graphite-rich casting iron, but it has not a long history that it was discovered in 1943.

Ductile iron actually is not a single material. It's a group of materials that can be produced with a wide range of properties through control of their microstructure. The ductile graphite is in the form of nodules rather than flakes as in the grey iron. Whereas sharp flakes create stress concentration points within the metal matrix, rounded nodules inhibit the creation of cracks, thus providing the enhanced ductility that gives the alloy its name. It is a type of casting process that involves melting iron and adding a small amount of magnesium to create a material that is highly malleable and ductile. While silica sol casting is a type of investment casting that uses a soluble glass binder to create intricate and highly detailed parts with excellent surface finishes.

Of course, casting is one of the major ductile iron applications. The casting part result from molten ductile iron being poured into voids in a mold. Ductile iron can be produced from steel or iron scrap, but pig iron is the primary source of infeed for most modern ductile iron casting manufacturers. Pig iron is an intermediate product.

Can ductile iron pipe be welded?

Ductile cast iron is different from gray cast iron, which is spheroidized to make its mechanical properties significantly improved, mainly for the manufacture of mechanical properties required for higher castings, but also with a certain range instead of carbon steel or alloy steel to create a higher strength, complex shape of the casting. This requires that when welding ductile iron, not only to ensure that no welding defects, but also from the strength point of view so that the weld has good strength and plasticity. Ductile cast iron is commonly used magnesium alloy as a nebulizer, and magnesium is an element that prevents graphitization, which will cause white mouth organization when welding, which is one of the main difficulties of welding ductile iron. As the ductile iron foundry, RAY FORCE is committed to providing high-quality ductile iron casting for customers.

Which is ductile cast iron?

Cast iron was developed by the French in 1722 when it was developed as white heart malleable cast iron and later developed successively as black heart malleable cast iron. It was not until 1947 that an Englishman discovered the presence of spheroidal graphite in cast iron, which is actually a kind of ductile cast iron. Later on, through continuous improvement, some rare earth and magnesium were added to the cast iron to get a real sense of ductile cast iron. And from then on, it also began to be mass-produced and applied and became the most widely used cast iron material. As we know, China is one of the first countries in the world to start metal smelting. So in some iron excavated from ancient smelting sites in China, the test found a small amount of radial spheroidal graphite appearing. It is proved that this iron appeared in the Western Han Dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago, which proves once again that China had very high smelting technology and investment casting technology in ancient times.

Ductile Iron Applications

Ductile iron is commonly used in the production of the complex force, strength, toughness, wear resistance, and other parts with high requirements, such as crankshafts, camshafts of automobiles, tractors, internal combustion engines, etc., and medium-pressure valves of general machinery. The stainless steel casting China products made by metal casting manufacturers can also be used as storage and transportation containers for highly radioactive objects.

Ductile iron casting is particularly well-suited for vacuum investment casting because of its high ductility and toughness, which makes it resistant to cracking and other defects. It is also known for its good machinability and corrosion resistance, making it a popular choice for a wide range of applications in industries such as automotive, construction, and agriculture.

Grey Cast Iron VS Ductile Cast Iron

Ductile cast iron has better wear resistance and toughness, but poor heat dissipation. And ductile cast iron is suitable for the crankshaft, and joints in auto parts.

Gray cast iron has high hardness, poor toughness, and wear resistance, but good heat dissipation. But heat dissipation is good, and it is suitable for gasoline cylinders and other products that need good heat dissipation in automobile casting.