Cast Iron and Its Types
What is a cast iron? Cast iron are ferrous alloys with greater than 2% carbon. They also contain small amounts of other materials such as silicon, sulphur, manganese, & phosphorous. In general it consists alloys of carbon & iron. They are the least expensive of all metals and is found plentiful resource than next to aluminium. What makes cast iron an important material? It is a cheap metallurgical substance. Good mechanical rigidity and good strength under compression. Easy castablility. Good machinability can be achieved when a suitable composition is selected. Composition : Carbon – 3.0 to 4.0% Silicon – 1.0 to 3.0% Manganese – 0.5 to 1.0% Sulphur – upto 0.1% Phosphorus – upto 1.0% Influence of cooling rate on the properties : Types : Grey (General purpose) White (Hard & Wear resistant) Malleable (Heat treated for ductility) Spheroidal Graphite (Some ductility) Grey Cast Iron: It is the least expensive & the most common type of cast iron. It is an alloy of carbon