Technological pecularities of producing cast iron with spherical graphite using a fast-cooled copper-magnesium ligature
Authors: Slutsky A. G. , Kulinich I. L. , Sheinert V. A. , Stefanovich V. A. , Trubitsky R. E. , Kotkov A. V. 
Published: June 2020

Various modifiers are used for non-furnace processing of cast iron. Some of them are designed for inoculating modification, which improves mechanical properties and eliminates the appearance of whiteness in castings, while others are designed for spheroidizing processing, in particular for producing cast iron with spherical and vermicular graphite. Some have both spheroidizing and inoculating properties. The main part of inoculating and spheroidizing modifiers is made on iron-silicon, Nickel and copper bases.

In addition to the chemical composition, the size of the modifier particles, as well as their shape, are of great importance for modification. The optimal size of the fraction depends significantly on the non-furnace processing technology. Thus, for the larger the bucket and the longer the casting the longer the modification effect is required. One of the methods to achieve this is to increase the particle size of the modifier to 50 mm. When intraform processing of cast iron with spherical and vermicular graphite, magnesium-containing modifiers have strict limits on the upper size (4...5 mm), and in addition, the content of small fractions (less than 0.6...1 mm) is not allowed.

The use of «heavy» magnesium-containing ligatures for spheroidizing modification of cast iron in order to obtain higher physical and mechanical properties has scientific and practical interest. Numerous studies show that for maximum effect the formation of the structure of the spheroidal graphite, dispersed pearlite metallic base of SGI (spheroidal graphite iron) relevant question is not only selection of the chemical composition of magnesium alloys, but also of the fractional composition, as well as effective method of input into the liquid melt.

The purpose of this work was to study the technological features of obtaining cast iron with spherical graphite by bucket modification of copper-magnesium ligature.

The researchers used a Leo–1420 scanning microscope, a Polam l-213 optical microscope, and a VEGA II LMU electron microscope with an INCA ENERGY 350 microanalyzer. High-speed induction melting plant, a set of equipment for analyzing the technological and mechanical properties of high-strength cast iron were used.

Earlier experimental studies have shown the real possibility of obtaining in the laboratory a «heavy» copper-magnesium alloys as the alloying of magnesium metal with copper, followed by rapid cooling with use of rolling and plastic deformation of powder alloys. Analysis of test results of samples of such alloys showed that it depends on the value of its additives into liquid iron in the structure of formed graphite phase in compacted and globular form. At the same time, the metal base of cast iron is additionally alloyed with copper, which has a favorable effect on the strength characteristics of SGI.

However, an urgent problem is the possibility of the appearance of a cementite phase in the structure of high-strength cast iron as a result of its increased supercooling due to the process of spheroidization of the graphite phase. This phenomenon is compounded by the fact that the copper-magnesium ligature, in contrast to the «light» ligature, does not contain silicon active graphitizer. This feature must be taken into account when obtaining high-strength cast iron of high grades.