Cast iron is a ferrous alloy of iron, carbon and silicon. With carbon content of 2.1 to 4.5 % and silicon at about 2.2% and small amount of Sulphur, Manganese and Phosphorous.
Iron casting is one of the oldest casting methods in the world. The cast iron is melted and poured into molds or casts to make a part of products of desired size and shape.The cast iron can be used in a range of industries. In the the Manufacturing Process of Cast Iron, the alloying elements determine cast iron type. Compared with steel casting, iron casting has a wide range of advantages of its properties.
The advantages of Iron Cast
· Good casting properties(low Tm, good fluidity).It can be given any complex shape and size without using costly machining operations
· Good machinability (graphite cast irons)
· Low Cost
· Strong compression strength compared to steel
· Excellent anti-vibration (or damping) properties hence it is used to make machine frames
· Good Sensibility
· Excellent resistance to wear
· Constant Mechanical properties between 20 to 350 degree Celsius
· Very low notch sensitivity
· Low stress concentration
· Durability,Resistance to deformation
The applications of Iron Casting
· Automotive parts
· Cookware and utensils
· making anchor for ships.
· Stoves and firebacks
· Cast Iron Piping Pluses
· Engine Block Comeback
· Hardware, hinges, latches
· Columns, balusters,Stairs
· Decorative features,Fences
· Tools and utensils
The types of Iron Cast
The Iron Cast main types are Grey,Ductile,Compacted graphite,White,Malleable,Abrasion resistant,Nodular or spheroidal,Austenitic. Here we make a brief introduction in below table.
Types
Properties
1.White cast iron:
Carbon is present here in the form of Iron carbide (Fe3C).
High compressive strength
Difficult to machine
Good hardness
Resistance to wear
2.Gray cast iron:
Carbon here is mainly in the form of graphite.
It is inexpensive.
Good machinability
Good resistance to galling and wear
High compressive strength
Brittle
3.Ductile cast iron
High ductility
High strength
4.Malleable cast iron
They are made malleable with the help of annealing. They are used to make parts where forging is expensive like, brake supports, hubs of wagon wheels etc. They are in expensive.
High ductility
Tougher than gray cast iron
Be twisted or bent without fracture
Excellent machining capabilities
5.Nodular or spheroidal cast iron
Here graphite is present in the form of spheres or nodules.
High tensile strength
Good elongation properties
Iron Casting Process in foundry
Like other investment casting, there are also different producing methods of iron castings. In our Iron cast foundry, there are 2 main methods for iron casting : sand casting or lost foam casting Technics.
1.Sand Casting
Also called sand molded casting. Is the process that utilizes non-reusable sand molds to form metal castings. Sand casting is used to produce a wide variety of cast iron components with complex geometries. In China, there are three types of sand casting techniques to make iron castings. They are precoated sand casting, resin sand casting and clay sand casting. Among them, precoated sand casting is the most precision sand casting process with general casting tolerance CT8. It is able to produce iron castings less than 2kgs. Clay sand casting is the second precision casting process with general casting tolerance CT9. Iron castings between 2kgs-60kgs are availble in this method. And resin sand casting is mainly used for the production of large iron castings above 60kgs.
2.Lost foam casting
This is another casting technique for iron castings. It is a type of evaporative-pattern casting process that is similar to investment casting. But replace the wax with foam for the pattern. The advantages of lost foam casting is that the boiling point of foam is low, this helps to simplify the investment casting process by removing the need to melt the wax out of the mold. Cast iron is one of the commonly cast material in lost foam casting process. With lost foam casting, we can make small iron castings in good dimensional accuracy and surface finish. For large iron castings, sand casting is preferred.
The common Material used for Iron Casting and standards:
China Iron Casting manufacturer and exporting Company
Jingle-Metal has always committed to one-stop solution provider & partner for metal formed products and small farm machinery, including metal parts, metal components, beam clamp, electrical power fittings, pump, pipe and valve fittings, Mechanical Components/parts, Boat parts and Marine hardware, Construction hardware, Auto parts and accessories, Medical Instrument parts, Impellers and propellers(propellors), Pipe Fittings or pipeline accessories and the production technique includes machining, stamping, fabricating, casting and forging by the material, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, grey iron, ductile iron, copper alloy, which can be widely applied on Construction and House, Agricultural Machinery and parts, Mining Machines, Power Line, Furniture, Automotive Industrial, etc.
