What’s the advantages of Ductile iron castings

Ductile iron castings are solid metal objects that result from molten ductile iron being poured into voids in a mold. The ductile iron subsequently cools and solidifies in the shape of the void it occupies.

What is Ductile Iron?

Invented in 1943, ductile iron is a modern iteration of cast iron. Cast iron and ductile iron have contrasting physical properties caused by differences in their microstructures.

The graphite and carbon contained in cast iron occur as flakes; cast iron exhibits positive compressive load capabilities, but tensile loading above its natural tensile strength can cause cracks to form and propagate rapidly out from stress points within the flaked graphite microstructure. As a result, cast iron has virtually no elongation. It is a brittle material, and therefore limited in its use in tensile and shock loading applications.

The graphite within ductile iron occurs as spheroids, so it is sometimes referred to as spheroidal graphite. Similarly, the term nodular iron stems from the fact that the carbon contained in ductile iron is held in the form of nodules. This unique microstructure causes ductile iron to withstand bending and shock loading far better than traditional cast iron.

What is Ductile Iron made from?

Pig iron is used in ductile iron production as a primary source of pure iron. It offers a number of unique advantages: pig iron contains low residual or harmful elements, has a consistent chemistry, promotes optimal slag conditions, and improves process control by providing consistent charge properties. Demand for pig iron has increased in recent years as ductile iron foundries utilize its advantages over alternate iron sources such as iron scrap, or melting steel scrap and adding carbon.

Advantages of Ductile Iron

There are several advantages that ductile iron provides designers:

Ductile iron can be easily cast and machined.

It has an excellent strength to weight ratio.

Ductile iron can be made for a much lower cost than steel.

It has superior castability and machinability.

Ductile iron provides a designer with an exceptional combination of toughness, low cost manufacturing, and reliability.

Ductile Iron Applications

Ductile iron has greater strength and ductility than gray iron. Those properties allow it to be used effectively in a wide variety of industrial applications, including pipe, automotive components, wheels, gear boxes, pump housings, machine frames for the wind-power industry, and many more. Because it does not fracture like gray iron, ductile iron is also safe to use in impact-protection applications, such as bollards.

Custom Casting Services

Reliance Foundry works collaboratively with clients to determine the best material for each custom casting. Request to get more information on how our casting service can match your project requirements.