QC control lab for iron castings and machined components

Applications of Ductile Iron Castings

Cast iron is an alloy that contains more than 2 to 2.5% carbon. It is also called as grey cast iron. The second type of cast iron is ductile cast iron that contains magnesium in addition to the carbon. As the name implies, ductile iron castings are more ductile than the normal cast iron. While the graphite content of cast iron makes it brittle, the magnesium in the cast iron makes ductile iron more malleable. It is therefore commonly used where pliability over strength is desired.

Ductile iron derives its name from the fact that it exhibits measurable ductility. By contrast, neither white nor gray iron exhibits significant ductility in a standard tensile test.

The liquid treatment of ductile iron is more complex than that of gray iron. The two stages for the liquid treatment of ductile iron are:

  1. Modification, which consists of magnesium or magnesium alloy treatment of the melt, with the purpose of changing graphite shape from flake to spheroidal.
  2. noculation to increase the nodule count.
 
Increasing the nodule count in ductile cast iron is an important goal, because a higher nodule count is associated with less chilling tendency.

Heat treatment is also used extensively in the processing of ductile iron.

Features of Ductile Iron Castings:

  • Consistency in properties throughout the material
  • Resilience and adequate strength
  • Low level of residual carbides assures operational safety

Applications of ductile Cast Iron
Since it is malleable than cast iron, ductile cast iron is used wherever resilience is required.

Ductile Cast Iron in Automobile Industry
Ductile cast iron is finding increased use in the automobile sector. Car engine parts like bushings, differential shell, and steering parts like control arm shafts, crankshafts and even gears are made of ductile cast iron.

Industrial Applications for Ductile Cast Iron
Ductile cast iron finds use in fluid power applications, glands and rod guides and the machine tool industry.

Piping Industry
The piping industry uses ductile cast iron for a wide range of applications. Pressure pipes and fittings, various types of joints like push-on joints, mechanical joints, and flanged joints all can be cast of ductile iron.

General Industrial Applications
Pulleys and brackets that are needed by the agricultural industry, paper manufacturing units, etc. Require ductile cast iron in one form or other.

Here are a few industries that use ductile iron castings:

  • Aerospace and shipping engineering
  • OEMs
  • Infrastructure development companies
  • Mining and Transportation Industry
  • Pump and Valve manufacturers
  • Flanges and hydro applications
  • Piping industry
  • Paper industry

To summarize, ductile iron castings are finding newer applications in industries across all sectors due to their versatility.