DUCTILE IRON
DEGENERATED GRAPHITE
DUCTILE IRON: DEGENERATED GRAPHITE
SEGREGATION
The degeneration is increasing with an increasing amount of the following factors:
Graphite flotation
1. High carbon equivalent
2. Large sections, wall thickness (> 150 mm gives high risk)
3. High heights and simple shaped
4. High pouring temperature
5. Too much inocculation
In general low cooling rate between pouring and complete solidification.
Appears at the top of the casting and under the horizontal cores
Exploded graphite
1. High carbon equivalent (Ceq > 4,33)
2. Too high cerium (also lanthanum, neodymium, praesodimium are working
in such way) content (compared to content of trace elements and wall
thickness), mostly > 0,02 %
3. Low cooling rate from pouring temperature to complete solidification
4. Too high magnesium content (Mg > 0,08 %)
Appears mostly in hot spot, riser-casting connections
Chunky graphite
1. Wall thickness, section: can appear in all sections
2. Too high amount of Ce compared to trace elements (Pb, Ti, As…)
3. Too high cerium content compared to wall thickness
4. Too much inoculation
5. Too high silicon content compared to wall thickness
6. Too high nickel content
7. Less dependant on carbon equivalent compared to exploded graphite
Ir G.D HENDERIECKX GIETECH BV November 2004 1
DUCTILE IRON
DEGENERATED GRAPHITE
Appears mostly in hot spot, riser-casting connections
Intercellular flake graphite
1. Too high oxygen content
2. Too high trace elements (Pb, Ti, As, Bi, Cd, Al, Sn, Cu…)
3. Too high nitrogen content in mould material
4. Too high oxygen content in mould material
5. Large wall thickness (hot spots) (> 150 mm wall gives definitely flake
graphite at the surface)
Appears mostly in surface, especially the side and top surfaces of the
casting
Dross
1. Too high sulphur content before magnesium treatment
2. Too high magnesium content combined with high silicon content
3. Too large wall thickness
4. Too high oxygen content in metal, mould material
Appears mostly in surface, especially the side and top surfaces of the
casting
Compacted graphite
1. Too low Mg content (< 0,03 %)
2. Too high S-content compared to added Mg (FeSiMg)
3. Resulfurisation of liquid metal (due to presence of slag layer)
Appears all over the casting or at the top of the casting in thick sections.
Nodule alignment
1. Low Ceq (< < 4,3)
2. and under-inoculation
3. slow cooling
4. and or high pouring temperature
Appears not at the surface but inside the material section.
Ir G.D HENDERIECKX GIETECH BV November 2004 2
DUCTILE IRON
DEGENERATED GRAPHITE
Carbides
1. High Mg content
2. High violent Mg-treatment
3. Presence of carbide promoting elements (mostly present in steel addition)
like: Mo, Cr, V…
4. Low Ceq
5. High pouring temperature
6. Poor inoculation (amount and or type).
Appears throughout the section, with small increase in the last
solidifying area.
Abnormal secondary graphite
1. after heat treatment
2. mostly presence of Cu, Sn, RE
Ir G.D HENDERIECKX GIETECH BV November 2004 3
DUCTILE IRON
DEGENERATED GRAPHITE
SUMMARY
Intercellular
Graphite Exploded Chunky
Influenced by flake Dross
flotation graphite graphite
graphite
Carbon equivalent x x
Trace elements x x
Cerium x x
Magnesium x x x
Wall thickness x x x x
Shape, height of casting x
Pouring temperature x
Too much inocculation x x
Too high Silicon x x
Too high Nickel x
Too much oxygen metal x x
Too much oxygen mould x x
Too much nitrogen in mould x
Too much sulphur x
Ir G.D HENDERIECKX GIETECH BV November 2004 4
DUCTILE IRON
DEGENERATED GRAPHITE
PICTURES OF GRAPHITE
Ir G.D HENDERIECKX GIETECH BV November 2004 5
DUCTILE IRON
DEGENERATED GRAPHITE
Ir G.D HENDERIECKX GIETECH BV November 2004 6
