Cast Iron: What Makes Cast Iron Most Popular Material In Machine Design

In the engineering Plant, the Cast Iron is obtained by re-melting Pig Iron with Coke and Limestone in Cupola Furnace.

It is primarily an alloy of Iron and Carbon. So, The Carbon content varies from 1.7 to 4.5 %.

It also contains small amounts of Silicon, Manganese, Phosphorus, and Sulfur.

The Carbon in it is present in either of the following forms,

01) Free Carbon or Graphite.

02) Combined Carbon.

Hence we cannot use this material in those Parts of Machines that are subjected to Shocks.

This is due to its Property of Brittleness.

cast iron

So, Below is the description of Cast Iron

The Compressive Strength of this material is much greater than the Tensile Strength.

Hence it has good Casting characteristics, high Compressive Strength, Wear Resistance, Excellent Machinability, and Low in Cost.

These Properties made, a valuable Material for Engineering purposes.

  • Following are the various types of cast iron, used in the Engineering Field

A) Grey Cast Iron.
B) White Cast Iron.
C) Mottled Cast Iron.
D) Malleable Cast Iron.
E) Alloy Cast Iron.
 
  • Effect of Impurities

As you know from above, it contains small percentages of Silicon, Manganese, Phosphorus, and Sulfur.

These may be treated as Impurities in the C. I.

So, the effect of these Impurities on the Iron is as follows.

  • Sulfur

It makes C.I. Hard and Brittle. Hence it should be kept well below 0.1% for Foundry Purpose.

  • Manganese

It makes C.I. White and Hard. Because of this, it is often kept below 0.75%.

Also, it helps to exert a controlling influence over the harmful effects of Sulfur.

Hence has become an engineering material with a wide range of applications and is used in pipes, machines, and automotive industry parts.

Also, used for cylinder heads (declining usage), cylinder blocks, and gearbox cases (declining usage).

Besides this information, you are suggested to read something more from below engineering books

So, Here you find the Best Engineering Resources for further details

To get the more details about the topic, I further recommended reading

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