Gray cast iron is the most commonly used type of cast iron.
Gray cast iron is a cast iron with a large amount of flake graphite dispersed in a pearlite (or ferrite) matrix. Slow cooling during pouring can promote graphitization, and gray cast iron can be obtained. It is distinguished from white cast iron because the fracture is often gray-black. Gray cast iron is generally classified as a brittle material. In addition, the main disadvantages of gray cast iron include low tensile strength, poor toughness, and no forgeability. Specifically:
Low tensile strength: Gray cast iron has a lower tensile strength than steel, which means it is easy to break when subjected to tension.
Poor toughness: Gray cast iron has poor toughness and is prone to brittle fracture, especially when subjected to impact loads.
No forgeability: Compared with steel, gray cast iron is not forgeable, which means it cannot be processed by forging.
In addition, gray cast iron has the characteristic of low notch sensitivity, that is, its performance degradation is not as obvious as steel in the case of notches.
Easy to crack
Gray cast iron is prone to cracks at high temperatures. This is because during the casting process, if the furnace temperature is not high enough, the molten metal solidifies prematurely. In addition, the thermal stability of gray cast iron is also poor, and it is easy to break under high temperature, strong cold, strong earthquake and other environments.
Low tensile strength
Compared with other materials, gray cast iron has lower tensile strength and is prone to deformation or cracking under long-term stress. This makes gray cast iron difficult to perform in some application scenarios with high strength requirements.
Susceptible to corrosion
Because gray cast iron contains a higher proportion of carbon, it is more susceptible to corrosion. Using gray cast iron products in a humid or chemical environment is prone to passivation and corrosion problems.
Rough surface
During the casting process, due to the rapid solidification of the metal, the surface of gray cast iron is rough, and it is impossible to achieve high precision and is not suitable for precision machining.
High cost
Since the production process of gray cast iron is relatively complicated and requires high technical support for equipment and process, the production cost is relatively high. For some industries with cost requirements, gray cast iron is not suitable.
Therefore, the above disadvantages should be selected and applied according to specific needs in industrial production. At present, the main applications of gray cast iron are underground pipes, water pipes, drainage pipes, street lamp posts and other castings. If you need OEM large quantities of gray cast iron parts, you can choose Mulan Metal. Mulan Metal has 12 years of metal casting customization services, customers in more than 30 countries, complete certificates, and can meet the needs of customers in different countries.
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