Trace elements and the control limits in ductile iron

Abstract

Since the invention and start of production of ductile iron in the 1940’s people working in the area have tried to find a way to easily control the final properties of the cast product. For this several different equations calculating the effect of trace elements have been developed. There are equations trying to predict nodularity, pearlite percentage (and thus ferrite), segregation, balancing harmful trace element content and so on. This paper reviews some of these equations and discusses their appropriate fields of use. Equations for predicting the appearance of degenerate and chunky graphite and how to balance the harmful trace elements are also discussed.