The Difference between Ductile Iron and Gray Iron

29 Apr.,2024

 

The Difference between Ductile Iron and Gray Iron

grey iron casting e between Ductile Iron and Gray Iron

Continuous casting of ductile and gray iron dominates the industry in terms of low material cost, high machinability, and high performance. Both metals are used for a wide range of applications, including construction equipment, pipe fittings, oil field machinery, and even transportation services.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website oem grey iron casting companies.

Each metal has its own advantage due to the differences in carbon levels and is used for different applications according to its strengths.

Gray Iron/Ductile Iron Comparison

 Gray IronDuctile Iron Tensile Strength – + Thermal Conductivity – + Ductility – + Vibration Damping + – Yield Strength – + Machinability + +

Contact continuous cast iron suppliers for gray and ductile iron raw stock.

Gray iron’s tensile strength ranges from 20,000 psi – 60,000 psi, whereas ductile iron ranges from 65,000 psi – 80,000 psi and can be heat treated to 100,000 psi

Ductile iron has lower thermal conductivity so it can insulate better than gray iron

Ductile iron is more tailored for engineering applications

Graphite in ductile iron is nodular and flaked in gray iron—meaning ductile iron is stronger and contains higher ductility

Gray iron dampens vibration better than ductile iron

More details about Versa-Bar gray and ductile iron

Gray and ductile iron, both superior alternatives to steel, each present a different makeup and suitability in the CNC machining industry.

Gray Iron

Construction equipment

Valves and fittings

Compressors and pumps

Diesel engine parts

Transportation system components

Gray iron is often mistakenly described as cheap and dirty metal. Still, its high cutting speeds, superior damping ability, durability, and unique metallurgical makeup make it popular. Part of the gray iron’s success comes from its ability to be easily machined and is used where strength is not a critical requirement, like maintenance hole covers and counterweights. Gray iron is considerably stronger than steel and costs less. You’ll save money in the short AND long run. Consider gray iron the immediate steel replacement. Ductile iron is the next step up.

Ductile iron

Ductile iron offers numerous machining advantages over gray iron.

Ductile continuous cast iron has made its name in the machining industry from its high tensile strength and flexibility. Its flexibility makes it great for being shaped into wires and other applications that require a level of elasticity. Instead of rod-like flakes, the ductile iron bar is composed of graphite nodules making it flexible during solidification. This type of iron is often used in areas that require the ability to elongate under tension. It is most often used in:

Couplings

Machine frames

Hydraulic valves

Pumps

Ductile iron stock is available for sale as a raw material for you to process and finish on your own, or we can finish and machine it into custom continuous cast iron components based on your requirements at our state-of-the-art CNC facility in Waukesha. It’s up to you. We provide you with high-quality ductile iron in whatever form you desire.

The Many Advantages of Gray Cast Iron

Gray Cast Iron (or gray iron) has its name because of its gray-colored fracture. It is the innate graphite content that creates this typical gray fracture. It is the most used type of material for die/mold manufacturing. In this article, we want to talk about the many advantages of this material.

How is Gray Iron Made?

Gray iron is a product made by casting pig iron. Pig iron is an intermediate product in the production of steel. Gray iron contains steel, a small quantity of carbon, arsenic, manganese, and sulfur. If you use a microscope to observe gray iron, you will probably see the microstructure of graphite (which is easy to identify). You may also see black graphite scales in it.

The gray graphite structure is created by the carbon during the hardening process. The properties of gray iron can be altered based on the materials mixed in the casting process. The excellent physical properties make it one of the most commonly used materials today. Let's take a closer look at some advantages and applications of gray cast iron.
 

Advantages of Gray Cast Iron

Below are the advantages of gray iron:
 

Low Cost

One of the many advantages is that gray cast iron has the ability to create complex structures at a relatively low cost. Gray iron castings are common because of the low price. It has sufficient ductility, tensile strength, yield strength, and impact resistance for most applications.
 

Good Vibration/Damping Capability

Gray iron also has outstanding vibration/damping capabilities, which makes it suitable for mechanical and other housing applications. The high level of thermal conductivity makes it efficient to transfer heat through metals.
 

Excellent Compressive Strength

While the tensile strength and impact resistance is weaker than that of most other castings, the compressive strength is equivalent to low-carbon and medium-carbon steel. Such a property is determined by the graphite flakes in its microstructure. We will talk more about compressive strength in the next section.
 

Ability to Withstand Thermal Cycling

Gray iron castings are able to withstand thermal cycling. The thermal cycle refers to the components switching back and forth between higher and lower temperatures. Although thermal cycling may cause stress and premature failure in certain types of metal castings, gray iron has proven to withstand thermal cycling well and not easily stressed.
 

Why is High Compressive Strength Important?

Compressive strength is characterized as the toughness of a metal (or alloy) to withstand a compressive force. The high compressive strength is the major reason why gray iron castings are frequently used to form columns, housings, and structural parts of a machine. High compressive strength usually comes along with some other properties listed as follows:
 

Tensile Strength

The tensile strength of gray iron castings varies based on the content of other components. That said, they usually have an average tensile strength of seven tons per square inch. The strength can be higher with more vanadium added.
 

Deformation Resistance

Gray iron provides very high structural rigidity and anti-deformation quality. However, it is worth noting that the deformation resistance is subject to the structural design of the part. If the part is not well-constructed, it will deform when too much force is applied.
 

Low Melting Point

The melting point is around 1,100 to 1,200 degrees Celsius, which is relatively low.
 

Oxidation Resistance

Gray cast iron is very resistant to oxidation. You don't have to worry about corrosion that much.
 

Applications of Gray Cast Iron

Gray iron castings are heavier than other castings. They are used for many applications. For example, most manhole covers are made of gray iron because of their oxidation resistance. The disc brakes on the vehicles are also likely to be gray iron since it has excellent thermal conductivity. It is commonly used to make cooking utensils too. All in all, gray iron is ideal for making products that require a certain level of strength, corrosion resistance, and heat resistance.
 

A Short Note on Grey Cast Iron and its Applications

When it comes to the tensile strength of grey cast iron, toughness and plastic are lower compared to the cast steel, though it has a significant compressive strength like that of cast steel. Cast iron is also generally used in materials having the worst mechanical properties, while the matrix of mechanical properties of grey iron also exhibits some effect, iron graphite sheets thick, the ferrite matrix of grey cast iron graphite sheets thick, hardness and strength of the minimum, it is generally employed for gas stove parts and other low requirements depending upon the tensile strength. If you take Pearlite matrix of grey cast iron, it contains small graphite, higher hardness and strength, and is considered an important casting material for more important requirements.

The graphite cast iron piece’s Ferrite pearlite matrix is thicker compared to pearlitic grey cast iron; therefore, it exhibits worse performance compared to pearlitic grey cast iron. Thus, there is a great demand for pearlite matrix of grey cast iron in the industry.

Here are some of the features of Grey Cast Iron:
Grey Cast Iron has great casting characteristics, excellent vibration damping, low snatch sensitivity and excellent machinability.

Grey Cast Iron is suitable for small loads as there is no friction and wear and tear and goes into the manufacture of cover, protective cover, hand wheels, oil pan, floor, frame, small handle, hammer, etc.  They are great for a moderate load of castings include the box, frame, base, bed, knife, table, bearing seat, pump, cover, wheels, pipe, valve, motor blocks, flywheel and other applications.

Grey Cast Iron can withstand heavy loads and a certain degree of corrosion resistance or degree of tightness of the more vital castings including gear, cylinder, flywheels, base, cylinder block,  bed, piston, cylinder liner, brake wheel, gearbox, medium pressure valve, coupling plate, etc.

Under high air tightness, wear and high loads, it finds application in important castings include shears, automatic lathe bed, heavy machine tools, high-pressure hydraulic parts, frame, force larger gear, piston rings, bushings, cams, cylinder block, large engine crankshaft, cylinder head, cylinder liner, etc.

Gray Cast Iron

What is Gray Cast Iron?

Gray Cast Iron, also known as gray iron, is a popular type of iron used in castings. The composition of gray cast iron is 2.5%–4% carbon, 1%–3% silicon, and some additions of manganese ranging from 0.1% to 1.2%. Gray iron contains graphitic microstructures, giving the iron it’s gray color. This iron is easily cast but it cannot be forged or worked mechanically, either hot or cold. While the tensile strength and impact resistance of gray iron is weaker than most other metals, the compressive strength is equivalent to low-carbon and medium-carbon steel. For most applications, gray cast iron typically has acceptable ductility, tensile strength, yield strength, and impact resistance. 

 

Gray Cast Iron Properties:

Hardness (Vickers): 161-321

Tensile Strength: 7 tons per square inch on average

Tensile Strength, Ultimate: 16700-102000 psi (115-700 MPa)

Tensile Strength, Yield: 9500-60900 psi (65.5-420 MPa)

Compressive Yield Strength: 83000-200000 psi (572-1380 MPa)

Melting Point: 1140-1200 degrees Celsius 

 

Gray Cast Iron Benefits

There are many unique benefits of using gray cast iron. One of the most notable is gray iron’s enhanced lubrication. The graphite flakes in gray iron allow for better lubrication creating less wear on the cast iron. This makes gray cast iron a great choice for parts like brake rotors. Gray cast iron also has the ability to dampen vibrations making it an excellent choice for housing applications or industrial applications such as machinery bases. Additionally, gray iron has high thermal conductivity allowing it to move heat more easily through the metal.

Gray cast iron can withstand thermal cycling, meaning the iron can go through high and low temperature changes without strain. Thermal cycling can create stress and premature failure in other forms of metal casting, however gray cast iron has continuously proved its ability to withstand thermal cycling. Gray iron is very resistant when it comes to oxidation. Gray cast iron iron develops a protective film or scale on the surface, making it more resistant to corrosion than wrought iron or mild steel.

 

Gray Cast Iron Disadvantages

One of gray cast iron’s biggest pros is also its biggest con. The graphite flakes that give gray iron its added lubrication and resistance to wear, also allows areas of weakness in the metal where fractures can begin. These fractures can cause splits and breakage. Fracturing is why gray iron has low tensile and impact strength.

 

Gray Cast Iron Applications

Gray cast iron has many applications and is often used across every industry such as automotive, construction, and manufacturing. 

Examples of gray cast iron applications:

 

Gears

Hydraulic components

Automotive suspension components

Plow shares

Pumps

Linkages

Stove parts

Steering knuckles

Tractor parts

Valves

Truck suspension components

The company is the world’s best discount stainless steel precision casting supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Other truck parts

Wind turbine housings.

Housing columns

Weights and counterweights

Machinery bases

We are also focusing on enhancing the things administration and QC program in order that we could keep fantastic advantage within the fiercely-competitive enterprise for Grey Iron Casting Supplier

Gray Iron – Gray Cast Iron

In materials engineering, cast irons are a class of ferrous alloys with carbon contents above 2.14 wt%. Typically, cast irons contain from 2.14 wt% to 4.0 wt% carbon and anywhere from 0.5 wt% to 3 wt% of silicon. Iron alloys with lower carbon content are known as steel. The difference is that cast irons can take advantage of eutectic solidification in the binary iron-carbon system. Eutectic is Greek for “easy or well melting.” The eutectic point represents the composition on the phase diagram where the lowest melting temperature is achieved. For the iron-carbon system, the eutectic point occurs at a composition of 4.26 wt% C and a temperature of 1148°C.

 

Gray Iron – Gray Cast Iron

Gray cast iron is the oldest and most common type of iron in existence and probably what most people think of when they hear the term “cast iron.” The carbon and silicon contents of gray cast irons vary between 2.5 and 4.0 wt% and 1.0 and 3.0 wt%, respectively.

Gray cast iron is characterized by its graphitic microstructure, which causes fractures of the material to have a gray appearance. This is due to the presence of graphite in its composition. The graphite forms as flakes in gray cast iron, taking on three-dimensional geometry.

Gray cast iron has less tensile strength and shock resistance than steel, but its compressive strength is comparable to low- and medium-carbon steel. Gray cast iron has good thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity. Therefore it is often used in cookware and brake rotors.

Gray cast iron also has an excellent damping capacity, which is given by graphite because it absorbs the energy and converts it into heat. A large damping capacity is desirable for materials used in structures that induce unwanted vibrations during operation, such as machine tool bases or crankshafts. Materials like brass and steel have small damping capacities allowing vibration energy to be transmitted through them without attenuation.

 

Properties of Gray Cast Iron – ASTM A48 Class 40

Material properties are intensive properties, which means they are independent of the amount of mass and may vary from place to place within the system at any moment. Materials science involves studying materials’ structure and relating them to their properties (mechanical, electrical, etc.). Once materials scientist knows about this structure-property correlation, they can then go on to study the relative performance of a material in a given application. The major determinants of the structure of a material and thus of its properties are its constituent chemical elements and how it has been processed into its final form.

Mechanical Properties of Gray Cast Iron – ASTM A48 Class 40

Materials are frequently chosen for various applications because they have desirable combinations of mechanical characteristics. For structural applications, material properties are crucial, and engineers must consider them.

Strength of Gray Cast Iron – ASTM A48 Class 40

In the mechanics of materials, the strength of a material is its ability to withstand an applied load without failure or plastic deformation. The strength of materials considers the relationship between the external loads applied to a material and the resulting deformation or change in material dimensions. The strength of a material is its ability to withstand this applied load without failure or plastic deformation.

Ultimate Tensile Strength

The ultimate tensile strength of gray cast iron (ASTM A48 Class 40) is 295 MPa.

The ultimate tensile strength is the maximum on the engineering stress-strain curve. This corresponds to the maximum stress sustained by a structure in tension. Ultimate tensile strength is often shortened to “tensile strength” or “the ultimate.” If this stress is applied and maintained, a fracture will result. Often, this value is significantly more than the yield stress (as much as 50 to 60 percent more than the yield for some types of metals). When a ductile material reaches its ultimate strength, it experiences necking where the cross-sectional area reduces locally. The stress-strain curve contains no higher stress than the ultimate strength. Even though deformations can continue to increase, the stress usually decreases after achieving the ultimate strength. It is an intensive property; therefore, its value does not depend on the size of the test specimen. However, it depends on other factors, such as the preparation of the specimen, the presence or otherwise of surface defects, and the temperature of the test environment and material. Ultimate tensile strengths vary from 50 MPa for aluminum to as high as 3000 MPa for very high-strength steel.

 

The hardness of Gray Cast Iron – ASTM A48 Class 40

Brinell hardness of gray cast iron (ASTM A48 Class 40) is approximately 235 MPa.

In materials science, hardness is the ability to withstand surface indentation (localized plastic deformation) and scratching. Hardness is probably the most poorly defined material property because it may indicate resistance to scratching, abrasion, indentation, or even resistance to shaping or localized plastic deformation. Hardness is important from an engineering standpoint because resistance to wear by either friction or erosion by steam, oil, and water generally increases with hardness.

Brinell hardness test is one of the indentation hardness tests developed for hardness testing. In Brinell tests, a hard, spherical indenter is forced under a specific load into the surface of the metal to be tested. The typical test uses a 10 mm (0.39 in) diameter hardened steel ball as an indenter with a 3,000 kgf (29.42 kN; 6,614 lbf) force. The load is maintained constant for a specified time (between 10 and 30 s). For softer materials, a smaller force is used; for harder materials, a tungsten carbide ball is substituted for the steel ball.

The test provides numerical results to quantify the hardness of a material, which is expressed by the Brinell hardness numberHB. The Brinell hardness number is designated by the most commonly used test standards (ASTM E10-14[2] and ISO 6506–1:2005) as HBW (H from hardness, B from Brinell, and W from the material of the indenter, tungsten (wolfram) carbide). In former standards, HB or HBS were used to refer to measurements made with steel indenters.

The Brinell hardness number (HB) is the load divided by the surface area of the indentation. The diameter of the impression is measured with a microscope with a superimposed scale. The Brinell hardness number is computed from the equation:

There are various test methods in common use (e.g., Brinell, Knoop, Vickers, and Rockwell). Some tables correlate the hardness numbers from the different test methods where correlation is applicable. In all scales, a high hardness number represents a hard metal.

Thermal Properties of Gray Cast Iron – ASTM A48 Class 40

Thermal properties of materials refer to the response of materials to changes in their temperature and the application of heat. As a solid absorbs energy in the form of heat, its temperature rises, and its dimensions increase. But different materials react to the application of heat differently.

Heat capacity, thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity are often critical in solids’ practical use.

Melting Point of Gray Cast Iron – ASTM A48 Class 40

The melting point of gray cast iron – ASTM A48 steel is around 1260°C.

In general, melting is a phase change of a substance from the solid to the liquid phase. The melting point of a substance is the temperature at which this phase change occurs. The melting point also defines a condition where the solid and liquid can exist in equilibrium.

Thermal Conductivity of Gray Cast Iron – ASTM A48 Class 40

The thermal conductivity of gray cast iron – ASTM A48 is 53 W/(m. K).

The heat transfer characteristics of solid material are measured by a property called the thermal conductivity, k (or λ), measured in W/m.K. It measures a substance’s ability to transfer heat through a material by conduction. Note that Fourier’s law applies to all matter, regardless of its state (solid, liquid, or gas). Therefore, it is also defined for liquids and gases.

The thermal conductivity of most liquids and solids varies with temperature, and for vapors, it also depends upon pressure. In general:

 

Most materials are nearly homogeneous. Therefore we can usually write k = k (T). Similar definitions are associated with thermal conductivities in the y- and z-directions (ky, kz), but for an isotropic material, the thermal conductivity is independent of the direction of transfer, kx = ky = kz = k.

Our well-equipped facilities and excellent quality control throughout all stages of manufacturing allow us to guarantee complete satisfaction to buyers of Ductile Iron Casting,OEM Service Custom stainless steel,Custom aluminum casting,OEM Grey Iron Casting Company,ductile iron casting suppliers,ductile iron sand casting for sale,high-quality iron castings

Casting aluminum parts - Metal Foundry Manufacturer

Home / Aluminum products

Aluminum products

Vietnam Cast Iron manufactures aluminum casting for various applications. Our products are customized for different requirements. Browse the category and contact us to get more detailed information.

Aluminum products are very common in use. From aerospace, kitchen items to civil equipment, we all find casting aluminum parts.

Vietnam Cast Iron is the aluminum casting manufacturer. We are able to cast aluminum products according to customer’s drawings and requirements (OEM).

At our foundry, we apply mainly sand mold methods to create aluminum products. This method is advantageous for its versatile and cost-effectiveness.

Being manufactured by experienced workers, and supervised by technical experts, all of our aluminum products are high strength, fine surface finish, high quality, and reasonable price.

Check out our category to see our casting ability. Contact us today to get a quote for your project. Also, send us your own drawing or requirement if there ar any.

List of our aluminum casting products:

Showing all 13 results

What is aluminum casting?

Aluminum Casting is a metalworking process, in which the metal liquids being pouring into the mold or form are aluminum or aluminum alloy.

Through the casting process, aluminum and aluminum alloy are shaped and formed for different proposes.

This process is often used to cast complicated and detailed products very efficiently.

What are aluminum casting applications?

Aluminum and aluminum alloys are extremely abundant with the second-highest degree of common use among metals. Aluminum machining is very popular and widely applied in numerous industries.

  • Marine Industry: Aluminum has good anti-wear properties, so it is often used to cast components for the marine industry. Numerous aluminum products can be listed such as hydraulic hoses, the ship’s underwater parts, etc.
  • Transportation Industry: Aluminum and aluminum alloy casting products are very often used to manufacture accessories for vehicles such as cars, motorbike, bike, train, etc.
  • Aerospace Industry: Due to their lightweight, durability, and aesthetics, aluminum is widely used in aircraft manufacturing (aircraft housings and some aircraft body parts), and also other equipment for the aerospace industry.
  • Mechanical Industry: It is very easy to find aluminum applications for machinery parts in the mechanical industry such as machine body and frame, cargo conveyor, etc.
  • Civil Industry: Aluminum and aluminum alloy castings are also popular in use such as doors, gates, stairs, seats, etc. Additionally, they are also used as the outer shell for electronic devices such as laptops, phones, watches, etc.
  • Kitchen Industry: Application in manufacturing kitchen equipment such as pots, pans, pan supports, etc. They not only bring nice visuals but also maintain reasonable prices.

At Vietnam Cast Iron, we manufacture aluminum products (OEM) for almost industries.

Why aluminum casting is popular?

As we can see aluminum products are pretty much widely applications in both daily life and heavy industries.

The question is why it is so popular? Definitely there are excellent advantages that aluminum products expose resulting in its popularity.

  1. Firstly, the aluminum product is strong and durable. Although they are not as strong as cast iron, aluminum strength is enough for typical applications.
  2. Secondly, except for the above benefits, another reason why people like this material is its price. In comparison, aluminum casting is economic than other processes. Its price may cheaper a half than others.

How to process aluminum casting?

There are different methods to produce aluminum products. Each of them maintains advantages and limitations.

Vietnam Cast Iron introduces below three main processes commonly apply in aluminum and aluminum alloy processing in the metal foundries.

Die Casting

Through the die casting, the molten aluminum is forced into the steel die (mold) under pressure. This method is often applied when the production volume of aluminum casting is large.

Precisely formed aluminum parts requiring a minimum of machining and finishing can be produced through this casting method.

Permanent mold casting

Molds for this method usually are made from steel or other metals. The molten aluminum is poured into the mold. In comparison with die casting, the permanent mold castings create the stronger aluminum castings.

The limitation of this process is that the final products are hard to remove from the permanent molds. Therefore the semi-permanent process often is replaced.

Sand mold casting

The most popular method using in aluminum processing is sand mold casting. A pattern is pressed into the flask which contains sand. After removal of the pattern, a mold cavity is created.

Simple pouring the molten aluminum into the cavity. Waiting for cooling down, then the casting is collected.

This method is versatile and economic. Sand mold casting allows for casting different complicated shapes. It is also a cost-effective manufacturing process, helping to reduce the product price.

The sand mold casting is preferable to cast-aluminum products with intricate shapes and large production volumes.

For all aluminum products, Vietnam Cast Iron considers the effectiveness and discusses with our partners to find the best process solutions so that bring the best benefits to our customers.

Why you should choose Vietnam Cast Iron’s aluminum casting products?

Vietnam Cast Iron is the aluminum product manufacturer for customers across the world. Spending especially one facility for casting aluminum, we are able to produce OEM products for various applications.

Our aluminum products are processed mainly by sand mold casting which enables us to cast different designs and save cost for the buyers.

At Vietnam Cast Iron, we work with our customers to find the best solutions for their requirements. We don’t look at the short term benefits but long term partnerships with our customers. Therefore all of our products manufactured with the criteria is that quality is our priority.

For all of Vietnam Cast Iron aluminum products, we guarantee that all of them are featured by:

  • Good surface finish
  • High strength
  • High quality
  • Competitive price

An order with Vietnam Cast Iron will save you money upfront and long term. Call us today to find out how we can make your project exceptional.

For more joint lost foam ductile iron castings supplierinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

Contact information:

  • Vietnam Cast Iron Co.Ltd
  • Lai Xuan, Thuy Nguyen District, Hai Phong city, Vietnam
  • [email protected]