METALS & STEELS LIMITED

WEST MIDLANDS, United Kingdom

Cast iron is iron or a ferrous alloy which has been heated until it liquifies, and is then poured into a mould to solidify. It is usually made from pig iron. The alloy constituents affect its colour when fractured: white cast iron has carbideimpurities which allow cracks to pass straight through. Grey cast iron has graphite flakes which deflect a passing crack and initiate countless new cracks as the material breaks.Carbon (C) and silicon (Si) are the main alloying elements, with the amount ranging from 2.14 wt% and 13 wt%, respectively. Iron alloys with less carbon content are known as steel. While this technically makes these base alloys ternary FeCSi alloys, the principle of cast iron solidification is understood from the binary ironcarbon phase diagram. Since the compositions of most cast irons are around the eutectic point of the ironcarbon system, the melting temperatures closely correlate, usually ranging from 1, 150 to 1, 200 C (2, 100 to 2, 190 F), which is about 300 C (572 F) lower than the melting point of pure iron.Cast iron tends to be brittle, except for malleable cast irons. With its relatively low melting point, good fluidity, castability, excellent machinability, resistance to deformation and wear resistance, cast irons have become an engineering material with a wide range of applications and are used in pipes, machines and automotive industry parts, such as cylinder heads (declining usage), cylinder blocks and gearbox cases (declining usage). It is resistant to destruction and weakening by oxidation (rust)