Determination of Gray Cast Iron Age Strengthening by Nondestructive Methods: Effect of Alloying Elements

Alexis Vaucheret (1) , Frédéric Rossi (1) , Jean Quesada (1) , Eric Albertalli (2)

1 LABOMAP - Laboratoire Bourguignon des Matériaux et Procédés
2 Technocentre Renault [Guyancourt]

Gray cast iron age strengthening is a phenomenon known as a modification of the alloy's structure by iron nitride precipitation during few days after casting. It generates an evolution of cast iron mechanical properties as a gain of hardness and Young's modulus. In a first time, this article presents the possibility to monitor the aging time and the intensity of age strengthening using two nondestructive methods: nonstandard Rockwell hardness and inert frequencies measurement. In a second time, the study shows the influence of the alloying elements on this phenomenon and particularly the influence of free nitrogen amount, which is a first-order parameter to control aging. Finally, a prediction model of the time and the intensity of age strengthening has been elaborated using the results of the two different monitoring described

Mots clés: cast iron; age strengthening; Foundry; Mechanical Engineering; General Materials Science; Mechanics of Materials; casting; characterization; hardness; inert frequency; nitrogen

Domaines: Matériaux

Alexis Vaucheret, Frédéric Rossi, Jean Quesada, Eric Albertalli. Determination of Gray Cast Iron Age Strengthening by Nondestructive Methods: Effect of Alloying Elements. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 2019, 28 (7), pp.4026-4033. ⟨10.1007/s11665-019-04180-2⟩. ⟨hal-02284432⟩