Extrema of micro-hardness in fully pearlitic compacted graphite cast iron

Jacques Lacaze (1) , Charbel Moussa (2) , Yannick Thebault (1) , Wilson L Guesser (3)

1 CIRIMAT - Centre interuniversitaire de recherche et d'ingenierie des matériaux
2 CEMEF - Centre de Mise en Forme des Matériaux
3 UDESC - Santa Catarina State University

For improving mechanical strength of cast irons, a fully pearlitic matrix is sought by alloying with tin, copper and manganese. This applies in particular to the compacted graphite irons considered here. While average macro-and micro-hardness values were similar for the four fully pearlitic alloys under study, it was found that high copper and low tin content showed some very high maximum micro-hardness values, significantly higher than the corresponding mean. Such values may be seen as hard points in the material that would certainly impair machinability. Discussion of the reasons for these extreme values opens directions for further studies.

Mots clés: Iron alloys; casting; carbon and graphite; hardness; pearlite

Domaines: Mécanique des matériaux [physics.class-ph]

Jacques Lacaze, Charbel Moussa, Yannick Thebault, Wilson L Guesser. Extrema of micro-hardness in fully pearlitic compacted graphite cast iron. International Journal of Cast Metals Research, The, 2020, 33 (4-5), pp.218-225. ⟨10.1080/13640461.2020.1832308⟩. ⟨hal-02966196⟩