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Machinability of Gray Cast Iron - Summary and Conclusions

The Casting Engineering Laboratory at UAB has developed the capability of testing the machinability of cast iron using turning experiments and carbide tooling materials. This study was conducted to determine possible contributions to the variation in machinability in three gray irons. The irons had approximately the same tensile strength, Brinell hardness, pearlite microhardness and eutectic cell size.

1. The wear rates of the irons converged at turning speeds greater than 650 sfm. Above this speed, no significant difference in the machinability of the irons was found.

2. At 650 sfm, the volume removed increased by about five times between the "easiest" and "hardest" to machine irons even though the strength and hardness of the irons was approximately the same. These results indicate that tool wear rates are not only determined by the strength and hardness of the irons that are being machined.

3. Higher wear rates in the irons was associated with lower free carbon concentrations and higher combined carbon.

4. Higher wear rates in the irons was associated with higher manganese and tin concentrations.

5. Iron G2 had trace ferrite in the sample examined. This iron was also the most machinable iron.

6. No correlation between the wear rates and the differences in the graphite structure was detected in the irons.

7. The total concentration of hard inclusions in the irons was quite small with the most prevalent hard inclusion being steadite. Higher combined carbon concentrations were associated with the samples with the highest hard inclusion concentrations.

8. Higher wear rates were found in the irons with the higher concentrations of hard inclusions as measured both by number density and volume percent.

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