Effects of Antimony and Wall Thickness on Graphite Morphology in Ductile Iron Castings

Effects of Sb additions on the graphite morphology of ductile iron castings in different wall thicknesses (3, 12, 25, 38, 50, 75, and 100 mm) were analyzed in this paper. In the wall thicknesses of 3, 12, and 25 mm, low contents of rare earth (RE) elements showed a beneficial effect on nodule count and nodularity. Nodularity >80 pct and a high nodule count were achieved without the addition of Sb. In the wall thicknesses of 38, 50, 75, and 100 mm, nodularity >80 pct was not achieved without the use of the chill or proper content of Sb. Excess of RE elements was neutralized with the addition of proper amount of Sb to the wall thickness. Addition of 0.01 wt pct Sb (ratio of RE/Sb = 0.34, ratio of RE/SE = 0.105) was sufficient to achieve nodularity >80 pct in the wall thicknesses of 38, 50, 75, and 100 mm.