The Use of Cast Iron in Engineering and Good Machining Qualities - Essay Example

Is Cast Iron Still Relevant Today Student’s Name Institution Date Is Cast Iron Still Relevant Today Cast iron is an alloy that is made up of carbon, silicon and iron together with other elements. It has 4% carbon, about 3% silicon and the rest of the components are made up of iron. There are many types of cast iron which are used for different purposes. The main types of cast iron are white, grey, ductile and malleable cast iron. Cast iron has a low melting point which makes it suitable for machining and other industrial uses. It is used to make cylinder blocks, pipes, machinery and other industrial processes. This paper will discuss whether cast iron is still relevant for engineering today through a technical point of view. Malleable cast iron is formed after heating white cast iron at a temperature of more than 900 degrees centigrade. Cast iron has various advantages because it is not very heavy and does not wear easily like other types of metals. Cast ductile iron bars have strong structural qualities which make them suitable for different types of engineering processes. These iron bars are able to withstand different forms of pressure in areas they are used. In the long term, cast iron ductile bars offer more advantages than steel because they are easy to set up on site at a lower cost. Ductile cast iron is easily machined because it is not brittle. Its durability allows it to absorb different environmental conditions such as oxidation easily which enables it to overcome corrosive elements easily (Fearn, 2001). Cast iron has several properties that make it suitable for manufacturing durable components for different industrial functions. Grey cast iron was widely used in the 1960’s to construct different types of structures in North America and Europe. Grey cast iron’s tensile strength is weaker than that of steel because of the components that make it up. It has 2.5-4.0% carbon, 1-3% silicon and the remaining components are made up of iron elements. Its shock resistance qualities are not very strong but it has good compressive strength compared to steel. The compressive strength of grey cast iron makes it suitable for various machining processes in different industries. Its can be compressed into various shapes and this makes it more ideal compared to steel (Fearn, 2001). It is necessary for an engineer to factor in different types of stresses and corrosive conditions which cast iron material is likely to be subjected to before it is used. White cast iron has a lot of carbides and these make it hard and resistant to any type of wear. White cast iron also has high compressive ability compared to steel and other metals. It is very brittle and it is unsuitable for structural engineering functions. It is mostly used to engineer different types of machinery surfaces and can also be used to provide internal heat insulation in commercial and domestic environments. White cast iron is used to make grinding machines, coal mining instruments and other machines which drill and dig out tough surfaces. At times, it is cooled slowly to form a mass grey cast iron which makes the resulting cast iron tougher on the outside and inside (Askeland, 2013). Malleable cast iron is formed from white iron casting after being heated at high temperatures exceeding 900 degrees. The surface tension that occurs during the heating process makes graphite to separate from other particles in the cast to form spherical components. The low aspect ratio during the heating processes makes it difficult for these spherical components to form. Therefore, this allows the iron to be more malleable into different shapes which can be used as decorative features. Malleable cast iron is used to make different rotational parts that are used in industrial and automotive processes. It is used to make crank shafts, bearings and other wheel parts that are used in cars, and other machines that have complex automotive functions. Malleable cast iron can also be used to manufacture pump components used for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. It is very ductile and this allows it to be used to manufacture such components (Askeland, 2013). Cast iron is easy to machine because its graphite particles are able to disintegrate from other components easily. The chips which are broken from cast iron do not contaminate the environment after they are disposed off compared to steel chips which contain lead components. As a consequence, ductile iron is a better substitute for leaded steel in different types of engineering processes. Graphite in cast iron allows heat to be moved away from the area of friction. This attribute makes cast iron better than steel in industrial operations that involve a lot of cutting. The separation of graphite from other metallic components during heating makes cast iron lighter than steel. Therefore, this makes cast iron more suitable for mechanical systems that have gears and levers (Berns & Theisen, 2008). The process of combining carbon with iron results in iron carbide which is very hard and brittle. After cooling the iron combines with ferrite plates to form pearlite which is easily machined compared to other types of cast iron. Different types of ductile cast iron have varying quantities of ferrite and pearlite which affect their strength and hardness. An increase in the quantity of pearlite makes ductile cast iron harder and stronger, which makes it more difficult to machine it. It is also very difficult to stretch a ductile cast iron because it is brittle. Alloys which are used to stabilise iron during the casting process have an effect on its machinability. Silicon inoculants that are used to separate granite components from cast iron make it difficult to stretch it into different shapes and sizes. During casting, it is more difficult to stretch thick cast iron rods because they do not nucleate easily. Proper conditions need to be set at the foundry during heating to ensure casted iron does not lose its vital components that make it easy to machine (Berns & Theisen, 2008). Cast iron pipes that are used in different structures need to be properly assessed before they are made part of the final design. It is necessary to determine the optimum pressure during external and internal loading to assess different forms of stress the pipe can withstand. Therefore, in ideal situations, whenever the external load pressure is increased, the internal load pressure needs to be reduced. This helps an engineer ensure that cast iron pipes used meet safety requirements and functional needs of a particular structure. The combined load that is to be carried through a specific pipe should not go beyond its capacity to protect it from excessive pressure. Width allowances need to be taken into consideration when cast iron pipes are included in the design of a structure (Grote & Antonsson, 2009). Structural designs need to allocate adequate allowances for such pipes to ensure they do not consume a lot of space after the structure has been completed. Cast iron is not used on a large scale in architectural support systems because it cannot withstand high temperatures when it is subjected to a lot of heat. This makes it unsafe for building large structures because it is unsuitable for constructing structural beams. Large casted iron beams easily develop internal fractures at their bases which weaken their stability. In the past, when casted iron was used to construct girders for railway and road bridges, they became weak and unstable, which resulted in many accidents. Cast iron components disintegrate when they are subjected to a lot of strain, thereby causing structures which depend on them to disintegrate (Stefanescu, 2009). Modern usage of cast iron has been restricted to making pipes and other machine components which are not used as crucial support beams. Cast iron is suitable for developing ornamental designs on different structures because of its malleability. It can be twisted into different shapes which can be used to draw different figures which make a structure more visually appealing. Cast iron is also used to insulate electric cables in different structures to enhance safety. These cables can be passed through pipes linking different floors and sections of a structure which makes it easy for electricity connections to be distributed to different areas in a structure. Gray cast iron melts at a low temperature and is good for producing different machine bits at a low cost. It is necessary for tool wear tests to be done to determine the speed with which cast iron can be machined to avoid any problems that are likely to occur. Cast iron should not be subjected to high speeds during machining as this is likely to make it wear quickly (Stefanescu, 2009). There are different factors which affect the use of cast iron in engineering. Since it is affected by high heat temperatures, cast iron cannot be used in the construction of different types of structures. Cast iron has good machining qualities and this makes it appropriate for making different drill bits and machine parts. If the right turning tools are used, high quality cast iron can be produced to serve different needs in different environments. Therefore, it can be concluded that the cast iron is relevant today and its of great importance especially in engineering field. References Askeland, D.R. (2013). Essentials of materials, science & engineering, SI edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Berns, H. & Theisen, W. (2008). Ferrous materials: Steel and cast iron. Berlin, Germany: Springer. Fearn, J. (2001). Cast iron. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. Grote, K.H, & Antonsson, E.K. (2009). Springer handbook of mechanical engineering, volume 10. Berlin, Germany: Springer. Stefanescu, D.M. (2009). Science and engineering of casting solidification. New York, NY: Springer. Read More

Malleable cast iron is formed from white iron casting after being heated at high temperatures exceeding 900 degrees. The surface tension that occurs during the heating process makes graphite to separate from other particles in the cast to form spherical components. The low aspect ratio during the heating processes makes it difficult for these spherical components to form. Therefore, this allows the iron to be more malleable into different shapes which can be used as decorative features. Malleable cast iron is used to make different rotational parts that are used in industrial and automotive processes.

It is used to make crank shafts, bearings and other wheel parts that are used in cars, and other machines that have complex automotive functions. Malleable cast iron can also be used to manufacture pump components used for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. It is very ductile and this allows it to be used to manufacture such components (Askeland, 2013). Cast iron is easy to machine because its graphite particles are able to disintegrate from other components easily. The chips which are broken from cast iron do not contaminate the environment after they are disposed off compared to steel chips which contain lead components.

As a consequence, ductile iron is a better substitute for leaded steel in different types of engineering processes. Graphite in cast iron allows heat to be moved away from the area of friction. This attribute makes cast iron better than steel in industrial operations that involve a lot of cutting. The separation of graphite from other metallic components during heating makes cast iron lighter than steel. Therefore, this makes cast iron more suitable for mechanical systems that have gears and levers (Berns & Theisen, 2008).

The process of combining carbon with iron results in iron carbide which is very hard and brittle. After cooling the iron combines with ferrite plates to form pearlite which is easily machined compared to other types of cast iron. Different types of ductile cast iron have varying quantities of ferrite and pearlite which affect their strength and hardness. An increase in the quantity of pearlite makes ductile cast iron harder and stronger, which makes it more difficult to machine it. It is also very difficult to stretch a ductile cast iron because it is brittle.

Alloys which are used to stabilise iron during the casting process have an effect on its machinability. Silicon inoculants that are used to separate granite components from cast iron make it difficult to stretch it into different shapes and sizes. During casting, it is more difficult to stretch thick cast iron rods because they do not nucleate easily. Proper conditions need to be set at the foundry during heating to ensure casted iron does not lose its vital components that make it easy to machine (Berns & Theisen, 2008).

Cast iron pipes that are used in different structures need to be properly assessed before they are made part of the final design. It is necessary to determine the optimum pressure during external and internal loading to assess different forms of stress the pipe can withstand. Therefore, in ideal situations, whenever the external load pressure is increased, the internal load pressure needs to be reduced. This helps an engineer ensure that cast iron pipes used meet safety requirements and functional needs of a particular structure.

The combined load that is to be carried through a specific pipe should not go beyond its capacity to protect it from excessive pressure. Width allowances need to be taken into consideration when cast iron pipes are included in the design of a structure (Grote & Antonsson, 2009). Structural designs need to allocate adequate allowances for such pipes to ensure they do not consume a lot of space after the structure has been completed. Cast iron is not used on a large scale in architectural support systems because it cannot withstand high temperatures when it is subjected to a lot of heat.

Read More