As-Cast Acicular Ductile Aluminum Cast Iron

The effects of nickel (2.2%) and molybdenum (0.6%) additions on the kinetics, microstructure, and mechanical properties of ductile aluminum cast iron were studied under the as-cast and tempered conditions. Test bars machined from cast to size samples were used for mechanical and metallurgical studies. The results showed that adding nickel and molybdenum to the base iron produced an upper bainitic structure, resulting in an increase in strength and hardness. The same trend was shown when the test bars were tempered at 300°C in the range of 300°C to 400°C. The elongation increased with increasing the temperature from 300°C to 400°C. The carbon content of the retained austenite also increased with increasing the temperature. The results also showed that the kinetics, microstructure, and mechanical properties of this iron were similar to those of Ni-Mo alloyed silicon ductile iron.