Machinability of clean thin-wall gray and ductile iron castings. Final report

First phase was to develop a laboratory technique for evaluating the machinability of gray and ductile iron; longer term goal is to learn how to modify the foundry process to produce castings meeting all specified mechanical properties while providing improved machining behavior. Microcarbides present in the irons were found to dominate the machinability of iron. Pearlitic irons with acceptable machinability contain 8.9 to 10.5 wt% microcarbides. The weight fraction microcarbides in the iron is influenced by carbide forming element concentrations, presence of elements that retard carbon diffusion, and cooling rate from the eutectic through the eutectoid temperature range. Tool wear rate increased at higher surface machining speeds and fraction microcarbides; all irons containing above 11.5% microcarbides had poor machinability. Graphite size, shape, distribution, etc. had a lesser effect on machinability. Reducing the addition of a foundry grade Ca and Al bearing 75% FeSi inoculant from 0.5 to 0.2% increased the tool life 100%. Inoculation test castings were also poured in a class 40 gray iron; laboratory analysis is currently underway. Exploratory studies were conducted to determine if tool force could be used to predict tool life: torque and feed forces were found to correlate with machinability.