62 - Influence on Ceramic Aggregate on Cast Iron Properties

Because of the Occupational Safety And Health Administration (OSHA) Silica Rule under enforcement in the foundry industry today, many iron foundries have or are considering changing from silica sand to a ceramic aggregate to alleviate the issue. The AFS Cast Iron Research Committee initiated a research project to understand the impact of the change in the microstructure and associated mechanical properties on cast iron that might accompany the use of these ceramic molding media. Funded by the American Foundry Society (AFS) and Ductile Iron Society (DIS), a research project was performed to assess the mechanical properties of class 40 gray iron and 80-55-06 ductile iron castings using an experimental casting matrix of the three aggregates with two sand to metal ratios. Results indicated that ceramic aggregates have a noticeable influence on the mechanical properties of gray and ductile iron but the sand to metal ratio has an influence on the degree of property variation.

Keywords: ceramic aggregates, silica sand, ductile iron, gray iron, and mechanical properties