A novel material used in automotive industry: compacted graphite iron

Abstract

In recent decade materials have been a key to increase the performance of automotive parts which leads to development of new materials. Main objective is to achieve increase in quantity and quality of automotive parts produced and for an optimum performance along their life cycle. Cast iron has remained a competitive material due, in part, to its low production cost. In fact, among the cast iron group one of an alternative is lightweight alloys i.e. compacted graphite iron (CGI). Now-a-days, it is accepted that CGI can effectively reduce the total weight of an automobile by virtue of its high strength, when compared to other cast irons and aluminum alloys. The paper gives a comparative view of CGI with gray cast iron (GCI) & ductile iron (DI). Surface morphology studied by SEM micrograph. Tensile strength and other properties can be calculated by stress-strain curve. Hardness measured by Brinell hardness testing m/c. Several metallurgical variables need to be strictly controlled in order to achieve consistent CGI properties in a production line at reasonable costs for automotive industry with at least 75% higher tensile strength, 45% higher stiffness and approximately double the fatigue strength of conventional grey cast iron.