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JOURNAL OF IRON AND STEEL RESEARCH, INTERNATIONAL. 2006, 13(1) : 01-04

Critical Content of MgO in Spheroidisers

SHENG Dal , I,I Shu-jiang'

LU Yue-mei' ,

LIN Xiao-ying'

CHEN Shao-chun'
2. Mechanical Engineering

(1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; and Automation Institute, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China)

Abstract: Magnesium oxide in spheroidiser is harmful to the production of ductile iron for decreasing active magnesium content. To obtain quality ductile iron, the effects of magnesium oxide content in spheroidisers on spheroidising treatment, microstrucure and properties of ductile iron were researched, and the critical magnesium oxide in spheroidisers was determined. Key words: magnesium oxide; critical content; spheroidiser ; ductile iron

When producing spheroidisers, part of magnesium is oxidated, and active magnesium content in spheroidisers is decreased. T h u s , the abilities of 'ipheroidising are decreased though the magnesium content is the same. T h e higher the magnesium oxide content in spheroidisers, the lower is its spheroi&sing ability. Therefore, the critical magnesium oxide in spheroidisers was studied to get good ductile ironC19z1.

tures are 1 500- 1 520 C . Samples were taken from treated iron for metallographic microstructures and mechanical properties tests. Different results were compared to determine the optimum critical MgO content in spheroidisers.

2
2.1

Effect of MgO Content in Spheroidiser

1 Experimental
The experiment was carried out in laboratory scale. Matrix iron was melted in a medium frequen:y furnace with a capacity of 20 kg. T h e matrix iron with carbon equivalent of 4 . 6 % consists of Anyang pig iron ( Q l 2 pig i r o n ) , ferrosilicon and carbon st.eel scrap. Spheroidisers are REMgSiFe, and its compostion is shown in Table 1. Spheroidising treatments were carried out in a ladle with a dam on the bottom. Spheroidisers were covered with ferrosilicon and perlite, and 1. 3%, 1. 5% and 1. 7 % spheroidisers were added respectively. T h e inoculant was 75 ferrosilicon. T h e treatment temperaTable 1
No.

Reaction time With fixed other parameters, including treatment temperature, treated hot metal amount, addition of spheroidiser and treatment method, the effect of MgO content on reaction time of spheroidising treatment is obatined, as shown in Table 2 and Fig. 1. It can be seen that the higher the magnesium oxide content, the shorter is the reaction time. Addition of spheroidiser T h e addition of spheroidisers is increased with MgO content. Adding 1. 5 % spheroidiser is enough for spheroidiser No. 1 to obtain qualified ductile iron, but it is insufficient for spheroidisers No. 2 and No. 3 , in which MgO content is 1.0% and 1. 55% res2.2

Chemical composition of spheroidisers

Element composition/

%
Fe
Balance Balance Balance

MgO content/!%
0. 55 1. 00 1. 55

WM~O/WM~

ME
1 2 3
5. 60 5. 80 5. 95

RE
1. 65 1. 85 2.00

Si
44. 10 44. 10 44.00

Ca

1. 95 1. 85 1.90

0. 098 2 0.172 4 0.260 5

Biography:SHENG Da(1935-), Male, Professor;

E-mail: shengdaBtsinghua. edu. cn;

Revised Date: April 4 , 2005

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Journal of I r o n a n d Steel R e s e a r c h , International

Vol. 13

Table 2
No. Addition/%
1. 3 1. 5 1. 7

Spheroidising treatment results by spheroidisers with different MgO content

Reaction time/s ob/MPa

Temperature/C

6/%
3. 50 14.90 18.69 3.60 4. 35 8.20
0. 70

Uk/(J

ern-')

Hardness ( H B )

Reduction of area/%
2. 0 1. 7 3. 5

1520 1500 1500 1500 1510 1520 1520 1500 1510

45. 2 70. 2 78. 8 46. 0 44. 8 39. 2

31. 2

332.0 462.2 480. 9 305.2 341. 5 445. 7 90. 4 88.4 368. 6

17. 60 86.80 96.70 19.20 25.30 33.25 8. 75 6. 65 22.95

147 215 158 187 175 173 133 187 143

1. 3 1. 5 1. 7 1. 3 1. 5 1. 7

2. 2 1. 3 1. 5
0. 7

38. 8 60. 5

0. 9

5. 20

1. 6

roidisers on graphite and matrix morphology. Spheroidal graphite could be obtained by adding 1. 5% spheroidiser No. 1, and the matrix is ferrite and pearlite. T h e morphologies of graphite and matrix are vermicular graphite and more ferrite+ less pearlite as well as flaky graphite and more pearlite+ less ferrite for spheroidisers No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. It is obvious that ductile iron, vermicular graphite cast iron and grey cast iron have different matrix.
20 I 1.3

I
1.4

1.5 MgO contentPh

1.6

1.7

2. 4

Fig. 1

Effect of MgO content in spheroidisers on reaction time

pectively (Table 1 and Table 2), for part of magnesium in spheroidisers is oxidated, reducing the active magnesium content. T h e active magnesium contents in above-mentioned three kinds of spheroidisers are 5. 2 7 % , 5. 20% and 5. 02% respectively ( active magnesium content= total magnesium content - oxidated magnesium content). So their spheroidising abilities are decreased in appropriate order.
2.3

Mechanical properties T h e effects of MgO content in spheroidisers on mechanical properties of cast iron are shown in Fig. 3. It is clear that the mechanical properties decreases with increasing MgO content in spheroidisers. T h e cast iron treated by 1. 5% spheroidiser No. 1 has the best mechanical properties in the experiment for forming spheroidal graphite, orderly followed by the cast irons treated by spheroidiser No. 2 and spheroidiser No. 3. It indicates that ductile iron can be obtained easily by spheroidiser with low magnesium oxide content.

Microstructure Fig. 2 shows the effect of MgO content in sphe-

3 Discussion
T h e magnesium in spheroidiser exists in the form

Fig. 2

( c ) Spheroidiser No. 3 (b) Spheroidiser No. 2 ; (a) Spheroidiser No. 1; Morphology of graphite and matrix of cast iron with adding 1 . 5 % spheroidisers

Yo. 1

Critical Content of MgO in Spheroidisers

0 3 .

20

15

1.3

1.4

1.5

1.6

1.7

1.3

1 . 4

1.5

1.6

1.7

Spheroidiser
1-Spheroidiser
No. 1;

2-Spheroidiser

No. 2 ;

3 -Spheroidiser

No. 3

Fig. 3

Effect of MgO content in spheroidiser on mechanical properties of cast iron

of active magnesium and oxidated magnesium. Only active magnesium can play a positive role of spheroidising of graphite. T h e experimental results indicate that the higher the MgO content, the lower is the spheroidising ability of spheroidiser. When magnesium oxide is over a specified value, i. e. the critical value, it even hinders graphite spheroidising. Therefore magnesiun oxide in spheroidiser must be controlled below critical valueC3'. Magnesium oxide is increased with magnesium content in spheroidiser. T h e spheroidisers with the same w M g O / w M g value have similar spheroidising abilities. For example, a kind of spheroidiser used in practice has a composition in mass percent of Mg 8 . 0 9 % , RE 4 . 6 8 % , Ca 3 . l % , Ba 2 . 5 % , Si 3 9 . 7 2 % , Fe balance and MgO 0.81 % , named as spheroidiser No. 4. Spheroidisers No. 4 and No. 1 have different magnesium content and magnesium

oxide content but similar w M g O / w M g values ( about 0. 1) , and they have silimar spheroidising ability in producing QT450-10. It is obvious that only magnesium oxide acting as critical value of magnesium oxide is unsuitable for spheroidisers. Magnesium oxide content should be limited by w M g O / w M g value in spheroidiser, so the critical value of magnesium oxide is different for different spheroidisers.

Conclusions

(1) T h e magnesium in spheroidiser consists of active magnesium and oxidated magnesium. T h e active magnesium is beneficial for spheroidisation, but magnesium oxide in spheroidiser is harmful to the spheroidisation. ( 2 ) Magnesium oxide content is increased with magnesium content in spheroidiser under normal condition. It is better to select the appropriate sphe-

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Journal of I r o n and Steel R e s e a r c h , International

Vol. 13

roidiser by w M g o / w M g value for producing qualified ductile iron, and the w M g O / w M g value of spheroidisers should be within 0. 1to.02. ( 3 ) T h e microstructure and mechanical properties of cast iron treated by spheroidisers are affected by MgO content with same magnesium contents in spheroidisers. T h e higher the MgO content, the lower the spheroidisation and the worse the mechanical properties. T h u s MgO content should be in proper range to obtain quality ductile iron when magnesium content is certain.

Thanks are given to Baotao Wenxin Industrial

Co Ltd for providing spheroidisers with different

MgO contents.
References:
[l]
[Z]

[3]

DONG Ruo-jing. Metallurgical Principle [MI. Beijing: M e chanical Industry Press, 1981 (in Chinese). ZHAO Rong-nian, CHEN Chun-ting, ZHU Gui-hua. The Test of MgO in Rare Earths-Magnesium Alloy [J]. Ductile Iron, 1984, (1): 57-59 (in Chinese). SHENG Da, LIU Jin-cheng. Cast Iron Containing Rare Earths [MI. Beijing: Tsinghua University Press, 2000 (in Chinese).