Düsseldorf, 14-12-07 

Cast Iron with Lamellar Graphite – still the most Frequently Used Cast Iron Material

Called GJL in the new EU-wide standards, cast iron with lamellar graphite is the oldest technical iron casting material without which neither the technological revolution nor the subsequent formation of a global industrialised society would have been possible. Although – or possibly because – the material looks back on a long tradition that began when its industrial use was still far away, many design engineers still fail to appreciate its capabilities. Cast iron with lamellar graphite, which used to be called grey cast iron, still is highly successful, and its annual global output is greater than that of all the other casting materials.

Among the reasons for this, it is probably economic efficiency that is most interesting to the user, being the sum total of the material, manufacturing, operating, and disposal costs. Yet the properties of this material category are attractive also from the engineering point of view, including, for example, its favourable and variable mechanical, physical, and technological properties. Its excellent damping characteristics predestine the material for applications in components exposed to dynamic stress. In addition, its castability permits producing components of high geometrical complexity, excellent surface quality, and outstanding reproductive precision. Moreover, the material is robust and highly insensitive towards fluctuations in external factors, manufacturing conditions, and application parameters. Expertly made and properly used, cast iron with lamellar graphite is a largely uncritical heavy-duty material with a wide range of applications even in our high-technology era. Lastly, modern design and manufacturing methods may open up the lightweight construction potential of the material for use in future applications.

All that designers and users need to know about this material category has been compiled in a brochure available from ZGV – Zentrale für Gussverwendung.

The manufacture, properties, and applications of cast iron with lamellar graphite are addressed comprehensively in a reprint published by the ZGV. Copies of the monograph are available from ZGV- Zentrale für Gussverwendung at € 12.00 at zgv@bdguss.de.

Photo: Machined cylinder casting for high-pressure applications; material: GJL-250CR

 

The subjects dealt with in previous ZGV information brochures include

• Cast Cylinder Heads and Crankcases Offer Versatile Solutions for the Cars of Today and Tomorrow
• High-alloy Casting Materials for Special Applications in the Pump Industry World
• Steel Castings for Buildings all over the World
• What to know about Cast iron with spheroidal graphite
• Versatile Non-destructive Tests for Castings
• Black Malleable Cast Iron – Strong and Tough
• Visual Determination of the Surface Quality of Castings by Reference Samples Graphite
• New Studies of the Bending-fatigue Behaviour of Cast Iron with Spheroidal Graphite
• Continuous Castings – Versatile Quality Semis
• Thin-walled complex components made of white malleable cast iron
• Heat-treated cast-iron materials conquer market shares
• Cast Iron – a Versatile Material for Motor-vehicle Design