46 - Optimizing Structure-Property Relationships in Ductile Iron

Abstract:

The purpose of this research study was to identify ways to achieve a higher combination of strength and ductility, by characterizing the relationships between the graphite-metal matrix, alloy content, and tensile properties in ductile iron. The characterization utilized standard physical metallurgical tools including tensile properties, optical microscopy and automated image analysis to measure ferrite content, grain size, nodule count, nodule size and nodularity. In addition to applying standard statistical parameters such as mean and standard deviation, the study employed Pearson correlation coefficient analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction.