· Fundición ·
Ramón Suárez Creo, Julián Izaga Maguregi, José A. Goñi Güemes.
Azterlan Metallurgical Research and Foundry Centre
67th World Foundry Congress
The Automotive Industry keeps on demanding increasing requirements to
the cast components. The critical situation generated by the extraordinary
price increase of the raw materials has not meant any flexible position, on
the contrary, new stronger demands reappear according to the constant
development of the market.
Economical reasons, market demands and weight reduction policies
introduce new concepts in the sheet steels used in the car bodies. Many of
these new sheet steels incorporate macro and micro alloys as a common
source. We are talking about “new materials” in which elements as Al, Ti,
Zn, Nb, and Mn are present in a very significant way.
This work establishes the relationship between some of the mentioned
trace elements, incorporated to the iron through the metallic charge, and
the solidification model and metallurgical characteristics. An special
attention is paid in certain particular influences and on the development of
a wide range of iron casting defects related to these trace elements.
The final conclusions of this paper refer to the metallurgical influence from
the residual elements:
• The amount of Zn dissolved in the iron depends not only on the
metallic charge, but also on the melting operative and on the metal
conditioning treatments.
• The micro-segregation mechanisms associated to the presence of
Nb, V and Ti have as well an special influence on machinability and
on the formation of reticular carbides.
• The trace elements affect the metallurgical quality of the iron and its
solidification model.
