Types of Cast Iron Made by Saguenay Foundry
Saguenay Foundry’s expertise revolves around the production of quality iron castings of three basic types, namely:
• Gray Iron
• Ductile Iron
• Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI)
These differ from one another by their metallurgical structure and chemical composition.
What Is Cast Iron?
The term “cast iron” used in this website refers to a family of ferrous alloys with varying properties. Basically, cast iron solidifies into a heterogeneous alloy with a metallurgical structure that contains more than one constituent. Aside from iron, the basic constituents of its chemical composition are carbon and silicon.
Popularity of Cast Iron
Though cast iron has long been perceived as a low-end, cheap material, its intrinsic qualities have been recognized and its popularity has grown over the last fifty years. And not without reason! The categorization and standardization of the various types of cast iron have made it one of today’s most sought-after materials for a wide variety of applications.
How Does Cast Iron Compare to Steel?
Put simply: it does not. While cast iron and steel are both essentially made of carbon and iron, cast iron contains 2.5% carbon while steel only contains .5%.
Below are helpful pointers to increase your understanding of cast iron.
What Advantages Does Cast Iron Offer?
- Cast iron can be poured at lower temperatures than steel.
- In its liquid state, cast iron is more fluid than steel, which allows it to be cast in more complex and varied shapes.
- Cast iron is less prone to casting defects than steel.
How to Choose the Right Type of Cast Iron?
The selection of a type of cast iron must be based on its properties. Its chemical composition is for the most part incidental.
Unless one is familiar with the principles governing the properties of cast iron, too much importance may be given to its chemical composition. Caution is therefore advised in this matter as certain alloy components can have adverse effects, such as altering the metallurgical structure by allowing undesirable inter-metallic compounds to be present.
Saguenay Foundry can assist you in choosing the type of cast iron that is best suited to your needs.