| During the last decade, the casting solidification simulation that includes the evolution of microstructure has gained significant attention. A more recent goal is the development of a predictive tool which quantitatively links the processing parameters to the microstructure and finally to the properties of castings. With the continuous improvements in the computational abilities of computers, as well as because of the rapid development of numerical methods, the prediction of microstructure of ferrous casting has become feasible. Consequently, the problem of predicting the mechanical properties of the ferrous castings becomes a problem of establishing the quantitative relationships between the mechanical properties and the microstructures of the castings. The purpose of this study is to provide a fundamental understanding of the mechanical behavior of Fe-C alloys for a rather broad range of compositions and microstructures. Microstructure-properties relationships have been developed and implemented into a computer solidification model to improve the design and production of castings.; In the mechanical properties model of gray iron presented in this dissertation, the main factors controlling the tensile strength and hardness are addressed. They include graphite flake length, pearlite content and interlamellar spacing. The influence of the microstructural features of ductile iron, including graphite nodule count, nodularity, fraction of graphite, fraction of ferrite, and fraction of pearlite, on the fracture mechanism and the mechanical properties are discussed in the model for ductile iron. In the case of carbon steel, the ferrite grain size, the fraction of ferrite, and the fraction of pearlite have been found to be the significant factors controlling the properties. It is noted that the formulae used in all of the models are based on physical metallurgical principles and the coefficients for the models are obtained through multiple regression on commercial production alloys. The importance of this work is that, when coupling the mechanical properties model with the computational solidification model that includes microstructural evolution, not only average but also local properties of the castings can be predicted. This opens a new window of opportunity for casting design and quality control. The validation tests have demonstrated that the mechanical properties of ferrous castings can be predicted with reasonable accuracy through the equations developed in this research. |
