Cast iron can be
modified through the manufacturing process to optimize its mechanical and
physical
properties, such
as strength and durability. This property makes it a material of choice for use
in the
transportation and
machinery industries, which rely on cast iron's resistance to wear,
deformation,
and rusting to
design high-performance bridges, tools, and engine parts.
(December 8, 2015) Cast
iron can be modified through the manufacturing process to optimize its
mechanical and physical properties, such as strength and durability. This
property makes it a material of choice for use in the transportation and
machinery industries, which rely on cast iron's resistance to wear,
deformation, and rusting to design high-performance bridges, tools, and engine
parts.
But the manufacturing process is as much art as science,
producing good results yet not capturing cast iron's full potential.
Controversy still exists over the correlation between manufacturing casting
parameters and desirable properties. Limited by typical industrial 2-D imaging
techniques or time-consuming 3-D laboratory studies, researchers have been
unable to pinpoint the exact processing parameters needed to elicit the ideal
properties for each cast iron application.
Finding an easier way to peer deep inside the alloy to get a
definitive answer could be a boon for consumers as well as give the U.S.
industry a competitive advantage. According to a study released in the journal
Scripta Materialia, high-energy synchrotron X-rays can provide that insight.