2. 2
Structure
• Gas cavities
• Oxide and slag inclusions, Nonmetallic
inclusions
• Shrinkage cavities
• Hot tear
• Primary grain boundary fracture
• Defects caused by heat treatment
3. 3
Gas cavities
Description and reasons:
• Cavities in castings, especially in the upper parts of the castings
• Formation during solidification because of degrease of gas solubility
• often in combination with oxide and slag inclusions
• formation of gas cavities depends on the concentration of oxygen,
nitrogen and hydrogen
• the inner surface of the cavities is smooth
5. 5
Gas cavities
Prevention:
• use of dry materials and ladles
• use of clean charge
• degasification of the melt
• look at the mould sands (permeability of gas, vent…)
6. 6
Oxide and slag inclusions, nonmetallic inclusions
Description and reasons:
• Classification: endogenous and exogenous inclusions
• endogenous inclusions are caused by the reaction products during the
melting process (especially during deoxidation)
• exogenous inclusion are caused by other materials in the melt
(e.g. refractory lining)
• thin fluid slag can precipitate at the grain boundaries danger of
formation of hot tears is higher
• Classification of size:
Macro inclusions > 20 μm
Micro inclusions < 20 μm
8. 8
Prevention:
• use of clean charge
• optimization of gating and feeding system (lamellar flow)
• decrease of the dissolved oxygen
• decrease of the overheating temperature
Oxide and slag inclusions, nonmetallic inclusions
9. 9
Example: G42CrMo4
• nonmetallic inclusions arise by
reason of the reactions during the
melting process
Oxide and slag inclusions, nonmetallic inclusions
10. 10
Shrinkage cavities
Description and reasons:
• specific volume of melt is higher than
the specific volume of solid
• contraction during solidification and
cooling
• feeding is necessary – if the feeding
is not optimal formation of
shrinkage cavities
• the shrinkage volume of cast steel is
about 4-7 %
• the inner surface is rough
Liquid
shrinkage
Solidification
shrinkage
shrinkage
RT TS TL TP
Specific
volume
12. 12
Shrinkage cavities
Prevention:
• use of optimal feeding system (calculation and simulation)
• warranty of directional solidification
• use of exothermic feeder sleeve
• decrease of the pouring temperature
13. 13
Hot tear
Description and reasons:
• hot tears are intercrystalline discontinuity
• cracks run along the grain boundaries
• the risk of cracks at alloys with a high freezing range is higher than with
a small freezing range
• the reason are stresses during solidification because of hindered
contraction (residual stress)
• the main reason for formation of hot tears are the geometry of casting
• if melt can flow into the crack - partial or completely annealed hot tears
are possible
14. 14
Hot tear
Influence of Carbon content on
the inclination of hot tears
Influence of Manganese and Sulphur
content on the inclination of hot tears
- Maximum of the hot tearing tendency
by ~0.4 % C
- Low tendency below 0.2 %
- Sulphur is very dangerous
- Manganese compensate
17. 17
Prevention:
• design appropriate to casting, prevention of residual stresses, wide
difference in the wall thickness and hot spots)
• prevention of hot sand effects
Hot tear
18. 18
• Caused by Al-N-precipitations
• high content of Al and N and thick-walled castings
Primary grain boundary fracture (“Rock candy or shell fracture”)
G24Mn5
Al-N-precipitations
19. 19
Defects caused by heat treatment
GS33NiCrMo
• left: quenching and tempering not correct – ferrite, pearlite and bainite
lower ductility
20. 20
Defects caused by heat treatment
G24Mn5 (thick-walled casting)
• quenching and tempering not complete – ferrite, pearlite and bainite
• different structure and lesser properties
21. 21
Defects caused by heat treatment
G30Mn5 GS25
• Decarburization of the surface area caused by heat treatment without
protective atmosphere Chance of properties in the surface area
22. 22
Defects caused by heat treatment
GX3CrNiMo20-18-7
• temperature of solution heat
treatment to low and/or cooling
rate not correct
• precipitation of delta-ferrite
• these components are brittle
• lower ductility
23. 23
Defects caused by heat treatment
GX 120Mn13
• temperature of austenitizing to high
• coarse grain bad mechanical properties
24. 24
Defects caused by heat treatment
G105Cr4 = hypereutectoid cast steel
• hardening crack
• structure: coarse martensite and
residual austenite
• reason: temperature of austenitizing
and cooling rate to high
25. 25
Defects caused by heat treatment
• intercrystalline corrosion
• heat treatment not correct precipitation of Cr-carbides on the grain
boundary corrosion was possible
GX 5CrNiMo19-11-2