Structure-property relationships in graphitic cast irons

Some techniques used to study fatigue of cast irons are discussed and used to study the structure-property relationships in graphitic cast irons. A wide range of cast irons have been assessed to give a better understanding of the effects of metallurgical structure and graphite morphology on the fatigue behaviour of these materials. It is concluded that the ‘true’ fatigue strength reduction factor is one of the most significant parameters by which to consider improvements in fatigue properties. Increasing the amount of spheroidal graphite is suggested as a method of improving the fatigue properties of CG cast irons and yielding alloys with great potential importance.