Volume change during the solidification of grey cast iron: its relation with the microstructural variation, comparison between experimental and theoretical analysis

The expansion/contraction during the solidification of grey cast iron was studied using Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT). The experiments were conducted with and without melt treatment. Two types of inoculant used for melt treatment: ASSC (Si, Ca, Sr & Al) and MBZCAS (Si, Ca, Zr, Ba, Mn & Al). Microstructural investigations carried out to quantify the eutectic cells, undercooled graphite, primary austenite and secondary dendritic arm spacing (SDAS). It was found that the casting shows hardly any shrinkage during early solidification but in the eutectic region, the casting expands until the end of solidification. The measured and the calculated volume changes are close to one another, but the former shows more expansion. The addition of MBZCAS promotes more flake graphite, and ASSC does not increase eutectic cells much. In addition to that, it lowers the primary austenite fraction, promotes more eutectic growth, decreases undercooled graphite and SDAS. As a result, the volume expansion changes in the eutectic region.