Technical Information 19

Aluminium in Cast Iron

Aluminium is normally found in cast irons as a mainly harmless residual element. The
major sources for aluminium are steel scrap, contaminated cast scrap (engine blocks etc
with pistons included), the ferroalloys consumed and inclusions of non-ferrous metals in
the charge materials.

A common occurrence in foundries is the pinhole problem from hydrogen gas evolution,
which often can be attributed to excessive aluminium contents. It is accepted that alumi-
nium has an influence on the surface tension of the liquid iron, a consequence of which
could be susceptibility to pinholing defects. The figure below shows the relationship bet-
ween aluminium in the iron and the tendency to pinholing. It is shown that grey iron is
more sensitive to pinholing than ductile iron due to the overall lower surface tension for
grey iron. Above a certain level (approximately 0.2% Al), the susceptibility for pinholing is
reduced as the surface tension again increases. The most critical range is 0.05 – 0.2% for
ductile iron and 0.008 – 0.2% for grey iron. Consequently, the contents of aluminium
should always be kept low, preferably below this range where the risk will be highest.

Influence of Aluminium Content on Surface Tension and Pinhole

Susceptibility of Grey and Ductile Irons

It should also be noted that iron temperature will influence the surface tension and thus
well insulated ladles are of importance (refer to Elkem Technical Information Sheet No. 21
for more data). Aluminium will also add to the slag formation, resulting in poor furnace per-
formance, more ladle and holder maintenance, and increased risk for slag inclusions in
castings.

Aluminium has virtually no inoculating effect as such, but it may add to the hardness of the
iron, and it can also be harmful to the nodularity of ductile iron. It is also important to note
that titanium will play the same role as aluminium to a certain extent, although normally
present in smaller amounts than aluminium. Furthermore, the two elements will have an
aggregated effect, and both elements should be monitored and controlled at all times.

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Technical Information 19 2

It is also well known that many elements can interact with aluminium to affect the iron pro-
perties, either by enhanced inoculation potency or by detrimental effects such as the com-
bination of aluminium and titanium. The presence of even minor traces of titanium means
that the tolerable aluminium levels will be dramatically reduced. The figure below shows
the combined effects of aluminium and titanium on the hydrogen pinholing tendency in
ductile iron. Above the curve there will be a significant risk for such defects to occur.

Combined effects of aluminium and titanium on Example of pinhole defect in grey iron.
hydrogen pinholing tendency in ductile iron.

For ductile iron the permissible aluminium is roughly 5 – 10 times that of grey iron. No data
is available concerning the combined effects of aluminium and titanium in grey iron, but
there are reasons to believe the interaction is about as for ductile iron and both elements
should therefore be closely watched.

Since both nodularizers (magnesium-ferrosilicon) and inoculants will contain various

amounts of aluminium and titanium, it is important that choice of alloys is being made with
full awareness of its total chemical composition. At higher aluminium contents, ferrosilicon-
based alloys will tend to improve solubility, but the increased slag formation and pinholing
tendency should call for caution. High aluminium containing alloys should hence only be
used where low addition rates are applicable (i.e. stream inoculation). Special attention
should be paid to large amounts of ferrosilicon used as a furnace charge material.

It is worth noting that hydrogen pinhole defects often will have similar characteristics as
other type of gas defects, such as nitrogen porosity. A characteristic feature for pinholes is
the graphite lining covering the inner pore surfaces. An example of such a hydrogen
pinhole defect is shown in the figure above. This defect characteristic can also occur for
nitrogen defects, and it is therefore often difficult to separate between such gas defects. A
thorough investigation into nitrogen, aluminium and titanium levels will be necessary to
determine the type of gas involved, since a high Aluminium and Titanium level may
promote hydrogen pinholes but at the same time effectively neutralize nitrogen by forming
TiN and AlN inclusions.

Choice of core binder system and green sand humidity level is also vital for the avoidance
of hydrogen and nitrogen pinhole defects.
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