Early Evidences on the Rotating Bending Fatigue Properties of Ductile and Vermicular Cast Irons

Abstract

Cast iron probably represents one of the most widely utilized constructive materials in our modern industrial world. This is due not only to the excellent mechanical and tribological properties, but also to a certain flexibility of the same. In fact, it can be produced in various types of metal alloy, which differ significantly in properties: from the poorly performing, but economical white cast iron, to the excellent resistant nodular cast iron. In this study, several preliminary results on the experimental measurement of fatigue resistance are proposed for two distinct families of cast iron, the ductile and the vermicular. While the former is well-known, with a great variety of applications, vermicular cast iron is almost unfamiliar at the moment in terms of utilization, despite different potentials. This experiment compares the results of the Rotating Bending Fatigue test for cast iron specimens made under foundry process conditions as identical as possible in the way to reduce bias.