Statistical study to determine the effect of carbon, silicon, nickel and other alloying elements on the mechanical properties of as-cast ferritic ductile irons

There is a great interest in fully ferritic ductile irons due to their structural homogeneity, remarkable ductility and good response when machining. On the other hand the wide variety of raw materials available in foundry plants becomes a problem when controlling the chemical composition of the manufactured alloys. The present work shows a statistical study about the effect of different C, Si, Ni contents and other minor elements on structural and mechanical properties of a group of ferritic ductile iron alloys. A set of equations are finally presented to predict room temperature mechanical properties of ferritic ductile irons by means of their chemical composition and pearlite content.