Selection of Optimal Al–Si Combinations in Cast Iron for Castings for Engineering Purposes

Abstract

In this work, the optimal combinations of Al – Si in cast iron for cast parts for machine-building purposes were determined with the aim of subsequent selection of rational modes of modification and alloying, and the possibility of their implementation under industrial smelting conditions was checked. The graphical dependence Si=f (Al) is obtained, which is a set of optimal combinations of the content of Al and Si in cast iron, providing the maximum ultimate tensile strength UTS≈245 ... 334 MPa. The technological audit of the results of serial industrial smelting included the analysis of actual indicators, the calculation of sample distribution functions (mathematical expectation and dispersion) of the Al and Si content in the alloy, as well as the UTS value. The correspondence of the indicators of the content of Al and Si and the value of σ to the optimal values was assessed by testing the statistical hypotheses: H: M(Al)=Alopt, M(Si)=Siopt, M(σв)=σвopt.On the basis of the obtained results of the assessment of statistical characteristics and verification of hypotheses, it was established that at the chosen significance level α=0.05, the technological process of smelting satisfies the requirements of optimality in terms of the Si content, but in terms of the Al content, the technological process does not meet the requirements of optimality. The proposed procedure for choosing the optimal combinations of Al and Si makes it possible to choose the amount of correcting additives depending on the actual indicators of the chemical composition during the smelting process. To do this, it is necessary to assess the closeness of the actual composition to the optimal curve Si=f(Al) and choose the one that most satisfies the criteria of rationality. The latter can be the cost of ferroalloys, through which Al and Si are introduced.