This study presents results of stress rupture test of MAR-M-509 cobalt alloy samples, as-cast and after surface refining with a concentrated stream of heat. Tests were conducted on samples of MAR-M-509 alloy castings, obtained using the lost-wax method. Casting structure refining was performed with the GTAW method in argon atmosphere, using the current I = 200 A and electrical arc scanning velocity vs = 100, 150, 200 and 250 mm/min. The effect of rapid resolidification of the MAR-M-509 alloy on the microstructure was examined and significant improvement in stress rupture test was observed.

The paper presents results of examination of material parameters of cast iron with structure obtained under rapid resolidification conditions carried out by means of the nanoindentation method.

The paper proposes a methodology useful in verification of results of dilatometric tests aimed at determination of temperatures defining

the start and the end of eutectoid transformation in the course of ductile cast iron cooling, based on quenching techniques and

metallographic examination. For an industrial melt of ductile cast iron, the effect of the rate of cooling after austenitization at temperature

900°C carried out for 30 minutes on temperatures TAr1

start and TAr1

end was determined. The heating rates applied in the study were the

same as the cooling rates and equaled 30, 60, 90, 150, and 300°C/h. It has been found that with increasing cooling rate, values of

temperatures TAr1

start and TAr1

end decrease by several dozen degrees.

The paper deals with problems related to application of aluminum-silicon alloys for combustion engine cylinder liners

Elaborated shapes of many car components are the reason for which the use of casting techniques to fabricate them is a solution wellfounded

from the economical point of view. Currently applicable regulatory requirements concerning emissions of exhaust fumes force the

carmakers to reduce the overall weight of their products, as this is a basic precondition for reducing fuel consumption. As a result, newly

launched car models contain a continuously increasing share of thin-walled castings made of materials which ensure a satisfactory level of

service properties. At the same time, developing new technological processes allowing to extend the service life of individual components

by means of surface improving becomes more and more important.

The paper presents an analysis of factors affecting the wear of cylinder liners. The effect of the graphite precipitation morphology on the

cylinder liner wear mechanism is presented. Materials used to cast cylinder liners mounted in a number of engines have been examined for

their conformity with requirements set out in applicable Polish industrial standard. A casting for a prototype cylinder liner has been made

with a microstructure guaranteeing good service properties of the part.

The study reported in this paper was aimed at establishing the effect of values of parameters characterizing the process of superficial remelting of a nodular iron casting on the quantity of introduced heat, geometry of remeltings as well as parameter λ and hardness of cementite eutectic. The remelting process was carried out using GTAW method, at electric arc length of 3 mm in argon atmosphere, welding current intensities I = 50, 130, 210, and 300 A, and electric arc scanning speeds vs = 200, 400, and 800 mm/min. The measurements included estimation of the quantity of heat introduced to the casting in the electric arc-induced remelting process with the use of flow calorimeter. Widths and depths of remetlings were assessed with the use of metallographic method. As a result of fast solidification, cementite eutectic was obtained in remelted material in which, in the course of cooling down to ambient temperature, austenite was subject to partial transformation into martensite. To characterize the cementite eutectic, value of the structural parameter λ was assessed. Values of the parameter were similar for areas of occurrence of both fibrous and laminated eutectic. Remeltings were examined at half of their depths. Micro-hardness measurements were taken in the same areas. The established quantitative relationships may prove to be useful in practice for the purpose of predicting values of parameter λ and hardness of remeltings in studies aimed at improving resistance of cast-iron castings to abrasive wear.

The paper deals with the effect of microstructure diversified by means of variable cooling rate on service properties of AlSi7Mg cast alloy

refined traditionally with Dursalit EG 281, grain refining with titanium-boron and modified with sodium and a variant of the same alloy

barbotage-refined with argon and simultaneously grain refining with titanium-boron and modified with strontium. For both alloy variants,

the castings were subject to T6 thermal treatment (solution heat treatment and artificial aging). It turned out that AlSi7Mg alloy after

simultaneous barbotage refining with argon and grain refining with titanium-boron and modified with strontium was characterised with

lower values of representative microstructure parameters (SDAS – secondary dendrite arm spacing, λE, lmax) and lower value of the

porosity ratio compared to the alloy refined traditionally with Dursalit EG 281 and grain refining with titanium-boron and modified with

sodium. The higher values of mechanical properties and fatigue strength parameters were obtained for the alloy simultaneously barbotagerefined

with argon and grain refining with titanium-boron and modified with strontium.

The cooling rate is one of the main tools available to the process engineer by means of which it is possible to influence the crystallisation

process. Imposing a desired microstructure on a casting as early as in the casting solidification phase widens significantly the scope of

technological options at disposal in the process of aluminium-silicon alloy parts design and application. By changing the cooling rate it is

possible to influence the course of the crystallisation process and thus also the material properties of individual microstructure

components. In the study reported in this paper it has been found that the increase of cooling rate within the range of solidification

temperatures of a complex aluminium-silicon alloy resulted in a decrease of values of the instrumented indentation hardness (HIT) and the

instrumented indentation elastic modulus (EIT) characterising the intermetallic phase occurring in the form of polygons, rich in aluminium,

iron, silicon, manganese, and chromium, containing also copper, nickel, and vanadium. Increased cooling rate resulted in supersaturation

of the matrix with alloying elements.

The paper is a presentation of a study on issues concerning degradation of protective paint coat having an adverse impact on aesthetic

qualities of thin-walled cast-iron castings fabricated in furan resin sand. Microscopic examination and microanalyses of chemistry

indicated that under the coat of paint covering the surface of a thin-walled casting, layers of oxides could be found presence of which can

be most probably attributed to careless cleaning of the casting surface before the paint application process, as well as corrosion pits

evidencing existence of damp residues under the paint layers contributing to creation of corrosion micro-cells

The paper deals with the issue of potential for improvement of resistance of wood chip fine grinders to abrasive wear by providing them with WCCoCr coating applied with the use of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). The study focused on establishing parameters of the technological process of spraying a 250–270 μm thick coating onto surface of ductile cast iron castings used to date as grinder linings. The presented data include results of microstructure examination, chemical composition analysis, HV hardness measurements, and scratch tests for both previous and new variant of linings. The obtained scratch test results indicate that the material of the coating is characterized with definitely lower susceptibility to scratching. The scratch made on coating was 75–84 μm wide and 7.2–8.2 μm deep, while the scratch on cast iron was distinctly wider (200–220 μm) and deeper (8.5–12.8 μm). In case of cast iron, the range of variability in scratch width and depth was definitely larger. This can be explained with large difference in hardness of individual components of microstructure of cast iron and significantly larger plastic deformation of cast iron compared to the coating revealed in the course of indenter motion over surfaces of the two materials. It has been found that application of WCCoCr coating offered better resistance of lining surfaces to scratching which can be considered a rationale for undertaking in-service tests.

A common problem encountered in hydraulic valves is a progressing deterioration of tightness of their water flow cutting-off seats. The seats are provided usually with a copper-alloy insert joined mechanically with cast-iron valve housing. The problem of unreliability of such joints can be solved by providing surface of the seat with a coating, deposited with the use of HVOF method and resistant to abrasive and cavitation wear. The tests were carried out for a sealing-draining seat insert made of CuZn39Pb2Al brass used to date and a specimen taken from the cast-iron valve housing which was the substrate for a plasma-sprayed coating of powder containing 86.1% Cr, 7.2% Ni, and 6.7% C. The coating, 345 ± 15 μm thick, was characterized with good quality of bonding with cast-iron substrate and high compactness of the material. The cavitation wear test on materials used in the study were carried out with the use of Vibra-Cell ultrasonic liquid processor (Sonics) equipped with a piezoelectric probe operating at the frequency of 20 kHz. Based on profilograms taken along a line crossing centers of cavitation craters, measurements of the height parameter Rt, and microscopic observations of surfaces it has been found that the coating plasma-sprayed onto substrate of nodular cast iron demonstrated higher resistance to cavitation compared to copper-alloy inserts used so far in cast-iron hydraulic valves. Cavitation craters on the material used typically for valve seats to date were more distinctly outlined and deeper compared to craters observed on the coating. Larger were also sizes of local tear-outs which resulted in larger difference between the peaks line and the valleys line.

The paper deals with susceptibility of nodular cast iron with ferritic -pearlitic matrix on cavitation erosion . Cavitation tests were carried out with the use of a cavitation erosion vibratory apparatus employing a vibration exciter operated at frequency of 20 kHz. The study allowed to determine the sequence of subsequent stages in which microstr ucture of cast iron in superficial regions is subject to degradation. The first features to be damaged are graphite precipitates. The ferritic matrix of the alloy turned out to be definitely less resistant to cavitation erosion compared to the pearlitic matrix component.

NC11 steel, in view of the specificity of its manufacturing process, is characterised with band-like orientation of carbides. Depending

on the direction of cutting the material for the inserts out of commercially available steel products, carbide bands can be oriented

in parallel or perpendicularly to the direction in which aggregate grains move in the process of pressing stampings. It has been found that

in case of scratches made in direction perpendicular to carbide bands, depth of the scratches is less than this observed when scratches are

made in direction coinciding with prevailing orientation of carbide precipitates.

The paper presents results of a study on the effect of the flux density of heat carried away for the remelting area to substrate in the course of surface remelting with concentrated heat stream on values of structural parameters λ1D and λ2D of α(Al) phase dendrites in C355 alloy. The remeltings were made with the use of GTAW method, at arc current intensity I = 200 A and concentrated heat stream scanning speed vs = 200, 400, 600, and 800 mm/min. The used protective gas was argon supplied at rate of 20 l/min. It has been found that the increase of the rate of scanning with concentrated heat stream results in a change of the remelting-substrate separation surface shape consisting in reduction of the remelting width and depth. This increases the value of the flux density of heat transmitted from the remelting area to substrate which in turn acts in favor of reduction of structural parameters λ1D and λ2D characterizing α(Al) phase dendrites in C355 alloy.

The paper deals with possibility to improve operating performance of cast-iron heat exchangers by providing them with a copper alloy (CuTi2Cr) with the use of the flame spraying method. A test exchanger was cast of a gray cast iron with vermicular graphite in ferriticpearlitic matrix obtained in production conditions at KAW-MET Iron Foundry with the wire method used to vermicularize the material. The test samples were two plates cast in sand molds, of which one was given a flame-sprayed CuTi2Cr coat on one side. The operating performance of such model cast-iron heat exchangers, with and without CuTi2Cr coating, was tested on a set-up for determining the heat flow rate (thermal power) transferred by the heat exchanger to environment. The obtained results indicate that the value of the heat flow rate characterizing the CuTi2Cr-coated cast-iron heat exchanger was by 10% higher compared to the flow rate of heat conveyed to environment by the heat exchanger without coating.

The paper discusses the possibility of improving resistance of heat exchangers made of gray cast iron with flake graphite to hightemperature corrosion by providing them with metallic coatings. A metallic coating containing 76.9% Ni, 19.8% Cr, 1.7% Si, 0.9% Fe, and 0.9% Mn was applied by means of the plasma spraying method and subjected to cyclically variable thermal loads in the atmosphere of solid fuels combustion products (oxygen, sulfur, chlorine, and sodium). In a 30-day thermal load test held at temperature 500°C it has been found that thickness of the metallic coating decreased from the initial (240 ± 6) μm to (231 ± 6) μm. The depth to which sulfur, chlorine, and sodium penetrated the coating was about 30 μm. Increased oxygen content occurred along the whole coating depth. In the coating area adjacent to the substrate surface, the content was twice as high compared to this observed in the initial coating material. Although presence of oxygen was found within the whole depth of the coating, i.e. (231 ± 6) μm, no signs of susceptibility of the sprayed metallic layer to separation from substrate of gray cast iron with flake graphite were found.

The present paper is a presentation of results of a study on morphology, chemical composition, material properties (HVIT, HIT, EIT), and nanoindentation elastic and plastic work for carbide precipitates in chromium cast iron containing 24% Cr. It has been found that the carbides differ in chemical composition, as well as in morphology and values characterizing their material properties. The carbides containing the most chromium which had the shape of thick and long needles were characterized with highest values of the analyzed material properties.

The paper presents results of metallographic examination of faults occurring in the course of founding thin-walled cast-iron castings in

furan resin sand molds. A non-conformance of the scab type was Observed on surface of the casting as well as sand buckles and cold

shots. Studied the chemical composition by means of a scanning electron microscope in a region of casting defects: microanalysis point

and microanalysis surface. Around the observed defects discloses high concentration of oxides of iron, manganese and silicon.

A computer simulation of the casting process has been carried out with the objective to establish the cause of occurrence of cold shots on

casting surface. The simulation was carried out with the use of NovaFlow & Solid program. We analyzed the flowing metal in the mold

cavity. The main reason for the occurrence of casting defects on the surface of the casting was gating system, which caused turbulent flow

of metal with a distinctive splash stream of liquid alloy.

The paper concerns evaluation of the coefficient of friction characterising a friction couple comprising a commercial brake disc cast of

flake graphite grey iron and a typical brake pad for passenger motor car. For the applied interaction conditions, the brake pressure of

0.53 MPa and the linear velocity measured on the pad-disc trace axis equalling 15 km/h, evolution of the friction coefficient μ values were

observed. It turned out that after a period of 50 minutes, temperature reached the value 270°C and got stabilised. After this time interval,

the friction coefficient value also got stabilised on the level of μ = 0.38. In case of a block in its original state, stabilisation of the friction

coefficient value occurred after a stage in the course of which a continuous growth of its value was observed up to the level μ = 0.41 and

then a decrease to the value μ = 0.38. It can be assumed that occurrence of this stage was an effect of an initial running-in of the friction

couple. In consecutive abrasion tests on the same friction couple, the friction coefficient value stabilisation occurred after the stage of

a steady increase of its value. It can be stated that the stage corresponded to a secondary running-in of the friction couple. The observed

stages lasted for similar periods of time and ended with reaching the stabile level of temperature of the disc-pad contact surface.

The paper presents results of assessment of the unit pressure force within the refractory material volume in the course press-moulding of

stampings for refractory precast shapes. The force was evaluated with the use of physical simulation of deformation undergone by lead

balls placed in the raw refractory mass subjected to pressing in a metal die. To determine the value of unit pressure force applied to the

aggregate grains in the course of stamping press-moulding, physical model of deformation of a sphere induced by the uniaxial stress state

was used.

The paper presents results of an analysis of material density distribution in stampings press-moulded in metal dies from raw refractory

materials based on alumina-magnesia-carbon aggregate. The stampings, fabricated on LAEIS HPF 1250 pressing machine, are blanks from

which refractory precast shapes are manufactured by means of drying and firing. Samples for material density evaluation were cut out

from test stampings with the use of diamond-reinforced disc. Density of the material was determined in thirteen layers of stampings

denoted with letters A through M.