The paper presents the results of studies of the effect of chromium concentration on the solidification process, microstructure and selected

properties of cast iron with vermicular graphite. The vermicular graphite cast iron was obtained by an Inmold process. Studies covered the

cast iron containing chromium in a concentration at which graphite is still able to preserve its vermicular form. The effect of chromium on

the temperature of eutectic crystallization and on the temperature of the start and end of austenite transformation was discussed. The conditions

under which, at a predetermined chromium concentration, the vermicular graphite cast iron of a pearlitic matrix is obtained were

presented, and the limit concentration of chromium was calculated starting from which partial solidification of the cast iron in a metastable

system takes place. The effect of chromium on the hardness of cast iron, microhardness of individual phases and surface fraction of carbides

was disclosed.

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.