Mechanisms and mechanics of porosity formation in ductile iron castings

Shrinkage defects in ductile iron castings can be of two basic types: shrinkage cavities associated with the liquid contraction prior to the expansion period of the iron as well as the porosity, which may appear even if the liquid shrinkage is fully compensated. In the present paper two possible mechanisms of the porosity are presented and analyzed. The first one is the Karsay's mechanism based on the secondary shrinkage concept. The second one is the mechanism acting during the expansion period of the iron, first suggested by Ohnaka and co-authors and essentially modified by the present authors. The mechanical interactions between casting and mould are determined for the both mechanisms. Their analysis leads to the conclusion, that porosity forms during expansion period of the melt. The direct cause is the negative pressure which appears in the central part of the casting due to the differences in expansion coefficients of the fast cooling surface layer and slow cooling inner region. Observations concerning feeding behavior of ductile iron castings, based on this mechanism, agree well with industrial practice. The secondary shrinkage is not only needless to induce the porosity, but the corresponding mechanism of its occurrence, proposed by Karsay, does not seem to be valid.