The effect of chills thickness to

microstructure and surface hardness layer

on specimen ductile cast iron
Cite as: AIP Conference Proceedings 2384, 040004 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0073388
Published Online: 30 December 2021

Natalino Fonseca. D. S Guterres, Rusnaldy, Achmad Widodo, et al.

AIP Conference Proceedings 2384, 040004 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0073388 2384, 040004

© 2021 Author(s).
 The Effect of Chills Thickness to Microstructure And
Surface Hardness Layer on Specimen Ductile Cast Iron
Natalino Fonseca. D. S Guterres1, 2, a), Rusnaldy3,b), Achmad Widodo3,c), Toto
Carwita4,d)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dili Institute of Technology, Ai Meti Laran Street, Dili, Timor Leste
2
Doctorate Program, Mechanical Engineering Department, Diponegoro University, Prof. Soedharto Street,
Tembalang, Semarang 50275, Indonesia
3
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Diponegoro University, Prof. Soedharto Street,
Tembalang, Semarang 50275, Indonesia
4
Politeknik Manufacture Ceper-Jawa Tengah Indonesia.
a)
Corresponding author: [email protected]
b)
[email protected]
c)
[email protected]
d)
[email protected]

Abstract. One of the methods used to surface hardening of ductile iron is chilled cast iron. Chill as the fast cooling rate in
the mold during solidification and chill thickness greatly affects the thickness of the hardness layer. The main material used
is ductile iron, and the chill material is SS 304. Casting uses the sand casting method. Before pouring, the chill plate has
been inserted onto the surface of the pattern that has been formed in the mold, then the chill plate is preheated at 700OC.
Pouring was carried out at a melting temperature of 1400OC, and then cooled with argon and O2 sprays into the mold in
solidification conditions at exactly 700OC. The results analyzed were the microstructure, hardness value, and the hardness
of the thickness layer. This chill coolant will absorb heat very quickly and the Cr and Ni alloy will diffuse to the specimen
surface to stabilize the ferrite and austenite phases in the final solidification. The particles on the hard surface are has ferro
carbide M7C3, which is in the form of cementite and martensitic phases so that to categorized as white cast iron structure
formed on the surface with the area around 1.5-3mm has a hardness of 61-65HRC. But in the center area is 31-49HRC.

INTRODUCTION
Surface hardening is a general term that includes various processes used in ferrous alloy materials which are very
suitable to be carried out to produce a hard surface layer, to withstand high friction and can prevent wear on the surface
of components such as gears, valve seats, railroad rails, rolling-mill rolls, etc. [1,2]. The value of hardness and
thickness of hardness required based on the demand for the function of the component, both for components of
machines in the automotive, aerospace, machinery, and manufacturing industries, as well as in the shipping industry
and so on. Several processes have been used in the surface hardening process are induction hardening, flame
hardening, laser hardening, carburizing hardening, and plasma hardening. These methods are mostly used for cast
iron, carbon steel, and alloy steel [3,4]. In recent years, ductile cast iron has been widely used for surface hardening
as austempering process. This process is known as austempered ductile iron (ADI), this process can change the
properties of hardness, toughness, wear-resistance and impact resistance but this seurface hardening method not hit
by the target in the area that needs to be hardened. Ductile iron is suitable for surface hardening of machine components
because it has advantages such as it can be machined because it has high ductility [5], easy to machining, has high
toughness and strength when compared to grey cast iron [4]. In surface hardening using cast iron, several methods are
often found in scientific articles: duplex coated DLC, Nitriding and carbonitriding, plasma transferred arc (PTA),
horizontal continuous casting machine (HCCM), manually tig welding, tungsten inert gas welding process, MMC

The 4th International Conference on Materials and Metallurgical Engineering and Technology (ICOMMET) 2020
AIP Conf. Proc. 2384, 040004-1–040004-8; https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0073388
Published by AIP Publishing. 978-0-7354-4174-3/$30.00

040004-1
(Magnetic Moulding Casting) system and fine particle bombardment (FPB) treatment [6,7]. Nixon and Mohanty, using
a wire electrode to coat the surface using the friction welding method but it is still very difficult to increase the high
hardness on the surface ductile iron [8]. There is also a surface coating using chill as a faster cooling distribution
system to the specimen surface during the solidification so that the characterized areas become hard. This casting
method using chill has been widely applied to steel and aluminium casting systems [9,10]. This chill method is also
used to ductile iron casting to surface hardening [11] very economical and very short in process, but this method is
still difficult to apply to focus on very concentrated areas that need to be hardened [12]. The chill material can be
varied with the content of the composition of chromium (Cr) in grey cast iron and nodular cast iron as a function to
increase wear resistance on the surface of engine components [13,14,20], and increase strength through the formation
of fine pearlite. By using chromium alloying and nickel (Ni) to coat the surface of the ductile iron, it can produce a
graphite structure to form M7C3 on the specimen surface with a hardness of 1176HV [19]. Increasing the thickness of
the powder from ferrochromium will also increase the thickness of the surface hardness layer [15]. Based on some of
the studies discussed, the authors tried to do surface hardening research using the chill casting method. The author
tries to use SS 304 stainless steel plate as chill material and at first, the chill plate placed into the mold to position on
the surface of the pattern. Chill as a fast cooling process, through a very fast compaction process, the Cr and Ni
composition elements contained in the stainless steel will diffuse to the surface of the ductile iron specimen and cause
a white cast iron structure on the substrate [16,21]. The purpose of this study to determine the microstructure, hardness
value and surface hardness layer thickness on the specimen ductile iron.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

Materials And Sample Preparation

The ductile iron material used in this study where are taken from steel scrap, and commercially pure silicon which
has been widely used in the metals foundry industry, the composition contained in ductile iron can be seen in table 1
and the tensile strength is 120 Ksi, yield strength 90 Ksi and 2% elongation accordance with standard ASTM A 536
[24]. The material used for chill design is 304 stainless steel plate as has been used by researchers M.Qian et al [16],
chemical composition for 304 stainless steel plate according to standard ASTM A 240 [22], as shown in table 2.

TABLE 1 Chemical composition of the ductile iron

Type of Cast Iron TC (a) Mn Si Cr Ni Mo Cu P S Ce Mg
Ductile Iron 3.89 0.45 1.90 0.04 0.17 0.07 0.15 0.03max 0.002max 0.15 (b) 0.06

Six samples will be cast with different thickness parameters of the SS 304 stainless steel plate to coat the surface
as shown in Table 3. All of the six specimens that three specimens will be preheated before pouring and the other
sample will not be preheated and cooled.

TABLE 2 Chemical composition of the stainless steel 304 sheet, ASTM A240.
C Si Mn Ni Cr Fe
0.025 0.9 0.7 12 24 Balance

TABLE 3 Chill thickness parameter to the identification of the different sample groups.
Code of The thickness of the SS Preheating the chill Cooling With Argon and O2
Sample 304 plats plate (Gas LPG ) Spray (10 Ksi)
B1 0.2 mm (700OC) Cooling
B2 0.5 mm (700OC) Cooling
B3 1.0 mm (700OC) Cooling
B4 0.2 mm Not heating Not Cooling
B5 0.5 mm Not heating Not Cooling
B6 1.0 mm Not heating Not Cooling

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 Chill Design Process
This plate chill size is in accordance with the sample to be cast. The prepared chill plate is that there is one sheet
for each sample with a rectangular 335mm (length) x 25mm (width) and there are 3 parameters of the thickness:
0.2mm, 0.5mm, and 1.0mm. This chill plate will be attached inside the hole at the surface position that is according
to the Y-Block pattern as shown in Fig 1a. The chill-making process that the chill plate is cut according to size, then
bent into an L shape to outward dirction with an angle of 175O to match the shape of the specimen, the dimensions of
the specimen can be seen in Fig 1b.

FIGURE 1. Plate chill and pattern; (a) chill position on the pattern; (b) type and dimension pattern; (c) Pattern test piece with the
filling system for ductile iron.

Mold Preparation
The mold used is an open mold made by wood box and silica sand is a filler material. Silica sand will be used for
the formation of pattern holes in the molding. The composition of the sand used is silica sand with high mesh class,
water glass, CO2 gas, graphite, and methanol. Than mix 6 kg of silica sand with 2% water glass and stirred until the
mixture is evenly distributed, then filled into the mold. So that a hole formed according to the shape and size of the
pattern. The pattern holes formation and the planned sample results can be seen in Fig. 1c.

Specimen Produce And Chilled Cast Process

Of the six samples to be casted, each sample for surface hardening will give a number code to adjust each function
parameter as shown in table 3. Ductile iron material was melted with an electric induction furnace at a temperature of
1400OC poured into the mold. While the prepared mold has formed a pattern and a chill plate has been inserted on the
side of the pattern hole as shown in Fig. 2b and 2c, the chill is indicated in red. Furthermore, the chill plate is preheated
with LPG and O2 gas at a temperature of 700OC, the pre-heating temperature for the chill plate will be controlled from
the HT-9815 thermocouple thermometers that have 4 wires embedded into the sand to be touched on the surface of
each chill plate. Then the pouring has been carried out simultaneously for all samples. Three samples will be allowed
solidifying in the mold to room temperature and the other three samples will be quenched; the pouring process
simultaneously carried out to maintain the same temperature and solidification time. The quenching media used the
Argon gas spraying method with a pressure of 10 Ksi into the mold as shown in Fig 2c to cool the sample to room
temperature. The cooling liquid spraying time adjusted to the austenite temperature 700OC. The mechanism of mold
construction and installation of LPG gas cylinders and argon cylinders is shown in Fig 2a.

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FIGURE 2. Construction of molding and its details; (a) Molding box and pattern formation; (b) Process preheating to chill plat;
(c) The technical of Argon and O2 Quenching.

Microstructure And Mechanical Properties Examination

Microstructure analysis based on standard ASTM 247 [23]. Samples for the microstructure test and rockwell
hardness test can be tested at the same location. the first step to do microstructure analysis is, polishing with fine
sandpaper of 0.3μm then polished with a mixture of alumina and water, and then finished with polishing with a fine
cloth duster. Then etching with 2% vital liquid is soaked into water mixed with ammonium persulfate (10% vol) for
7 seconds. The microstructure observation by using OLYMPUS BX41M optical microscope. Microstructure
observation points and Rockwell test points were carried out in the area where the chill plate will attach. The test was
carried out starting with the microstructure test and then continue to rockwell test. Each sample is taken 8 areas to be
tested and the location of the area is coded such as right side A (have fourt groups of point testing) and left side B
(have fourt groups of point testing) can be seen in Fig. 3, then each area in each site (A and B) is taken 3 test points
of microstructure where from the edge of the outer skin area to the center area. The distance from one point to another
is 1.5mm. Several test points for each side can obserb then taken the best figure to discuss. Authors can provide a code
for each test area, for example sample B1 in the left side B are B1.B.D1, B1.B.D2, B1.B.D3 and B1.B.D4. While for
samples B1 in the right side A is B1.A.D1, B1.A.D2, B1.A.D3 and B1.A.D4 as shown in Fig. 3. Specially for rockwel
testing, each area (D1, D2, D3 and D4) of each site A and B is taken 18 test points where from the edge of the outer
skin area to the center area as showin in the Fig. 3b.

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 FIGURE 3. Sample of testing (a) Microstructure and rockwell testing for every sample (b) Indentor point testing.

RESULTS

Effect of Chill Plate Thickness on Microstructure

Microstructure growth in the center area for all sampel is a round and very uniform graphite nodule as shown in
Fig. 4a, it happened because this center area not touched by chill plate. Then after etched microstructure surrounded
E\Į-ferrite and pearlite matrix as shown in Fig. 4b. The microstructure that is formed on the surface of the B1 sample
using a chill thickness of 0.2mm is ferrite and perlite which are contained very fine matrix structure so that at a fast
cooling rate the granular transformation of the perlite structure into a ledeburite structure is called the “cementite”
phase as shown in Fig. 4c. In another case, when using chill plate to surface hardening greatly different types of
microstructure and also different thickness hardness layer formation on the ductile iron substrate. Ferro-carbide
(cementite) structure is formed due to the composition of the Fe-Cr-Ni system based on the theory described by Hugh
Baker [17]. Which is stabilized at austenizing temperature in the final of the solidification and then followed by
cooling, giving rise to eutectic carbide M7C3. This phase can be categorized as white cast iron which is very hard,
brittle, and wear-resistant.

FIGURE 4. Microstructure of sample B1and B4. (a) Microstructure on ductile iron at the center area (not etched); (b)
microstructure in the center area after etched; (c) Microstructure ledeburite near the surface.

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 The microstructure that arises on the surface of the specimen using a chill thickness of 0.5mm (samples B2 and
B5) is cementite as well but the area affected by the cementite structure is very large compared to samples B1 and B4
as shown in Fig. 5a and 5b. In addition, for samples B3 and samples B6. Where the area formed by the cementite
structure is wider than the sample using chill thickness of 0.2mm and 0.5mm as shown in Fig. 5c and Fig. 5d.

FIGURE 5. Microstructure of sample B2, B3, B5 and B6. (a) Microstructure at the surface area on ductile iron; (b) structure
ledeburite on the surface; (c) The cementite structure is very diffuse and irregular; (d) different area on the surface with a zoom
scale 200μm

Effect of Chill Plate Thickness on Hardness

The Rockwell test results from each specimen taken from the average value. The graph in Fig. 6 shows that the
total of several test areas and the total of right and left side location for each of the six samples where the three samples
preheated on the plate surface and the other three did not use preheating. Fig. 6a shows that the hardness value of
using a chill plate with a thickness of 0.2mm showing that the hardness value on the surface location of 1.5-3.5mm
reaches 65.58HRC after preheating and 54.55 HRC without preheating, while on the center area is 30 to 47 HRC. The
thickness of the hardness layer is very thin because the thickness of the plate chill is so thin that the preheating
temperature on the chill plate to the austenizing temperature. However, using a chill plate thickness of more than
0.2mm as in Fig. 6b and Fig. 6c shows that the hardness on the surface of the ductile iron average decrease. This is
because the heat capacity found on the surface of the chill plate is very thick so that it does not properly diffuse the
matrix structure from the material chill to the ductile iron surface.
Thus, this surface hardening treatment requires preheating and a thin chill so that this process can diffuse the CrNi
structure to the ductile iron surface with a homogeneous and very strong attachment to the matrix structure. The
hardness value on the surface is high because the particles contained on the surface are dominated by ferro chromium
structure, so the combination of Cr (24%) and carbon (3.5%) values will produce high ferro-carbide M7C3 or
categorized as white cast iron structure as described by Hans Berns and Werner Theisen, 2008 [18]. Graphite of ferro-
carbide formation occurs and becomes a white cast iron structure on the surface. The nature of this white cast iron
grain is very hard and brittle. Areas that experience low hardness on irregular surfaces due to uneven and unfocused
spraying of the argon gas cooling liquid.

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FIGURE 6. Hardness that occurs on the surface of ductile cast iron after chill casting; (a) the thickness of plate chill 0.2mm; (b)
the thickness of plate chill 0.5mm; (c) the thickness of plate chill 1.0mm

CONCLUSION
Based on the results obtained after casting with a chill casting method to surface hardening ductile iron, the
researchers drew the following conclusions:
1. Casting using 304 stainless steel plate chill with high pouring temperature successfully diffuses the Cr and Ni
structure into the ductile cast iron surface.
2. Cr content above 15% reacts with a carbon value above 3.5% at austenizing temperature then quenched will
produce a ledeburite structure so that it transforms the ferrite and perlite phases into cementite.
3. The thickness of the plate chill greatly affects the thickness of the hardness layer on the surface of the ductile
iron. Other than that, the thinner of plate chill is used to coating, will resulted the thinner hardness on the
surface.
4. The hardness value on the surface area of the ductile iron specimen more hard to compared the center area
because the surface structure is white cast iron.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The study was carried out with partial financial support provided by the Dili Institute of Technology Timor Leste
and Fundo de Desenvolvimento do Capital Humano (FDCH) Timor Leste. We also thank to Diponegoro University
and Politeknik Manufacture Ceper for supporting the laboratory of testing.

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