The Advantages & Disadvantages of Gray Cast Iron
Gray iron is a versatile, low-cost alloy with a long history and many manufacturing applications. Gray iron's high carbon content gives it a dull, gray appearance with low reflectivity. Common uses for gray cast iron include pipes, cookware and automobile parts.
Advantages
Gray iron's high carbon content makes it easy to melt, weld, machine and cast using common metalworking processes. Gray iron contains graphite flakes that provide a high level of stability and minimize shrinking during the casting process. The metallurgy of gray iron also makes it resistant to corrosion. Gray iron's high conductivity makes it ideal for cookware.
Disadvantages
Gray cast iron's extremely low tensile strength makes it a poor shock resistor relative to newer, less rigid iron alloy varieties. Blasting gray iron can weaken castings by causing residual stress. Gray iron may be too brittle for some applications, including instances when a casting must be especially thin or flexible.
Density
Gray iron's density makes it excellent for some applications, but inappropriate for others. For example, high density gray cast iron is an excellent choice for pipes, but a cast iron bicycle would be too heavy and too rigid to ride safely.
References
Writer Bio
Tim Hesse has been writing professionally since 2000. He has written and edited for a variety of print and online publications, including Salon.com Tech Tips, FOXSports and Automated Homefinder. Hesse enjoys covering music, film, the open-source movement, education and the arts. He studied cinema and television production at the University of Southern California.
Photo Credits
- cast iron pipe image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
- cast iron pipe image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
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