The Effect of Copper Addition on the Mechanical and Wear Properties of Grey Cast Iron

Abstract

An alloy of cast iron and copper (Fe-Cu) has been developed using a stir cast process. The compo-sitional, microstructural characterization and wear property of the developed Fe-Cu alloy were carried out with the aids of X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and pin on Disc machine. The mechanical properties such as hardness and impact energy were investigated. Wear linear equations were generated with the aids of MATLAB linear fitting. The results revealed that the presence of copper (99% pure) in the melt of grey cast iron inhibited the formation of cementite. However, the impact energy of the grey cast iron increased with %weight (wt) of cop-per addition. Hence, the hardness and wear resistance of the developed Fe-Cu alloy were sacri-ficed. Hence, the developed Fe-Cu alloy is an excellent material which can be used in the vibration damping application especially in the shock absorber.