Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
The influences of silicon and phosphorus contents and cooling rate on JIC fracture toughness of ferritic spheroidal graphite cast iron were investigated by 15mm thick compact tension test-pieces. The JIC values were measured by means of the R-curve method for most cases at 20°C, and by means of the maximum J value method for the cases at -100° C. The results obtained are summarized as follows. At 20WC, the specimens with silicon contents less than 3.2% showed the ductile Load-COD relations, but a specimen with 3.5%Si showed a brittle Load-COD relation and the JIC decreased greatly. Increasing phosphorus content between 0.006% and 0.26% made the JIC value decrease gradually and made the slope of the R-curve decrease greatly. Difference in cooling rate produced differences in graphite nodule diameters and ferrite grain sizes. At 20°C, the larger the specimen's average graphite nodule diameter was, the larger the JIC value was. At -100° C, the Jic values of all the specimens tested decreased largely, and the influences of these factors became very different from those at 20° C.