Gray Iron Castings from jccasting's blog

Gray iron castings provide durability, hardness and strength to any operation in which they are used. There are many applications for gray iron castings. As non-combustible building elements, they provide excellent fire protection for wooden support structures. Additionally, their graphite/graphite flake content can be used for energy dissipation in components such as engine blocks and crankshafts, which depend on the damping of mechanical vibrations.

Gray iron castings are frequently used in the manufacture of: valves, housings, engine blocks, molds, pump casings, pipes, brake drums, trim and gray iron cookware.

Benefits of gray iron castings

Gray cast iron has many advantages. First, it imparts high damping capacity, compressive and tensile strength to the product. Second, it's quick and easy to produce. Also, due to the presence of graphite and graphite flakes, gray cast iron has good machinability and weldability. With it, cast iron foundries can create a wide variety of complex shapes. Additionally, the gray iron casting process produces less shrinkage during cooling than similar casting methods. This means that castings require little secondary machining. Best of all, gray iron castings are relatively cheap, so investing in them won't break the bank.

Gray iron castings do have a disadvantage in that they are not shock resistant and will shatter instantly with sufficient force.