Ductile iron, a family
of versatile cast irons, offers the design engineer
versatility. Its mechanical properties – strength,
wear resistance, fatigue strength, toughness and ductility
- are competitive with many cast, forged, and fabricated
steel products, yet the result, in most cases, is lower
cost and better looking parts. Ductile iron’s
ease of maching and economy of production are almost
equal to gray iron. The use of ductile iron has grown
rapidly in the past 40 years, mainly through conversions
from gray and malleable iron castings, steel castings,
forgings and fabrications, and also through its use
in new components designed with ductile iron.
