Importance

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Abstract

Conventionally, heat treatment was necessary in the final stage of producing nodular cast iron products to give the nodular cast iron with desired mechanical properties. This was necessary because of the loss of graphitization capability of the molten metal when it is being formed into nodular cast iron during the process of spheroidization, and the heat treatment is therefore required to decompose cementite formation and thereby promote graphitization. The process of producing nodular cast iron according to the present invention can achieve the promotion of graphitization and the increase in the number of graphite nodules, which are both important for the production of high-quality thin-shell cast iron products, through the synergetic effect of processing the molten metal with a graphitization agent such as SiC or CaC.sub.2 and of adding a graphite atomization agent such as Bi. The nodular cast iron produced by the process of the present invention can be made into thin-shell products which are provided with favorable mechanical properties either without any heat treatment or at most with low-temperature heat treatment.

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First Claim