Superplastic properties of three different composition white cast irons were investigated in the temperature range of 630 to 725 °C. Fine structures consisting of 1 to 2 μm ferrite grains were developed in these materials by consolidation of rapidly solidified powders at intermediate temperatures below the A1 critical temperature. Tensile elongations of 1410 pct were found for a 3.0 pct C + 1.5 pct Cr white cast iron, 940 pct for a 3.0 pct C white cast iron, and 480 pct for a 2.4 pct C white cast iron when tested at 700 °C and at a strain rate of 1 pct per minute. The superplastic white cast irons exhibited a high strain rate sensitivity exponent,m, of 0.5 and activation energies for plastic flow were found to be nearly equal to the activation energy for grain boundary self-diffusion in iron. These observations are in agreement with the creep behavior of superplastic materials controlled by grain boundary diffusion.

Peer reviewed