CAST IRONS - ESSENTIAL ALLOYS FOR THE FUTURE

摘要

The article discusses the up to date situation of cast iron industry and its role on the world markets. The reasons were considered of the production drop in this branch and of the loss of a considerable part of the sale market of castings for the automotive industry on the benefit of aluminium and its alloys. However the analysis indicates that iron castings and especially castings inductile iron may be competitive with the production of light castings with high mechanical properties which are suitable for the transport industry when using the existing technology. However, the knowledge of this technology by the foundry workers should undergo considerable improvement. The basic advantages of castings made in ductile cast iron when compared with castings made in aluminium alloys when considering their equivalent weight, one should find in their properties values, such as: fatigue and impact strengths. The loss of sale markets of iron castings should not be attributed to technological factors, but to outer political factors on which foundry industry exerts no influence. An essential and at the same time negative part here plays the system of high education which does not present in the proper way cast irons as constructional materials. The education and accessibility of the professional staff for foundry industry and the elimination of the gaps in educational programmes should be treated with great attention. All over the world the educational units treat foundry industry as a declining discipline only because it has a long history, while the other disciplines have appeared relatively recently. The author opposes these opinions, presenting the facts which influence the modernisation of iron foundries, training of their staff, and thus receiving high quality castings (introduction of high-tech). All these actions will aim in regaining the sale markets, especially in automotive industry as well as in many other industrial branches.