Microstructural Investigation of Acicular Nodular Cast Iron Used for Work Rolls

The microstructure and mechanical properties of the work roll grade acicular nodular cast iron supplied by two different manufacturers were studied and compared. These rolls have different chemical compositions, namely work roll A and work roll B, respectively. This work aims to evaluate the two different work rolls with different chemistry and the effect on the microstructure and hardness. The microstructure was observed by the optical microscope and image analyzer, and the hardness value was measured using a Rockwell hardness machine. The results showed that the work roll A presented more carbides and graphite nodules than B. Carbide area fraction and nodularity level of work roll A are found much higher than B; therefore, it provided a higher hardness. It seems a higher percentage of carbon and proper amount of magnesium as a nodulizer contributed to produce more carbides and nodules on the cast iron of work roll A compared to B.