Abstract:
The objective of this work was to develop the aluminised cast iron for automotive applications especially as a valve seat. Pack cementation was applied to develop the Fe-Al layers on the surface of FC25 cast iron. The layers consisting of Fe2Al5, FeAl2, FeAl and solid solution of iron with aluminium were formed after pack cementationat 1050°C using the aluminising periods of 4, 7 and 11 h. The oxidation test was further conducted in air at 850°C for 14 thermal cycles, 8 h of isothermal oxidation in each cycle. The oxidation rate of bare and aluminised cast iron followed parabolic rate law. The parabolic rate constant of the aluminised cast iron was significantly decreased by two orders of magnitude compared with that of the bare cast iron and comparable to that of alumina-forming stainless steel. The XRD results confirmed the formation of alumina layer which was responsible to the reduced oxidation rate. After the oxidation test, the aluminium concentration gradient in the Fe-Al layer tended to be reduced and that layer consists mainly of FeAl and solid solution of iron with aluminium. The cyclic oxidation test in humidified oxygen, i.e. oxygen with 5 and 10 % water vapour, was also studied. In the 14 cycles of the cyclic test, mass gain of the coated cast iron in the humidified atmosphere was lower than that of the bare cast iron.