TABLE OF CONTENTS by Harold W. Paxton
"Metals Handbook," ASM International, 10th ed., ASTM Standards, pt. 1. SAE Handbook. "Steel Products Manual," AISI. "Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel," AISE, 10th ed.
Iron (Fe) is not a high-purity metal commercially but contains other chemical elements which have a large effect on its physical and mechanical properties. The amount and distribution of these elements are dependent upon the method of manufacture. The most important commercial forms of iron are listed below.
Pig iron is the product of the blast furnace and is made by the reduction of iron ore.
Cast iron is an alloy of iron containing enough carbon to have a low melting temperature and which can be cast to close to final shape. It is not generally capable of being deformed before entering service.
Gray cast iron is an iron which, as cast, has combined carbon (in the form of cementite, Fe 3C) not in excess of a eutectoid percentage-the balance of the carbon occurring as graphite flakes. The term "gray iron" is derived from the characteristic gray fracture of this metal.
White cast iron contains carbon in the combined form. The presence of cementite or iron carbide (Fe 3C) makes this metal hard and brittle, and the absence of graphite gives the fracture a white color.
Malleable cast iron is an alloy in which all the combined carbon in a special white cast...
