Institute of Metals Division - Electron Diffraction Study of Flake Graphite Extracted from Molten Pig Iron

IN the past, the crystalline states of graphite in cast iron have been studied by many investigators. Recently several authors 1-4 have published interesting information on the crystal texture of the individual graphite grain, especially spherulites in nodular cast iron. In regard to the crystal structure of graphite, Lipson and Stokes0 howed by powder X-ray analysis that most of the crystals contain about 14 pct rhombohedra1 structure (ß-form) which differs from the hexagonal structure (a-form) in the sequence of layer stacking. Hoerni6 onfirmed the existence of the ß-form in a single crystal with electron diffraction by Kossel-Moellenstedt's method. Furthermore, Hoerni and Weigle7 found extra reflections in electron diffraction patterns, which are given by a unit cell twice as large as the usual one in the basal plane. Recently, Lukeshs observed graphite twinning and satellite reflections in his X-ray work and considered them as evidence for the existence of an orthorhombic superstructure. Owen and Street" and Matuyama" studied the structures of graphite crystals in several types of cast iron, using the X-ray powder method, and they showed that the graphite crystal contains a certain amount of the ß-form, an amount which varies with the sources of the cast iron used. The present study was made in order to secure structural information on graphitization in cast iron. Electron diffraction studies on the structure of single graphite flakes segregated from molten carbon or silicon-rich iron at 1200" to 1500°C are reported. Experimental Honkeiko pig iron (4.05 pct C, 1.59 pct Si, and 0.65 pct Mn) was used as the solvent of carbon or silicon. The pig iron was melted in an open furnace and a small quantity of metallic silicon was added to the melt at 1300°C. The melt was heated to 150O°C, and then retort black carbon or metallic silicon was added little by little. The components added to the bath contained approximately 5.0 pct C and 2.0 pct Si in the carbon-rich material, and 3.8 pct C and 5.4 pct Si in the silicon-rich iron. These two types were held at 1500°C and then cooled without graphitizing by cutting the heat sup-