An inoculant for manufacturing cast iron with lamellar, compacted or spheroidal graphite is disclosed. The inoculant has a particulate ferrosilicon alloy having 40 and 80% by weight of silicon, 0.5-5 wt % of calcium and/or strontium and/or barium, 0-10 wt % of rare earths, 0-5 wt % of magnesium, less than 5% by weight of aluminium, 0-10 wt % of manganese and/or zirconium, and the balance being iron, wherein the inoculant additionally contains 0.1-10 wt % of particulate bismuth oxide particles and optionally 0.1-10 wt % of one or more particulate metal sulphides and/or one or more particulate iron oxides, where the particulate bismuth oxide is mixed or blended with the ferrosilicon particles, or is simultaneously added to cast iron together with the particulate ferrosilicon particles.

Disclosed herein is a gray cast iron having high strength and reduced casting defects. The high-strength gray cast iron may include: an amount of about 3.10 to 3.50 wt % of carbon (C), an amount of about 2.10 to 2.40 wt % of silicon (Si), an amount of about 0.50 to 0.80 wt % of manganese (Mn), an amount less than or equal to about 0.10 wt % (not including 0%) of phosphorus (P), an amount less than or equal to about 0.10 wt % (not including 0%) of sulfur (S), an amount of about 0.25 to 0.45 wt % of chromium (Cr), an amount of about 1.00 to 1.40 wt % of copper (Cu), an amount less than or equal to about 0.20 wt % (not including 0%) of nickel (Ni), and a balance of iron (Fe), all the wt % are based on the total weight of the gray cast iron. In particular, the gray cast iron may include a carbon equivalent (CEQ) of about 3.95 to 4.1% calculated by the Equation 1.

Disclosed herein is a gray cast iron having high strength and reduced casting defects. The high-strength gray cast iron may include: an amount of about 3.10 to 3.50 wt % of carbon (C), an amount of about 2.10 to 2.40 wt % of silicon (Si), an amount of about 0.50 to 0.80 wt % of manganese (Mn), an amount less than or equal to about 0.10 wt % (not including 0%) of phosphorus (P), an amount less than or equal to about 0.10 wt % (not including 0%) of sulfur (S), an amount of about 0.25 to 0.45 wt % of chromium (Cr), an amount of about 1.00 to 1.40 wt % of copper (Cu), an amount less than or equal to about 0.20 wt % (not including 0%) of nickel (Ni), and a balance of iron (Fe), all the wt % are based on the total weight of the gray cast iron. In particular, the gray cast iron may include a carbon equivalent (CEQ) of about 3.95 to 4.1% calculated by the Equation 1.

The present invention pertains to a non-magnesium process to produce Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) by placing a treatment alloy into a treatment ladle, and then placing an inoculant over die treatment alloy in the treatment ladle and pouring a molten base metal there over. The treatment alloy comprises iron, silicon and, lanthanum, wherein lanthanum is 3-30% by weight of the treatment alloy, silicon is 40-50% by weight of the treatment alloy, and the remaining is Iron. Lanthanum in the treatment alloy makes the graphite precipitate as vermiculite (compacted form) instead of flake or spheroids. With extended process window offered by this new process (0.03-0.1% residual lanthanum in the metal) required to make CGI, this new process removes the stringent process control (0.01-0.02% residual magnesium in the metal) dictated by the magnesium process of making CGI.

The present invention pertains to a non-magnesium process to produce Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) by placing a treatment alloy into a treatment ladle, and then placing an inoculant over die treatment alloy in the treatment ladle and pouring a molten base metal there over. The treatment alloy comprises iron, silicon and, lanthanum, wherein lanthanum is 3-30% by weight of the treatment alloy, silicon is 40-50% by weight of the treatment alloy, and the remaining is Iron. Lanthanum in the treatment alloy makes the graphite precipitate as vermiculite (compacted form) instead of flake or spheroids. With extended process window offered by this new process (0.03-0.1% residual lanthanum in the metal) required to make CGI, this new process removes the stringent process control (0.01-0.02% residual magnesium in the metal) dictated by the magnesium process of making CGI.

The present invention pertains to a non-magnesium process to produce Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) by placing a treatment alloy into a treatment ladle, and then placing an inoculant over the treatment alloy in the treatment ladle and pouring a molten base metal there over. The treatment alloy comprises iron, silicon and lanthanum, wherein lanthanum is 3-30% by weight of the treatment alloy, silicon is 40-50% by weight of the treatment alloy, and the remaining is Iron. Lanthanum in the treatment alloy makes the graphite precipitate as vermiculite (compacted form) instead of flake or spheroids. With extended process window offered by this new process (0.03-0.1% residual lanthanum in the metal) required to make CGI, this new process removes the stringent process control (0.01-0.02% residual magnesium in the metal) dictated by the magnesium process of making CGI.

The present invention pertains to a non-magnesium process to produce Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) by placing a treatment alloy into a treatment ladle, and then placing an inoculant over the treatment alloy in the treatment ladle and pouring a molten base metal there over. The treatment alloy comprises iron, silicon and lanthanum, wherein lanthanum is 3-30% by weight of the treatment alloy, silicon is 40-50% by weight of the treatment alloy, and the remaining is Iron. Lanthanum in the treatment alloy makes the graphite precipitate as vermiculite (compacted form) instead of flake or spheroids. With extended process window offered by this new process (0.03-0.1% residual lanthanum in the metal) required to make CGI, this new process removes the stringent process control (0.01-0.02% residual magnesium in the metal) dictated by the magnesium process of making CGI.

The present invention refers to a gray cast iron alloy with chemical composition especially developed to promote high hot mechanical strength and good thermal conductivity, with antimony and nitrogen contents, wherein the antimony content ranges from 0.05 to 0, 12% by weight, and the nitrogen content ranges from 0.008 to 0.013% by weight, based on the total weight of the gray cast iron alloy.

The present invention refers to a gray cast iron alloy with chemical composition especially developed to promote high hot mechanical strength and good thermal conductivity, with antimony and nitrogen contents, wherein the antimony content ranges from 0.05 to 0, 12% by weight, and the nitrogen content ranges from 0.008 to 0.013% by weight, based on the total weight of the gray cast iron alloy.

An inoculant for the manufacture of cast iron with spheroidal graphite is disclosed, the inoculant has a particulate ferrosilicon alloy having between 40 and 80% by weight of Si; 0.02-8% by weight of Ca; 0-5% by weight of Sr; 0-12% by weight of Ba; 0-15% by weight of rare earth metal; 0-5% by weight of Mg; 0.05-5% by weight of Al; 0-10% by weight of Mn; 0-10% by weight of Ti; 0-10 by weight of Zr; the balance being Fe and incidental impurities in the ordinary amount, wherein the inoculant additionally contains, by weight, based on the total weight of inoculant: 0.1 to 15% of particulate Bi.sub.2S.sub.3, and optionally between 0.1 and 15% of particulate Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, and/or between 0.1 and 15% of particulate Sb.sub.2O.sub.3, and/or between 0.1 and 15% of particulate Sb.sub.2S.sub.3, and/or between 0.1 and 5% of particulate Fe.sub.3O.sub.4, Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, FeO, or a mixture thereof, and/or between 0.1 and 5% of one or more of particulate FeS, FeS.sub.2, Fe.sub.3S.sub.4, or a mixture thereof, a method for producing such inoculant and use of such inoculant.