A bio-inspired concept to improve crack resistance of gray cast iron

The prospect of introducing natural biological secrets to improve the crack resistance of gray cast iron is presented. We demonstrated that the mechanism of resisting crack owned by plant leaf can be referred to fabricate an alternating structure of hard and soft with low cost, high strength, and an exceptional ability to resist crack growth. Laser alloying was introduced to fabricate the hard phase which associated with the original matrix constituted the alternating structure. A homogeneous microstructure and a uniform distribution of chemical composites were achieved in hard phase. Nanoindentation test showed the resistance to plastic deformation of hard phase was improved. Crack propagation tests verified the crack resistance was enhanced by the alternating structure which could change and prolong crack path, and the effectiveness of resisting crack propagation was proportional to the size of hard phase. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.