On some tribological effects of graphite nodules in wear mechanism of SG cast iron: Finite element and experimental analysis

Thanks to its mechanical and tribological performances compared to the other types of steel, cast iron has been more and more used. Ductile iron is used for several structural applications, particularly when both rigidity and good machinability are required. The second largest area of application of ductile iron is the automobile industry thanks to its lower density, good wear resistance and its low friction coefficient. In this work an experimental wear test emphasizes the role of graphite in the tribological behaviour of a nodular cast iron. Correlation between tribological parameters and wear mechanisms has been investigated. Particularly, the effect of normal load and attack angle of conical indenter on the wear mechanisms has been checked out. The numerical model has also been investigated in order to better understand the tribological graphitic behaviour. It also highlights the correlation between tribological parameters and wear mechanisms. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.