OATAO is an open access repository that collects the work of Toulouse researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. This work presents an experimental and numerical study of the solidification process of an eutectic spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGI). The effect of the cooling rate on the thermal-microstructural response is particularly analysed. To this end, experiments as well as numerical simulations were carried out. The experiments consisted in a solidification test in a wedge-like casting such that different cooling rates were measured at specific positions along the part. A metallographic analysis was also performed in five locations of the sample with the aim of obtaining the number and size of graphite nodules at the end of the process. The numerical simulations were made using multinodular based and uninodular based models. These two models predicted similar results in terms of cooling curves and nodule counts. Besides, good experimental-numerical agreements were obtained for both the cooling curves and the graphite nodule counts.

This work is focused on the effect of pouring temperature on the thermal-microstructural response of an eutectic spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGCI). To this end, experiments as well as numerical simulations were carried out. Solidification tests in a wedge-like part were cast at two different pouring temperatures. Five specific locations exhibiting distinct cooling rates along the sample were chosen for temperature measurements and metallographic analysis to obtain the number and size of graphite nodules at the end of the process. The numerical simulations were performed using a multinodular-based model. Reasonably good numerical-experimental agreements were obtained for both the cooling curves and the graphite nodule counts.