Grey cast iron is one of the most common engineering materials used to make castings which work in thermal cycling. Under thermal cycling conditions, heat resistance is an important operational property of grey cast iron, which depends to the greatest extent on its structure – size and shape of the graphite inclusions, as well as the metal matrix composition. In this paper, the heat resistance of unalloyed grey cast iron with lamellar and compact graphite distributed in perlitic and perlitic-ferritic metal matrices was determined. The tests were carried out at temperatures of 500 – 800 °C. The results of the studies showed an insignificant difference of perlitic and perlitic-ferritic grey cast iron with lamellar graphite heat resistance. The heat resistance of perlitic ferritic grey cast iron with compact graphite is 16 – 48 % higher than the heat resistance of perlitic ferritic grey cast iron with lamellar graphite. Thus, when the shape of the graphite inclusions changed from lamellar to compact, a significant increase in the heat resistance of unalloyed grey cast iron occurred.

In the article the negative impact of titano-magnetite ore enrichment waste on the environment and the possibility of its use as vanadium-containing raw materials are overviewed. The chemical and mineralogical composition features of various samples of the Kusinsky deposit titanomagnetite ore tails are presented. Different combinations of their roasting processes (with and without salt additives, with oxides, carbonates, or their compositions) and leaching processes (with water or acid) during hydrometallurgical processing were analyzed.The experiment results on the extraction of vanadium in the form of soluble vanadates from the titanomagnetite ore tails by leaching from samples subjected to roasting with soda ash, sodium sulfate, calcium oxide, and sodium chloride in various mass ratios are presented. The significant influence of ore sample chemical composition on the vanadium extraction degree was revealed. It was revealed that for this type of vanadium raw material additives of sodium chloride and sodium carbonate are most preferable from the vanadium extraction degree point of view.

The high nuts withstand increased load for expansion, facilitating its even distribution along the bolt length. The process of increased height nut blanks plastic deformation characterized by uneven metal flow and changing of stressed state by the blank section. In the process of closed-die stamping of such nuts a risk of their geometry distortion arises. Results of study of the process of production a hex nut of increased height presented. The object of the research was to study the process of the metal deformation when broach a hole for thread in a hexagonal nut blank of increased height. To simulate the stress-strain state, the QForm-3D software package was chosen, which made it possible to predict with sufficient accuracy the metal flow in the blank, calculate the deformation forces and determine the stresses that occur in the tool. The models of the blank and the tool were created in the Compass 3D program without internal and external defects. When performing the work, the parameters of the stress-strain state of a hexagonal nut blank of increased height were calculated. The simulation results showed the need to change the geometry of the end part of the punch to a conical one with an angle of 150 degrees and a reduction in the size of the baffle height from 10.4 mm to 5.4 mm. The adopted changes allowed to reduce the energy and power costs of forming a through hole for the threads. Industrial testing confirmed the correctness of the calculations. Nuts with edges perpendicular to its base and the required geometrical parameters were obtained.

The main characteristics of metal long products quality include mechanical properties, depending on the microstructure state. The key indicator for evaluation the micro-structure of high carbon steel can be considered the 1st grain grade lamellar pearlite Bfp. For the currently used pearlite dispersion method, according to GOST 8233-56, it is characterized by the subjectivity of the view fields choice for the microstructure evaluation, that reduces the quality of the obtained results. The study purpose was to improve the method of high-carbon steel wire rod microstructure estimation, to reduce the error magnitude in determining the 1st grain grade lamellar pearlite. The experiments were carried out on samples of high-carbon steel wire rod with a carbon content of 0,58 – 0,77 %. The pearlite dispersion was evaluated in 27 view fields, located on mutually perpendicular diagonals of the sample cross section. The study results showed the possibility of reducing the error in determining the estimated value of the high-carbon steel wire rod microstructure pearlite dispersion. Microstructure evaluation in the five view fields should be carried out, taking into account the weight coefficients, determined by the ratio of the zones length, occupied by pearlite with a certain percentage of the 1st grade grain pearlite to the wire rod radius. The proposed method of the microstructure evaluation increases assessment accuracy, without complication of its implementation process.

The quality of the high-carbon rod is determined by mechanical properties, which depend on microstructure characteristics, in particular the perlite grain grade. The existing technique for determining the perlite dispersion has the main drawback - the subjectivity of choosing the five worst view fields for evaluation, which reduces the accuracy of the determination results. The article presents the results of a study aimed at increasing the objectivity and accuracy of the evaluation of high-carbon wire rod perlite grain grade. An improved technique for determining the high-carbon wire rod perlite grain grade – Pgg with five view fields is proposed. The cross-section of the rod sample is considered as an inhomogeneous area from the perlite dispersion point of view, which is divided into three annular zones with different levels of perlite dispersion. Selection of five view fields is carried out as follows: one from the center of the central zone, two fields in the second - an intermediate zone and two fields in the outer zone. Statistical analysis of the experimental data showed that all view fields should be located on the same diagonal. The location of the view fields is fixed and is unchangeable for all samples under study. The technique described in the article is an effective tool for analyzing the structure of high-carbon steel wire rod.