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This article addresses the effect of cooling rate on microstructure and mechanical properties as determined by changing molding media and section size. The research was conducted for thin-walled iron castings with 2-5-mm wall thickness and for the reference casting with 13-mm wall thickness, using different molding materials (silica sand and insulating sand ''LDASC'') to achieve various cooling rates. Thermal analysis was performed to determine the real cooling rate at the beginning of the graphite eutectic solidification. In general, it was found that the predictions based on theoretical analysis of the solidification process of ductile iron are in good agreement with the experimental outcomes. Finally, the present study provides insights into the effect of cooling rate on the graphite nodule count, the ferrite fraction and mechanical properties of thin-walled ductile iron castings. The study shows that the cooling rate of thin-walled castings varies in a wide range (80-15°C/s) when changing the wall thickness from 2 to 5 mm, accompanied by significantly changing the mechanical properties of ductile iron. The cooling rate can be effectively reduced by applying an insulating sand to obtain the desired properties of thin-walled castings practically in the whole range of ductile iron grades in accordance with the ASTM Standard.

The inhibition effect of gum arabic (GA) was investigated using weight loss measurements and electrochemical techniques. The results show that the inhibition efficiency of GA increased with an increase in the concentration of the inhibitor but decreased with the temperature. Immersion time was found to have a profound effect on the corrosion inhibition performance of the inhibitor. Polarization measurements revealed that GA was a mixed-type inhibitor, with higher influence on the anodic reaction. The inhibitor followed the Temkin’s adsorption isotherm, and the values of the standard free adsorption energy indicate a mixed-type adsorption, with the physical adsorption being more dominant. SEM–EDS and FT-IR measurements were also employed to support the findings.

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