Ferritic high-silicon ductile iron castings have established themselves as a competitive solution for applications subjected to elevated temperatures thanks to their good oxidation resistance, microstructural stability, excellent castability, and lower cost compared to high-performance metallic materials such as stainless steels or nickel-based superalloys. These characteristics make them highly attractive materials for sectors such as automotive, energy, and industrial thermal systems.

However, these cast irons show significant limitations when operating in the 350°C to 500°C range. Under these conditions, embrittlement phenomena may occur, associated with microstructural changes and the precipitation of compounds at grain boundaries, leading to a significant reduction in ductility, toughness, and resistance to thermal fatigue. This degradation currently limits their use in critical applications subjected to prolonged thermal cycling and aggressive atmospheres.

AZTERLAN applies advanced strategies in microstructural design and chemical composition optimization to develop high-silicon spheroidal graphite cast iron for intermediate temperature service. The controlled addition of selected alloying elements allows modification of the nature of precipitates formed at grain boundaries and improves the balance between mechanical strength, ductility, and thermal stability.

This approach opens new opportunities for energy applications, industrial processes, and components subjected to high thermo-mechanical demands, enabling more competitive, sustainable, and efficient solutions at industrial scale.