Thermal fatigue of cast irons for automotive application

The thermal fatigue damage constitutes the major problem of the parts subject to a variation in temperature during their operation. Several materials have been used for such structures in order to limit their damage. The facility of implementation and low cost of cast iron constitute an advantage for its use for the Diesel motors. The aim of this work is to study the thermal fatigue damage of four nodular cast irons for automotive application. For this purpose, experimental test including crack growth tests and metallographic observations were achieved. The study has revealed the effects of temperature, microstructure and chemical composition of the studied materials on the initiation and the crack growth under thermal fatigue loading.