Abstract
This paper gives a brief introduction to the four research methods for the study on thermal conductivity of cast irons, including experimental measurement, statistical analysis, effective medium theory and numerical simulation. Recent studies on the thermal conductivity of various cast irons are reviewed through the influence of alloying elements, structural constituents, and temperature. The addition of alloying elements is the main reason that restricts the thermal conductivity of cast irons, especially spheroidal graphite cast iron. The connectivity of graphite has a significant effect on the thermal conductivity of flake and compacted graphite cast irons, semiquantitative and quantitative analysis of this factor is a key and difficult point in the study of thermal conductivity of cast irons. The thermal conductivities of different types of cast irons show varying degrees of dependence on temperature. This phenomenon is the combination of graphite and matrix, rather than just depending on graphite morphology. The study of the relationship between individual phase and temperature is the focus of future research. These summaries and discussions may provide reference and guidance for the future research and development of high thermal conductivity cast irons.
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The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51371104).
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Yan-xiang Li
Male, born in 1962, Ph.D. Tenure Professor in School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tsinghua University. He got his bachelor and master degrees in Harbin Institute of Technology in 1982 and 1985, and Ph.D in Tsinghua University in 1989. His research interests are mainly focused on casting alloys (cast irons, cast steels, and cast nonferrous metals as aluminium), porous metals (aluminium foams and lotus-type metals); and solidification process, especially directional solidification of alloys. He has published over two hundred papers in international and domestic journals, and dozens of conference reports. He is now the Chairman of the WFO Ferrous Metals Commission and a member of the Foundry Institution of Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society.
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Wang, Gh., Li, Yx. Thermal conductivity of cast iron -A review. China Foundry 17, 85–95 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41230-020-9112-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41230-020-9112-8