阅读说明：本技术 铸铁孕育剂以及用于生产铸铁孕育剂的方法 (Cast iron inoculant and method for producing a cast iron inoculant ) 是由 O·克努斯塔德 于 2018-12-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于制造具有球状石墨的铸铁的孕育剂,所述孕育剂包含粒状硅铁合金,所述粒状硅铁合金由下列项组成：约40重量％至80重量％的Si、0.02重量％至10重量％的Ca、0重量％至15重量％的稀土金属、0重量％至5重量％的Al、0重量％至5重量％的Sr、0重量％至5重量％的Mg、0重量％至12重量％的Ba、0重量％至10重量％的Zr、0重量％至10重量％的Ti、0重量％至10重量％的Mn,其中元素Ba、Sr、Zr、Mn或Ti中的至少一种或总和以至少0.05重量％的量存在,剩余部分为Fe和常规量的附带杂质,其中基于孕育剂的总重量计,所述孕育剂另外含有按重量计：0.1重量％至15重量％的粒状Sb<Sub>2</Sub>O<Sub>3</Sub>；一种用于生产此类孕育剂的方法；以及此类孕育剂的用途。(The invention relates to an inoculant for the production of cast iron with spheroidal graphite, comprising a granular ferrosilicon alloy consisting of: about 40 to 80 wt.% Si, 0.02 to 10 wt.% Ca, 0 to 15 wt.% rare earth metals, 0 to 5 wt.% Al, 0 to 5 wt.% Sr, 0 to 5 wt.% Mg, 0 to 12 wt.% Ba, 0 to 10 wt.% Zr, 0 to 10 wt.% Ti, 0 to 10 wt.% Mn, wherein at least one or the sum of the elements Ba, Sr, Zr, Mn or Ti is present in an amount of at least 0.05 wt.%, the remainder being Fe and customary amounts of FeIncidental impurities, wherein the inoculant additionally comprises, by weight based on the total weight of inoculant: 0.1 to 15% by weight of particulate Sb 2 O 3 (ii) a A method for producing such an inoculant; and the use of such inoculants.)

1. An inoculant for the manufacture of cast iron with spheroidal graphite, wherein the inoculant comprises

A granular silicon-iron alloy consisting of:

about 40 to 80 weight% Si;

0.02 to 10% by weight of Ca;

0 to 15 wt% of a rare earth metal;

0 to 5% by weight of Al;

0 to 5 weight% Sr;

0 to 5 wt.% Mg;

0 to 12 wt% Ba;

0 to 10 wt.% Zr;

0 to 10 wt% Ti;

0 to 10 wt% Mn;

wherein at least one or the sum of the elements Ba, Sr, Zr, Mn or Ti is present in an amount of at least 0.05 wt.%, the remainder being Fe and incidental impurities in conventional amounts,

wherein the inoculant additionally comprises, by weight based on the total weight of inoculant: 0.1 to 15% by weight of particulate Sb₂O₃。

2. The inoculant according to claim 1, wherein the ferrosilicon alloy comprises 45-60 wt.% Si.

3. The inoculant according to claim 1, wherein the ferrosilicon alloy comprises 60-80 wt.% Si.

4. The inoculant according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rare earth metals comprise Ce, La, Y and/or mischmetal.

5. The inoculant of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inoculant comprises 0.5-10 wt.% granular Sb₂O₃。

6. The inoculant according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inoculant is the granular ferrosilicon and the granular Sb₂O₃In the form of a blend or physical mixture.

7. The inoculant of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the granular Sb is₂O₃Is present as a coating compound on the granular ferrosilicon alloy.

8. The inoculant according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inoculant is formed from the granular ferrosilicon and the granular Sb₂O₃In the form of agglomerates or briquettes.

9. Root of herbaceous plantThe inoculant according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein granular ferrosilicon-based alloy and the granular Sb are admixed₂O₃Separately but simultaneously to the liquid cast iron.

10. A method for producing the inoculant according to claims 1-9, comprising:

providing a granular base alloy consisting of:

40 to 80 wt% Si;

0.02 to 10% by weight of Ca;

0 to 15 wt% of a rare earth metal;

0 to 5% by weight of Al;

0 to 5 weight% Sr;

0 to 5 wt.% Mg;

0 to 12 wt% Ba;

0 to 10 wt.% Zr;

0 to 10 wt% Ti;

0 to 10 wt% Mn;

wherein at least one or the sum of the elements Ba, Sr, Zr, Mn or Ti is present in an amount of at least 0.05 wt.%, the remainder being Fe and incidental impurities in conventional amounts; and adding 0.1 to 15 wt% of particulate Sb to the particulate base alloy₂O₃To produce the inoculant.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the granular Sb is₂O₃Mixed or blended with the particulate base alloy.

12. Use of an inoculant according to claims 1-9 in the manufacture of cast iron with spheroidal graphite by adding the inoculant to a cast iron melt prior to casting, simultaneously with casting or as an in-mold inoculant.

13. According to the claimsThe use of claim 12, wherein the granular ferrosilicon-based alloy and the granular Sb are₂O₃As a mechanical mixture or blend to the cast iron melt.

14. Use according to claim 12, wherein the granulated ferrosilicon-based alloy and the granulated Sb₂O₃Separately but simultaneously to the cast iron melt.

The technical field is as follows:

the present invention relates to a ferrosilicon-based inoculant for the manufacture of cast iron with spheroidal graphite and a method for producing said inoculant.

Background art:

cast iron is typically produced in cupola or induction furnaces and typically contains 2% to 4% carbon. Carbon is intimately mixed with iron and the form carbon takes in solidified cast iron is very important for the properties and performance of iron castings. If the carbon is in the form of iron carbide, the cast iron is referred to as white cast iron and has hard and brittle physical properties, which are undesirable in most applications. If the carbon is in the form of graphite, the cast iron is soft and machinable.

Graphite may be present in the cast iron in layered, compacted or spheroidal form. The spheroidal shape results in the highest strength and most ductile type of cast iron.

The form in which the graphite is present and the amount of graphite relative to iron carbide can be controlled with certain additives that promote the formation of graphite during solidification of the cast iron. These additives, known as nodulizers and inoculants, are added to the cast iron for nodularization and inoculation, respectively. In cast iron production, the formation of iron carbide, particularly in thin sections, is often challenging. The rapid cooling of the thin sections causes the formation of iron carbide as compared to the slower cooling of the thicker sections of the casting. The formation of iron carbide in cast iron products is known in the industry as "white cast". The formation of white notches is quantified by measuring the "depth of white notches" and the ability of the inoculant to prevent white notches and reduce the depth of white notches is a convenient way to measure and compare the ability of inoculants, especially in gray iron. In nodular cast iron, graphite nodule number density is commonly used to measure and compare the ability of inoculants.

As the industry develops, stronger materials are needed. This means more alloying with carbide promoting elements such as Cr, Mn, V, Mo, etc., and the casting sections are thinner and the casting design is lighter. Therefore, there is a continuing need to develop inoculants that reduce the white depth and improve the machinability of gray cast irons and increase the number density of graphite spheroids in ductile cast irons.

The exact chemistry and mechanism of inoculation and the reasons for the role of inoculants in different cast iron melts are not fully understood and a great deal of research has been devoted to providing the industry with new and improved inoculants.

It is believed that calcium and certain other elements inhibit the formation of iron carbide and promote the formation of graphite. Most inoculants contain calcium. The addition of these iron carbide inhibitors is often facilitated by the addition of ferrosilicon alloys, and the most widely used ferrosilicon alloys may be high silicon alloys containing 70% to 80% silicon and low silicon alloys containing 45% to 55% silicon. Elements which may normally be present in inoculants and added to cast iron in the form of ferrosilicon alloys to stimulate graphite nucleation in cast iron are for example Ca, Ba, Sr, Al, rare earth metals (RE), Mg, Mn, Bi, Sb, Zr and Ti.

The inhibition of carbide formation is related to the nucleating properties of the inoculant. By nucleating properties is understood the number of nuclei formed by the inoculant. The high nuclei formed result in an increase in the number density of graphite nodules, thereby increasing inoculation effectiveness and improving carbide inhibition. In addition, a high nucleation rate also results in better resistance to deterioration of the inoculation effect during a longer retention time of the molten iron after inoculation. The deterioration of inoculation can be explained by coalescence and redissolution of the nuclei population, which results in a reduction in the total number of potential nucleation sites.

U.S. patent No. 4,432,793 discloses an inoculant containing bismuth, lead and/or antimony. Bismuth, lead and/or antimony are known to have high inoculation capability and provide an increase in the number of nuclei. These elements are also known to be anti-spheroidization elements, and it is known that increasing the presence of these elements in cast iron leads to a deterioration of the spheroidal graphite structure of the graphite. The inoculant according to us patent No. 4,432,793 is a ferrosilicon alloy containing 0.005% to 3% of rare earths and 0.005% to 3% of one of the metallic elements bismuth, lead and/or antimony alloyed in the ferrosilicon.

Us patent application No. 2015/0284830 relates to an inoculant alloy for treating thick cast iron parts, containing 0.005 to 3 wt% of rare earths and 0.2 to 2 wt% of Sb. Said US 2015/0284830 found that antimony when alloyed with rare earths in ferrosilicon based alloys, is able to inoculate thick parts effectively and to stabilize spheroids without the drawbacks of adding pure antimony to liquid cast iron. The inoculant according to US 2015/0284830 is described as being used normally in the context of cast iron bath inoculation for preconditioning the cast iron and nodulizer treatment. The inoculant according to US 2015/0284830 contains (in weight%) 65% Si, 1.76% Ca, 1.23% Al, 0.15% Sb, 0.16% RE, 7.9% Ba, the remainder being iron.

A cast iron inoculant showing an increased nucleation rate is known from WO 95/24508. The inoculant is a ferrosilicon based inoculant containing calcium and/or strontium and/or barium, less than 4% aluminium and 0.5% to 10% oxygen in the form of one or more metal oxides. However, the reproducibility of the number of nuclei formed using the inoculant according to WO 95/24508 was found to be rather low. In some cases, a high number of nuclei are formed in the cast iron, but in other cases the number of nuclei formed is rather low. For the reasons mentioned above, inoculants according to WO 95/24508 are rarely used in practice.

It is known from WO 99/29911 that the addition of sulphur to the inoculant of WO 95/24508 has a positive effect on the inoculation of cast iron and increases the reproducibility of the nuclei.

In WO 95/24508 and WO 99/29911, iron oxides FeO, Fe₂O₃And Fe₃O₄Are preferred metal oxides. Other metal oxides mentioned in these patent applications are SiO₂、MnO、MgO、CaO、Al₂O₃、TiO₂And CaSiO₃、CeO₂、ZrO₂. Preferred metal sulfides are selected from the group consisting of: FeS, FeS₂MnS, MgS, CaS and CuS.

From us application No. 2016/0047008 a granular inoculant for the treatment of liquid cast iron is known, which comprises, on the one hand, carrier particles made of a fusible material in the liquid cast iron and, on the other hand, surface particles made of a material that promotes the germination and growth of graphite, which are arranged and distributed in a discontinuous manner on the surface of the carrier particles, which exhibit a particle size distribution such that their diameter d50 is less than or equal to one tenth of the diameter d50 of the carrier particles. The purpose of the inoculant in said US 2016/0047008 is in particular to inoculate cast iron parts of different thickness and with low sensitivity to the basic composition of the cast iron.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a high performance inoculant that forms a high core count that produces a high graphite nodule count density. It is further desirable to provide an inoculant that produces better resistance to deterioration of the inoculating effect during longer molten iron holding times after inoculation. It would also be desirable to provide an antimony-containing FeSi-based inoculant that does not suffer from the disadvantages of the prior art. The present invention satisfies at least some of the above desires, as well as other advantages, which will become apparent from the following description.

The invention content is as follows:

in a first aspect, the present invention relates to an inoculant for the manufacture of cast iron with spheroidal graphite, wherein the inoculant comprises a granular ferrosilicon alloy consisting of: about 40 to 80 wt.% Si, 0.02 to 10 wt.% Ca, 0 to 15 wt.% rare earth metals, 0 to 5 wt.% Al, 0 to 5 wt.% Sr, 0 to 5 wt.% Mg, 0 to 12 wt.% Ba, 0 to 10 wt.% Zr, 0 to 10 wt.% Ti, 0 to 10 wt.% Mn, the remainder being Fe and conventional amounts of incidental impurities, wherein at least one or the sum of the elements Ba, Sr, Zr, Mn or Ti is present in an amount of at least 0.05 wt.%, and wherein the inoculant additionally contains, based on the total weight of the inoculant: 0.1 to 15% by weight of particulate Sb₂O₃。

In one embodiment, the silicon-iron alloy comprises 45 to 60 wt.% Si. In another embodiment of the inoculant, the ferrosilicon alloy comprises between 60 and 80 wt.% Si.

In one embodiment, the rare earth metal comprises Ce, La, Y and/or mischmetal. In one embodiment, the silicon-iron alloy includes up to 10 wt.% rare earth metals. In one embodiment, the ferrosilicon alloy includes 0.02 to 5 wt.% Ca. In another embodiment, the ferrosilicon alloy includes 0.5 to 3 wt.% Ca. In one embodiment, the ferrosilicon alloy contains 0 to 3 weight% Sr. In another embodiment, the ferrosilicon alloy contains 0.2 to 3 weight percent Sr. In one embodiment, the silicon-iron alloy includes 0 wt.% to 5 wt.% Ba. In another embodiment, the ferrosilicon alloy includes 0.1 to 5 wt.% Ba. In one embodiment, the ferrosilicon alloy includes 0.5 to 5 wt.% Al. In one embodiment, the silicon-iron alloy comprises up to 6 wt.% Mn and/or Ti and/or Zr. In one embodiment, the silicon-iron alloy contains less than 1 wt.% Mg.

In one embodiment, at least one or the sum of the elements Ba, Sr, Zr, Mn or Ti is present in an amount of at least 0.1 wt.%.

In one embodiment, the inoculant comprises 0.5 to 10% granular Sb₂O₃。

In one embodiment, the inoculant is a granular ferrosilicon alloy and granular Sb₂O₃Or in the form of a mechanical/physical mixture.

In one embodiment, the particulate Sb₂O₃As a coating compound on the granular ferrosilicon-based alloy.

In one embodiment, the particulate Sb is treated in the presence of a binder₂O₃Mechanically mixed or blended with the granular ferrosilicon-based alloy.

In one embodiment, the inoculant is a mixture of granular ferrosilicon and granular Sb in the presence of a binder₂O₃In the form of agglomerates.

In one embodiment, the inoculant is a ferrosilicon granulate alloyed in the presence of a binderGold and granular Sb₂O₃In the form of briquettes made of the mixture of (a).

In one embodiment, granular ferrosilicon-based alloy and granular Sb₂O₃Separately but simultaneously to the liquid cast iron.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a method for producing an inoculant according to the invention, said method comprising: providing a granular base alloy comprising 40 to 80 wt% Si, 0.02 to 10 wt% Ca, 0 to 5 wt% Sr, 0 to 12 wt% Ba, 0 to 15 wt% rare earth metals, 0 to 5 wt% Mg, 0 to 5 wt% Al, 0 to 10 wt% Mn, 0 to 10 wt% Ti, 0 to 10 wt% Zr, the remainder being Fe and conventional amounts of incidental impurities, wherein at least one or the sum of the elements Ba, Sr, Zr, Mn or Ti is present in an amount of at least 0.05 wt%, and wherein the inoculant additionally contains, based on the total weight of the inoculant: 0.1 to 15% by weight of particulate Sb₂O₃To produce the inoculant.

In one embodiment of the method, the Sb is granulated₂O₃Mechanically mixed or blended with the particulate base alloy.

In one embodiment of the method, the particulate Sb is treated in the presence of a binder₂O₃Mechanically mixed or blended with the particulate base alloy. In another embodiment of the method, the mechanically mixed or blended particulate base alloy and particulate Sb are mixed in the presence of a binder₂O₃Further forming agglomerates or briquettes.

In another aspect, the invention relates to the use of an inoculant as defined above for the manufacture of cast iron with spheroidal graphite by adding the inoculant to the cast iron melt before casting, simultaneously with casting or as an in-mould inoculant.

In one embodiment of said use of an inoculant, granulated ferrosilicon-based alloy and granulated Sb₂O₃Added to the cast iron melt as a mechanical/physical mixture or blend.

In one embodiment of said use of an inoculant, granulated ferrosilicon-based alloy and granulated Sb₂O₃Separately but simultaneously to the cast iron melt.

Drawings

FIG. 1: shows the density of the number of nodules (nodules per mm) in the cast iron sample of the melt AJ of example 1²Abbreviated as N/mm²) The figure (a).

FIG. 2: shows the number of balls density (number of balls/mm) in cast iron samples of melt CH of example 2²Abbreviated as N/mm²) The figure (a).

Detailed Description

According to the present invention, a high-performance inoculant for the manufacture of cast iron with spheroidal graphite is provided. The inoculant comprises a particulate antimony oxide (Sb)₂O₃) A combined FeSi base alloy in which at least one or the sum of the elements Ba, Sr, Zr, Mn or Ti is present in an amount of at least 0.05 wt.%. The inoculant according to the invention is easy to manufacture and the amount of Sb in the inoculant is easy to control and vary. This avoids a complex and expensive alloying step and, furthermore, the inoculant can therefore be manufactured at a lower cost compared to prior art inoculants containing Sb.

In manufacturing processes for producing ductile cast irons with spheroidal graphite, the cast iron melt is usually treated with a nodulizer (e.g., by using a MgFeSi alloy) prior to inoculation treatment. The purpose of the spheroidization process is to change the form of the graphite from flake to sphere as it precipitates and subsequently grows. This is accomplished by changing the interfacial energy of the graphite/melt interface. Mg and Ce are known to be elements that change the interfacial energy, Mg being more effective than Ce. When Mg is added to the basic iron melt, it reacts first with oxygen and sulphur, and only "free magnesium" has a nodularising effect. The spheroidization reaction is severe and causes the melt to stir, and it produces a floating slag on the surface. The vigorous reaction will cause most of the graphite nucleation sites and other inclusions already in the melt (introduced by the raw materials) to become part of the top slag and be removed. However, some MgO and MgS inclusions generated during the spheroidization process remain in the melt. These inclusions are not themselves good nucleation sites.

The main function of inoculation is to prevent carbide formation by introducing graphite nucleation sites. In addition to the introduction of nucleation sites, inoculation also converts MgO and MgS inclusions formed during spheroidization into nucleation sites by adding a layer (containing Ca, Ba or Sr) over these inclusions.

According to the invention, the granular FeSi base alloy should contain 40 to 80 wt% Si. Pure FeSi alloy is a weak inoculant, but it is a common alloying carrier for active elements, allowing good dispersion in the melt. Thus, there are a number of known inoculant FeSi alloy compositions. Conventional alloying elements in FeSi alloy inoculants include Ca, Ba, Sr, Al, Mg, Zr, Mn, Ti and RE (especially Ce and La). The amount of alloying elements may vary. Typically, inoculants are designed to meet different requirements in the production of gray iron, compacted iron and ductile iron. Inoculants according to the invention may comprise a FeSi base alloy having a silicon content of about 40 to 80 wt.%. The alloying elements may comprise about 0.02 to 10 wt% Ca, about 0 to 5 wt% Sr, about 0 to 12 wt% Ba, about 0 to 15 wt% rare earth metals, about 0 to 5 wt% Mg, about 0 to 5 wt% Al, about 0 to 10 wt% Mn, about 0 to 10 wt% Ti, about 0 to 10 wt% Zr, and the balance Fe and conventional amounts of incidental impurities, wherein at least one or the sum of the elements Ba, Sr, Zr, Mn, or Ti is present in an amount of at least about 0.05 wt%, for example about 0.1 wt%.

The FeSi base alloy may be a high silicon alloy containing 60% to 80% silicon or a low silicon alloy containing 45% to 60% silicon. Silicon is commonly present in cast iron alloys, a graphite stabilizing element in cast iron, which forces carbon out of solution and promotes the formation of graphite. The particle size of the FeSi base alloy should be in the conventional range for inoculants, for example between 0.2mm and 6 mm. It should be noted that smaller particle size FeSi alloys, such as fines, can also be used in the present invention to make the inoculant. When in useWith very small particles of the FeSi base alloy, the inoculant can be in the form of agglomerates (e.g., granules) or briquettes. To prepare agglomerates and/or briquettes of the inoculant of the present invention, Sb is mechanically mixed or blended in the presence of a binder₂O₃The granules are mixed with the ferrosilicon in granular form and the powder mixture is then agglomerated according to known methods. The binder may be, for example, a sodium silicate solution. The agglomerates may be granules of suitable product size or may be crushed and sieved to the desired final product size.

A variety of different inclusions (sulfides, oxides, nitrides, and silicates) may be formed in the liquid state. Sulfides and oxides of group IIA elements (Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba) have very similar crystalline phases and high melting points. Group IIA elements are known to form stable oxides in molten iron, and therefore inoculants and nodulizers based on these elements are known to be effective deoxidizers. Calcium is the most common trace element in ferrosilicon inoculants. According to the present invention, the granular FeSi-based alloy comprises from about 0.02 to about 10 weight percent calcium. In some applications, it is desirable to have a low content of Ca in the FeSi base alloy, e.g. 0.02 to 0.5 wt.%. In other applications, the Ca content may be higher, for example, from 0.5 to 5 wt%. High levels of Ca can increase slag formation, which is generally undesirable. Various inoculants contain Ca in the FeSi alloy in an amount of about 0.5 to 3 wt.%. The FeSi base alloy should contain up to about 5 wt.% strontium. An amount of Sr of 0.2 to 3 wt.% is generally suitable. Barium may be present in the FeSi inoculant alloy in an amount up to about 12 wt%. Ba is known to produce better resistance to deterioration of the inoculating effect over longer holding times of the molten iron after inoculation and to produce higher efficiency over a wider temperature range. Many FeSi alloy inoculants contain about 0.1 to 5 wt.% Ba. If barium is used in combination with calcium, the two may act together to reduce white spots to a greater extent than an equivalent amount of calcium.

Magnesium may be present in the FeSi inoculant alloy in an amount up to about 5% by weight. However, since Mg is typically added in the nodularization process for producing ductile iron, the amount of Mg in the inoculant may be low, e.g., up to about 0.1 wt.%.

The FeSi base alloy may comprise up to 15 wt% of a rare earth metal (RE). RE comprises at least Ce, La, Y and/or mischmetal. Mischmetal is an alloy of rare earth elements, typically containing about 50% Ce and 25% La, and small amounts of Nd and Pr. Recently, heavier rare earth metals are typically removed from mischmetal, which may have an alloy composition of about 65% Ce and about 35% La, as well as trace amounts of heavier RE metals such as Nd and Pr. Addition of RE is often used to restore the number of graphite nodules and the spheroidization rate in ductile iron containing trace elements such as Sb, Pb, Bi, Ti, etc. In some inoculants, the amount of RE is up to 10 wt%. In some cases, excess RE can result in the formation of coarse graphite. Thus, in some applications, the amount of RE should be low, for example between 0.1 to 3 wt%. Preferably, RE is Ce and/or La.

Aluminum is reported to have a strong effect as a white cast reducing agent. Al is commonly combined with Ca in FeSi alloy inoculants for producing ductile iron. In the present invention, the Al content should be up to about 5 wt%, for example 0.1 wt% to 5 wt%.

Zirconium, manganese and/or titanium are also typically present in the inoculant. Similar to the above elements, Zr, Mn and Ti play an important role in the nucleation of graphite, which is believed to be formed as a result of heterogeneous nucleation events during solidification. The amount of Zr in the FeSi base alloy may be up to about 10 wt%, for example up to about 6 wt%. The amount of Mn in the FeSi base alloy can be up to about 10 wt%, for example up to about 6 wt%.

The amount of Ti in the FeSi base alloy may be up to about 10 wt%, for example up to about 6 wt%.

Antimony is known to have high inoculation capability and provide an increase in the number of nuclei. However, the presence of small amounts of Sb (also referred to as trace elements) in the melt may reduce the spheroidization rate. This negative effect can be counteracted by using Ce or other RE metals. According to the invention, the Sb is present in granular form based on the total amount of inoculant₂O₃The amount of (b) should be 0.1 to 15 wt%. In some embodimentsIn (Sb)₂O₃The amount of (b) is 0.5 to 10 wt%. Sb when based on the total weight of the inoculant₂O₃Good results are also observed when the amount of (a) is from about 0.5 wt% to about 3.5 wt%. Sb₂O₃The particles should have a relatively small particle size, i.e., on the order of microns (e.g., 10 μm to 150 μm), such that when Sb is mixed₂O₃The particles melt and/or dissolve very rapidly when introduced into the cast iron melt.

With Sb₂O₃The addition of Sb in the form of particles, rather than alloying Sb with FeSi alloy, provides several advantages. Although Sb is a powerful inoculant, oxygen is also important for the performance of the inoculant. Another advantage is the good reproducibility and flexibility of the inoculant composition, due to the easy control of the granular Sb in the inoculant₂O₃Amount of (d) and homogeneity. The importance of controlling the amount of inoculant and having a homogeneous inoculant composition is evident in view of the fact that antimony is typically added at the ppm level. The addition of heterogeneous inoculants can lead to errors in the amount of inoculating elements in the cast iron. Another advantage is that the production of inoculants is more cost effective than processes involving alloying antimony in FeSi-based alloys.

It will be appreciated that the composition of the FeSi base alloy may vary within limits and the skilled person will know that the amount of alloying elements amounts to 100%. There are a variety of conventional FeSi-based inoculant alloys and one skilled in the art would know how to vary the FeSi base composition based on these within these limits.

The addition rate of inoculant according to the invention relative to the cast iron melt is generally between about 0.1% and 0.8% by weight. The skilled person will adjust the addition rate depending on the level of the element, e.g. inoculants with high Sb will typically require lower addition rates.

The inoculant of the invention is produced in the following way: providing a particulate FeSi base alloy having a composition as defined herein, and adding particulate Sb to the particulate base₂O₃To produce the inoculant of the present invention. Can be prepared from Sb₂O₃Granule and FeSi basic alloy granulation machineMechanical/physical mixing. Any suitable mixer for mixing/blending the granular and/or powder materials may be used. Mixing may be carried out in the presence of a suitable binder, but it should be noted that the presence of a binder is not essential. Sb may also be substituted₂O₃The particles are blended with the FeSi base alloy particles to provide a homogeneously mixed inoculant. Sb₂O₃Blending the particles with the FeSi base alloy particles can form a stable coating on the FeSi base alloy particles. However, it should be noted that Sb is₂O₃The mixing and/or blending of the particles with the granulated FeSi base alloy is not mandatory to achieve the inoculation effect. The granular FeSi base alloy and Sb may be mixed₂O₃The particles are separated but added simultaneously to the liquid cast iron. The inoculant can also be added as an in-mold inoculant. The FeSi alloy and Sb may also be mixed according to a generally known method₂O₃Inoculant particles of the granules form agglomerates or briquettes.

The following examples show that when inoculant is added to cast iron, Sb is added together with FeSi base alloy particles₂O₃Resulting in a high ball number density. The high pellet count allows for a reduction in the amount of inoculant needed to achieve the desired inoculant effect.