The spheroidal graphite (SG) cast iron fractomechanical response varies with the test temperature and with the microstructure parameters. In the present paper, we analyze this variation performing fractomechanical tests in a temperature range from -40°C to +20°C, doing also Charpy and tensile tests for material characterization. The tests were carried out on as-cast samples and heat treated samples to obtain an ADI grade 1. In both cases, we studied samples taken from two well differentiated "Y" block sizes. The results obtained show that, for the chemical composition analyzed, both castings have a fractomechanical response decrease as the temperature diminishes. Besides, the block size enlargement produce a deterioration of the mechanical properties (the fracture toughness, mainly), for both castings.
cast iron; ADI; fractomechanics; low temperature
