The materials of anchor castings used for post tension system is ductile iron and grey iron.
Materials of Anchor Castings Used for Post Tension System
Ductile iron: Also known as ductile cast iron, nodular cast iron, spheroidal graphite iron, spheroidal graphite cast iron and SG iron, is a type of graphite-rich cast iron .While most varieties of cast iron are brittle, ductile iron has much more impact and fatigue resistance, due to its nodular graphite inclusions.
Grey iron: Or gray cast iron, is a type of cast iron that has a graphitic microstructure. It is named after the gray color of the fracture it forms, which is due to the presence of graphite. It is the most common cast iron and the most widely used cast material based on weight. Gray iron is a common engineering alloy because of its relatively low cost and good machinability, which results from the graphite lubricating the cut and breaking up the chips. It also has good galling and wear resistance because the graphite flakes self lubricate. The graphite also gives gray iron an excellent damping capacity because it absorbs the energy and converts it into heat.
Why Casting?
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Casting is a process that molten metal flows into small ant section in the molten cavity. Hence any complex shape metal parts can be easily produced for post tension system.
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Due to the special features of iron material, any cast iron alloys can be casted.
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Casting is an ideal method is by producing both small and large quantities.
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Due to small cooling rate from all directions, the properties of casting are same in all directions.
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Any size of anchors or wedge blocks can be casted in iron for post tension system.
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Casting is the often cheapest and most direct solution of producing components for bonded or unbonded post tension system with desired mechanical properties.
Iron Casting for Unbonded Post Tension System |
