Effect of silicon on the structure and properties of high-strength spherulitic iron

A study of the effect of silicon on the structure and properties of high-strength spherulitic iron is performed. Special features of the variation of the hardness, strength, ductility, and wear resistance of iron are studied as a function of the silicon content. The plotted isothermal section of the diagram of stable equilibrium of alloys of the Fe-C-Si system at 400°C, the earlier plotted phase diagram of the Fe-Si system, and the experimental results on special features of the ferrite structure of the irons are used to explain the detected anomalies of the properties by spinodal decomposition of the ferrite into conventional ferrite (α-phase) and silicoferrite (α1-phase).