Tech Tip: Cast Iron Part Inspections

How can you be sure that the cast iron parts you have are sound?

The performance of cast components can be negatively affected by internal defects that cannot be detected by visual inspection. These internal defects can be gas porosity, sand inclusions, holes, cracks and shrinkage, and more. The internal integrity or soundness of a casting can be inspected using the nondestructive testing method of radiography (or X-Ray). In this method, a casting is exposed to radiation from an x-ray tube. The casting absorbs part of the radiation, and the remaining portion of the radiation exposes the radiographic film. Dense material withstands the radiation penetration, so the film is exposed to a lesser degree in those areas, giving the film a lighter appearance. Less dense materials allow more penetration and correlates to darker areas on the film. Any hole, crack or inclusion that is less dense than the casting alloy is revealed as a dark area.  At Miller we require foundries to qualify their castings by means of a radiographic examination to ensure that the cast iron that you receive is flawless. 

Contact us to learn more about our safer and more reliable cast iron products.