What Is The Difference Between Wrought Iron And Cast Iron?

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What Is The Difference Between Wrought Iron And Cast Iron?

3 Answers

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Answer 1

Wrought iron contains only the pure element metal – it is treated to remove all impurities when its is being made in a blast furnace. This heats up iron ore to split off the iron atoms from iron compounds and the melted metal is removed. Wrought iron is easy to work with and is bent into intricate shapes and is often used for elaborate gates, window frames and weather vanes.

Cast iron is also made in a blast furnace but it is not 100 per cent pure iron. It contains only about 96 per cent iron. It is made to retain some of its impurities, which makes it much much stronger than wrought iron and it is also less liable to rust and break up when used in the environment. Drain covers are often made of cast iron and they last for decades before needing to be replaced.

Answer 2

As most have said wrought iron has a low carbon content and often alloyed with other metals. It is also quite malleable and can be formed cold or hot. It can generally be welded easily with either flame or electric welding using a variety of welding materials.

Cast iron is a very high carbon metal. Though very durable it is quite brittle and can be broken easily. Things made of cast iron must be heavy (thick) to withstand abuse. Cast Iron can be flame or electric welded but both require special processes and welding materials to have strength in the weld. If done improperly cast iron will crack along side where it is welded creating more problems.

Answer 3

Wrought iron was customarily purified at a moderately low temperature in the strong state to deliver a spongey mass of metal called a blossom from which the contaminations were driven off as fluid slag by pounding, thus the expression "created" ie "worked" iron. Created iron is exceptionally unadulterated, with a carbon substance of under 1%, which makes it impervious to erosion, solid in strain and mouldable.

By correlation, cast iron, was refined at much higher temperatures in the fluid state, thus got to be immersed with carbon from the heater fuel, up to around 5%. It was then poured out into a mold to create squares generally known as pigs henceforth the name "pig iron". The high carbon content makes cast press exceptionally inflexible in pressure, yet feeble and fragile in strain, notwithstanding when intensely hot, so it can't be fashioned or rolled.