This chapter is a detailed account of heat treating techniques for cast irons (gray and ductile), providing the reader with a basic understanding of the differences among various types of cast irons and the concept of carbon equivalent. The types of heat treatments discussed are stress relieving, annealing, normalizing, surface hardening, quenching, martempering, austempering, and flame and induction hardening.

This article discusses the composition and morphology of compacted graphite (CG) iron relative to that of gray and ductile iron. It explains that the graphite in CG iron is intermediate in shape between the spheroidal graphite found in ductile iron and the flake graphite in gray iron, giving it distinct advantages in a number of applications. The article also discusses the role of melt treatment elements and explains how alloying and heat treatment affect tensile strength, hardness, toughness, and ductility.

The formation of defects in materials that have been fusion welded is a major concern in the design of welded assemblies. This article describes four types of defects that, in particular, have been the focus of much attention because of the magnitude of their impact on product quality. Colloquially, these four defect types are known as hot cracks, heat-affected zone microfissures, cold cracks, and lamellar tearing.