UDC 621.643:669.13
DOI 10.35776/VST.2026.06.06

Nosov Viktor, Pripadcheva Natal’ia, Ugriumov Vladimir

Cast iron. Out of the past to the future

Summary

The results of studying gray cast iron pipes after long-term, trouble-free operation (up to 278 years) are presented. The chemical composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties were studied, and the corrosion resistance was analyzed. It was shown that with a course of time a cast iron pipe does not turn into a graphite shell, retaining, however, 90% of its original structure: a non-oxidized metallic core and inclusions of flaked graphite. A protective layer of graphite and corrosion products gradually forms on the surface of the cast iron pipe, preventing, as confirmed by a long-term field experiment, the development of corrosion processes deep into the metal. It was confirmed that cast iron is not susceptible to pitch and pitting corrosion, whereas the heavy wall thickness is due to the poor mechanical properties of gray cast iron. Thus, it can be concluded that cast iron is a reliable, stable, and time-tested material for the construction of water pipelines.

Key words

For citation: Nosov V. A., Pripadcheva N. A., Ugriumov V. N. Cast iron. Out of the past to the future. Vodosnabzhenie i Sanitarnaia Tekhnika, 2026, no. 6, pp. 39–44. DOI: 10.35776/VST.2026.06.06. (In Russian).

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