DUCTILE AND GREY IRON CASTING QUALITY PROCEDURE
  With respect to ductile iron castings including victaulic pipe couplings and flanges, it is absolutely essential that sufficient controls are in place to guarantee the quality of the material throughout the production run. the following controls must be put into place:
  1)The test piece for the nodularity test piece will only be cast with the very last metal from the ladle. No other castings must be poured after the sample has been poured.
  2)The last box from the ladle will be identified.
  3)The batch will be segregated by colored powders to ensure no scrap products is allowed to be used.
  4)The microstructure will be checked immediately and only product that has more than 80% nodularity will be approved.
  5)Any product failing to pass 80% nodularity will be segregated and a micro sample cut from the last box casting. If this has more than 80% nodularity then the ladle is approved. If it fails to have 80% nodularity then the whole ladle must be scrapped. The records must be kept of the scrapped castings.
  6)After fettling, but before despatch random samples must be taken from every day's cast to check the  microstructure for nodularity and carbide formation. If there is any carbide present then the whole batch must be segeregated and heat-treated to remove the carbide. Records must be kept of all random checks and results must be recorded and signed by the checker. At least 10 castings must be checked for a daily cast. Records must be kept of daily production and all checks taken.
  7)All microstructure samples must be labeled and saved for a period of 6 months.
  8)A simple file test must be made on all products to verify that the carbide is not present.
  9)Test bars are to be sent with every crate with samples poured at the same time and results of tensile and elongation reported with the test bar in the crate.
  10)Chemical analysis must be done on every two tonnes of material cast. Magnesium checks must be done at least one per day.
  11)With every consignment, a full certificate on analysis and test bar results must be sent with the castings.
  12)All casting must have a daily date code to identified the castings.
  13)A test "slug" will be cast on all castings in order to have a visual check after knocking off of the ductility and structural defects.

                                                         EN10204-3.1