IRON-CARBON COMPOSITIONS
An iron-carbon composition including iron chemically bonded to carbon, wherein the iron and the carbon form a single phase material, characterized in that the carbon does not phase separate from the iron when the single phase material is heated to a temperature that melts the iron-carbon composition.
1 . An iron-carbon composition comprising:
iron chemically bonded to carbon, wherein the iron and the carbon form a single phase material formed by mixing carbon into the iron while molten under conditions that chemically react the iron and the carbon, wherein the single phase material is meltable and the carbon does not phase separate from the iron when the single phase material is subsequently re-melted.
2 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 1 wherein the iron is an iron alloy.
3 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 1 wherein the iron is grey iron.
4 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 1 wherein the carbon comprises about 0.01 to about 40 percent by weight of the material.
5 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 1 wherein the carbon comprises at least about 1 percent by weight of the material.
6 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 1 wherein the carbon comprises at least about 5 percent by weight of the material.
7 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 1 wherein the carbon comprises at most about 10 percent by weight of the material.
8 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 1 wherein the carbon comprises at most about 25 percent by weight of the material.
9 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 1 further comprising an additive that imparts a change to a physical or mechanical property of the composition.
10 . An iron-carbon composition consisting essentially of:
iron chemically bonded to carbon, wherein the iron and carbon form a single phase material, and wherein the carbon does not phase separate from the iron when the single phase material is heated to a temperature that melts the iron-carbon composition.
11 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 10 wherein the iron is an iron alloy.
12 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 10 wherein the iron is grey iron.
13 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 10 wherein the carbon comprises about 0.01 to about 40 percent by weight of the material.
14 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 10 wherein the carbon comprises at least about 1 percent by weight of the material.
15 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 10 wherein the carbon comprises at least about 5 percent by weight of the material.
16 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 10 wherein the carbon comprises at most about 10 percent by weight of the material.
17 . The iron-carbon composition of claim 10 wherein the carbon comprises at most about 25 percent by weight of the material.