5. Conclusion

Wrought iron not only has a geometric function (shaping), but also a metallurgical one. It refines the primary and secondary structures and, in this sense, improves the quality of the cast product; it does, however, create a certain anisotropy of properties, which can sometimes be taken advantage of, but which is a disadvantage for most uses. If the quality of the wrought metal is unsatisfactory for a given use, it is firstly a question of health (absence of physical discontinuities), secondly of cleanliness (distribution, shape, etc., of inclusions), and thirdly of structure (localized precipitates, band structure).

The notion of wrought forming has been extended here to include very slight deformations, which can lead to tears during casting, quite analogous to those produced by welding. Voluntary deformations lead to much greater elongation (shaping by rolling)....