Manufacturing Processes-1

Lecture# 01

Date : 06-09-12

Introduction to Material Processing

All processes involve the transformation of material from the initial geometry and property to the final outputs. This transformation is accomplished through the application (or removal) of energy distributed about the surface or volume of the material. The source of this directed energy is the manufacturing machine. Thus we can first define a manufacturing process as the interaction of a machine and a material to transform the material to the desired outputs geometry and properties. There are following main processes in material processes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Casting Material Removal Deformation Processes Consolidation Processes(joining,welding and brazing) Powder Metallurgy

Casting: Casting is process in which molten metal flows by gravity or other force into the mold where it solidifies in the shape of mold cavity. The term Casting is also applied to the part that is made by this process. Principle of Casting: The principle of casting seems simple: melt the metal , pour it into a mold, and let it cool and solidify; yet there are many factors and variables that must be considered in order to accomplish a successful casting operation. Origin of Casting: Casting of metals can be traced back to around 4000 B.C. gold was the first metal to to be discovered and used by early civilizations; it was malleable and could be readily hammered into shape at room temperature . Casting processes are being carried out for casting parts of few mm to 10 meters like ocean propeller. Advantages and Capabilities of Casting: 1. Casting can be used to create complex part geometries. 2. Casting can create both external and internal shapes. 3. Some casting processes are capable of producing parts to net shape. No further manufacturing operations are required to achieve the required geometry and dimensions of the parts. 4. Other casting processes are near net shape , for which some additional shape processing is required(usually machining) in order to achieve accurate dimensions and details.

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Manufacturing Processes-1
Lecture# 01

Date : 06-09-12

5. Casting can be used to produce very large parts. Casting weighing more than 100 tons have been made. 6. Casting processes can be performed on any metal that can be heated to liquid state. 7. some casting methods are quite suited to mass product as well as batch production. Disadvantages and Limitations of Casting: There are also disadvantages associated with casting, different disadvantages for different casting methods. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Limitations on mechanical properties. Porosity Poor dimensional accuracy. Safety hazards to humans when processing hot molten metals Environmental problems

Overview of Casting Technology: As a production process, casting is usually carried out in a foundry. A foundry is a factory equipped for making molds, melting and handling metal in molten form, performing the casting process and cleaning the finished casting. Following are basic requirements for casting process: 1. Mold Cavity: Preparing a mold cavity of the desired shape with proper allowance for shrinkage. 2. Melting processes: Melting the metal with acceptable quality and temperature. 3. Pouring Techniques: Pouring metal into cavity and producing means for the escape of air or gasses. 4. Solidification Processes: Solidification processes must be properly designed and controlled to avoid defects.

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Manufacturing Processes-1
Lecture# 01

Date : 06-09-12

5. Mold Removal: After solidification process, mold is removed and we separate casted part from mold this process is called Fretting. 6. Machining of Cast Part: Depending on casting method and metal used, further processing may be required. This may include trimming the excess metal from the actual cast part, cleaning the surface , inspecting the product. In addition, machining may be required to achieve closer tolerances on certain part features and to remove the cast surface. Casting Terminology: Here is the example of sand casting molds to explain the casting terminology .Many of the features and terms of sand casting mold are common to the molds used in other casting processes. The following figure shows the cross sectional view of a typical sand casting mold and indicating casting terminology.

Mold and Flask: The mold consists of two halves: 1. Cope 2. Drag The cope is the upper half of the mold and the drag is the bottom half of the mold. These two mold parts are contained in a box called a flask which is also divided into two halves one for the cope and other for the drag. The two halves of the mod separate at the parting line. In sand casting the mold cavity is formed by means of a pattern, which is made of wood, plastic or other material and has the shape of part to be cast.

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Manufacturing Processes-1
Lecture# 01

Date : 06-09-12

The cavity in the mold provides the external surfaces of the cast part. In addition, a casting may have internal surfaces. These surfaces are determined by means of a core, a form placed inside the mold cavity to define the interior geometry of the part. The gating system in a casting mold is a channel or network of channels by which molten metal flows into the cavity from outside the mold. Gating system typical consists of a downsprue, through which metal enters a runner that leads to main cavity. At the top of downsprue, a pourig cup is often used to minimize splash and turbulence as the metal flows into the downsprue . In addition o gating system, any casting in which shrinkage is significant requires a riser connected to the main cavity. The riser is a reservoir in the mold that serves as a source of liquid metal for the casting to compensate for shrinkage during solidification. Solidification Process: Casting is a solidification process where the molten material is poured into a mold and then allowed to freeze to the desired shape. Many of the structural features that ultimately control product properties are set during solidification. Furthermore, many casting defects such as gas porosity and solidification shrinkage are also solidification phenomena and they can be reduced by controlling the solidification process. Solidification is a two stage process and it is important to control both of stages: Nucleation Growth

Nucleation: Nucleation occurs when stable particles of solid form from within the molten liquid. When the material is at temperature below its melting point the solid state has a lower energy than the liquid. As solidification occurs, internal energy is released. At the same time, interface surfaces must be created between the new solid and present liquid. Formation of surfaces require energy. In order for nucleation to occur, there must be reduction or release of energy. As a result, nucleation generally begins at a temperature somewhat below the equilibrium melting point. the difference between the melting point and the actual temperature of nucleation is known as the amount of undercooling. Particles of existing solid may be introduced into the liquid before it is poured into the mold. These particles provide the surfaces required for nucleation and promote the formation of a uniform, fine grained product. This practice of introducing solid particles is known as inoculation.

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Manufacturing Processes-1
Lecture# 01

Date : 06-09-12

Growth: The second stage in solidification process is growth which occurs as the heat of fusion is extracted from liquid material. The direction, rate and type of growth can be controlled by the way in which heat is removed. Solidification of Metals: Solidification involves the transformation of the molten metal back into the solid state. The solidification process differs depending on whether the metal is a pure element or an alloy.

Pure Metals: A pure metal solidifies at a constant temperature equal to its freezing point, which is the same as its melting point. The process occurs over a time which is plotted on curves known as cooling curves.

The actual freezing rakes time called the local freezing point in casting, during which the metals latent heat of fusion is released into the surrounding mold. The total solidification tine is the time

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Manufacturing Processes-1
Lecture# 01

Date : 06-09-12

taken between pouring and complete solidification. After the casting has completely solidified, cooling continues at a rate indicated by the downward slope of the cooling curve.

Alloys: Most alloys freeze over a temperature range rather than at a single temperature. The exact range depends on the alloy system and the particular composition.

Solidification of an alloy can be explained with above figure which shows the phase diagram for a particular alloy system and the cooling curve for a given composition. As temperature drops, freezing begins at the temperature indicated by the liquidus and is completed when solidus is reached. The start of freezing is similar to that of pure metal.

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