Solidification Shrinkage

Most metals undergo

noticeable volumetric
contraction when cooled
Three principle stages of
shrinkage:
Shrinkage of liquid as it cools
from the solidification
temperature
Solidification shrinkage as the
liquid turns into solid
Solid metal contraction as the
solidified metal cools to room
Figure 1- Dimensional changes experienced by a
temperature metal column as the material cools from a
superheated liquid to a room-temperature solid.
Note the significant shrinkage that occurs upon
solidification.
 Solidification Shrinkage
Amount of liquid metal contraction depends on the
coefficient of thermal contraction and the amount of
superheat
As the liquid metal solidifies, the atomic structure normally
becomes more efficient and significant amounts of shrinkage
can occur
Cavities and voids can be prevented by designing the casting
to have directional solidification
Hot tears can occur when there is significant tensile stress on
the surface of the casting material
 Risers and Riser Design
Risers are reservoirs of liquid metal that feed extra metal to the
mold to compensate for shrinkage
Risers are designed to conserve metal
Located so that directional solidification occurs from the
extremities of the mold toward the riser
Should feed directly to the thickest regions of the casting
Yield: the weight of the casting divided by the weight of metal
in the pour (i.e. the casting, gating systems, and all associated
risers)
A good shape for a riser is one that has a longer freezing time.
 Risers and Riser Design
Blind risers - contained entirely within the mold
cavity
Open risers are exposed to the air
Live (or Hot) risers - receive the last hot metal that
enters the mold
Dead (or Cold) risers receive metal that has
already flowed through the mold cavity
Top risers sit on top of a casting
Side risers located adjacent to the mold cavity,
displaced along the parting line.
 Risers and Riser Design

Figure 11-13 Schematic of a sand casting mold, showing a) an open-type top riser and b) a
blind-type side riser. The side riser is a live riser, receiving the last hot metal to enter the
mold. The top riser is a dead riser, receiving metal that has flowed through the mold cavity.

Riser must be separated from the casting upon

completion so the connection area must be as small as
possible
 Solidification Time (Chvorinov's rule)

2
Volume V 2
t=C =C
Surface Area SA

t = Solidification time
C = a constant that reflects mold metals, metal
properties (including latent heat) and temperature.
V/SA = M = the casting modulus
 Example 1
Q: Three pieces being cast have the same volume but different shapes.One is a sphere,one a
cube and the other a cylinder(Height = Diameter). Which piece will solidify the fastest and
which the slowest.

Solidification time 1/(surface area)2

Assume volume to be unity
Sphere V = (4/3) r3, r=(3/4)1/3 and A = 4r2 = 4(3/4)2/3 = 4.84
Cube V = a3, a=1, A= 6a2 = 6
Cylinder V = r2h = 2r3, r=(1/2)1/3, A = 2r2 + 2rh = 6r2 = 6(1/2)2/3 = 5.54
Thus respective solidification times are
Tsphere = 0.043 C
Tcube = 0.028 C
Tcylinder = 0.033 C
C is a constant
 Risering

Risering is a process designed to prevent shrinkage voids

that occur during solidification contractions
Aluminum 6.6%
Steel 2.5 to 4%
Criteria for Riser design
Riser must remain molten until casting is completely
solidified
Riser should have enough liquid metal to feed casting
Riser should be kept at proper distance from the casting
Improving Riser( feeder) efficiency :
- The riser efficiency ( feeding distance can be improved by applying internal and or external
Metallic objects (chills) that produce directional solidification of the molten metal.
-Applying exothermic compound powder materials, that chemically react to produce heat
on the top of the riser
Exothermic powder

Using of internal or external chill Using exothermic powder

Example:
Calculate the size of riser to feed the shown casting applying modulus method.
Mr= 1.2 Mc
Mr = Vr/Ar= /4( d2rxHr)/( 2x /4xd2r+ drxHr) assuming dr= Hr
then Mr= dr/6
Mc= Vc/Ac
From volume and area calculation we get Vc= 600 Cm3 and the surface area of
casting is 635 Cm2
hence:
Mr=dr/6= 1.2 Mc= 1.2(600/635)= 1.134
then dr= 6x1.134=6.8 cm 7 cm