Part Two: Metal casting Processes

Syllabus
Part A ( Sand casting)
1. 2. 3.

Patterns and cores Molds and mold making The casting operations

Part B (Other expandable mold casting processes)

1.
2. 3. 4. 5.

S hell molding Vacuum molding Expanded polystyrene process Investment molding Plaster mold and ceramic mold casting

Part C( Permanent mold casting processes)

1. 2. 3. 4.

The basic permanent mold process Variations of permanent mold casting Die casting Centrifugal casting

Part D( Foundry Practice)

1. 2.

Furnaces Pouring, Cleaning and heat treatment

Part E( Casting quality)

Part A ( Sand casting)

1.

2.
3.

Patterns and cores Molds and mold making The casting operations

Two Categories of Casting Processes

1-Expendable mold processes uses an expendable mold which must be
destroyed to remove casting Mold materials

sand, 2. plaster, 3. and similar materials, plus binders 2-Permanent mold processes
1.

uses a permanent mold which can be used over and over to produce many castings Made of metal (or, less commonly, a ceramic refractory material

Advantages and Disadvantages

More intricate geometries are possible with expendable mold processes Part shapes in permanent mold processes are limited by the need to open the mold Permanent mold processes are more economic in high production operations

Types of casting
Casting
Conventional Methods
Green sand mould Dry sand mould

Unconventional Methods
CO2 Moulding (Strong mould) Permanent (Metal mould) Shell Moulding (Thin mould)

Investment casting (Precision)

Centrifugal ( without core) Continuous Casting (Open)

Casting

Casting is one of the oldest manufacturing process and even today is the first step in manufacturing most of the products It is based on the property of a liquid to take up the shape of vessel containing it. Products ranging from a few mm to several m and a few grams to several tons

Foundry is the place where metal is melted and casting are produced

Similar to that of making ice cubes in a refrigerator

Sand casting is the process of pouring molten metal in to

a mould cavity of required shape & size and allowing for cooling and the breaking up the mold to remove the casting

Sand Casting

Six Basic Steps of Casting

Pattern making Core making Mould making Melting Pouring Cleaning and inspection

1. 2.

3.
4. 5.

6.

Six Basic Steps of Casting

1-The Pattern
A full-sized model of the part, slightly enlarged to account for shrinkage and machining allowances in the casting

Pattern materials:

Wood - common material because it is easy to work, but it warps Metal - more expensive to make, but lasts much longer Plastic - compromise between wood and metal Wax precision casting

Types of Patterns(pattern geometry)

(a) Solid pattern ( single piece) (b) Split pattern ( Two piece) (c) Match plate pattern (d) Cope and drag pattern

Pattern Allowances
1. Shrinkage or contraction allowance 2. Draft or taper allowance 3. Machining or finish allowance

4. Distortion or camber allowance 5. Rapping allowance

1-Shrinkage or Contraction Allowance

All most all cast metals shrink or contract volumetrically on cooling. The metal shrinkage is of two types:

i. Liquid Shrinkage: it refers to the reduction in

volume when the metal changes from liquid state to solid state at the solidus temperature. To account for this shrinkage; riser, which feed the liquid metal to the casting, are provided in the mold. ii. Solid Shrinkage: it refers to the reduction in volume caused when metal loses temperature in solid state. To account for this, shrinkage allowance is provided on the patterns

2. Draft or taper allowance

By draft is meant the taper provided by the pattern maker on all vertical surfaces of the pattern so that it can be removed from the sand without tearing away the sides of the sand mold and without excessive rapping by the molder. Figure 3 (a) shows a pattern having no draft allowance being removed from the pattern. In this case, till the pattern is completely lifted out, its sides will remain in contact with the walls of the mold, thus tending to break it. Figure 3 (b) is an illustration of a pattern having proper draft allowance. Here, the moment the pattern lifting

Draft

Pattern Having No Draft on Vertical Edges

Pattern Having Draft on Vertical Edges

3-Machining or finish allowance

The finish and accuracy achieved in sand casting are generally poor and therefore when the casting is functionally required to be of good surface finish or dimensionally accurate, it is generally achieved by subsequent machining. Machining or finish allowances are therefore added in the pattern dimension.

2-Core in Mold

A core consists of two portions: the body of the core and one or more extensions (called prints) Cores are used to create internal cavities. Core is a separate entity placed in a mould to produce a corresponding cavity hole or undercut in the casting Cores for sand casting are manufactured by packing specially prepared sand in core boxes Chaplets: is used to the support the core

3-Moulds and mould making

The cavity in the sand mold is formed by packing sand around a pattern, then separating the mold into two halves and removing the pattern

Major part of Moulding material in sand casting are 1. 85-90% silica sand (SiO2) 2. 3-7% bonding material e.g., clay cereal etc. 3. 3-6% water Requirements of molding sand are: (a) Refractoriness (b) Cohesiveness (c) Permeability (d) Collapsibility

Mould Material
Major part of Moulding material in sand casting are 1. 70-85% silica sand (SiO2) 2. 10-12% bonding material e.g., clay etc. 3. 3-6% water The performance of mould depends on following factors: (a) Permeability (b) Green strength (c) Dry strength

Requirements of molding sand

1. 2. 3.

4.
5.

Refractoriness(strength) Permeability Collapsibility Thermal stability Reusability

Requirements of molding sand

(1) Refractoriness(strength) Is the ability to remain solid at high temp and resist erosion caused by flow of molten metal (2) Permeability Is the ability gas flow through mould (3) Collapsibility
Is the ability of the mold to give a way and allow the casting to shrink without cracking the casting,i,e to permit metal to shrink after solidification

Requirements of molding sand

(4)Thermal stability
Is the ability of sand at the surface of the mold cavity to resist cracking and buckling upon contact with the molten metal.

(5)Reusability
Is the ability of sand to be used for making other mold

4-Melting

(next)

Furnaces most commonly used in foundries: Cupolas Direct fuel-fired furnaces Crucible furnaces Electric-arc furnaces Induction furnaces

5-Pouring the Molten Metal (next)

For this step to be successful, metal must flow into all regions of the mold, most importantly the main cavity, before solidifying Factors that determine success:

Pouring temperature Pouring rate Turbulence

Sections of foundry
Metal Melting Sand additives Sand Sand mixing & preparation

Handling molten metal

Moulding

Pouring Melting Section Moulding Section Shaking out Finishing Heat treatment Inspection & Testing

General layout of foundry

Foundry store

Melting Furnaces Grinding Sand Moulds ready for pouring Muller

Inspection Bench

Core making

Preparation of sand mould (

SAND CASTING

Sand Mold Making Procedure )(

Before any casting can take place a wooden pattern is made precisely. This is called pattern making and in industry this is a very skilful job. Any inaccuracy at this stage will result in the final cast being wrong or even failing.

Drag is placed inverted on the mould floor and pattern is placed at the center of the box

Preparation of sand mould

Special casting sand will soon be packed around the pattern for easy removal of pattern from parting powder is sprinkled over and around it. It stops the casting sand sticking to the pattern and pulling away with it when the pattern is finally removed from the sand. Casting sand is then shaken through a sieve (called riddled sand) so that only fine particles fall around the pattern. This is called facing sand and it must be fine so that detail on the pattern shows up on the final casting.

Preparation of sand mould

The drag is then packed with more casting sand and then ram it down firmly using a ramming tool. The tool has two ends, one is cylindrical and is used for general packing down of the sand. The other end is quite pointed and this can be used for packing sand close up to the pattern.

When the drag is packed fully it is levelled off (called strickled off ) using a straight steel bar.

Preparation of sand mould

The entire drag and its contents are then turned over so that the base of the pattern can be seen

A top box called a cope is then placed on top of the drag and locating pins are put in position so that the casting boxes cannot move sideways.

Preparation of sand mould

Sprue pins are positioned. One usually on the back of the pattern and the other to the side. These will eventually provide an entrance and exit for the molten aluminium when it is poured into the sand.

The sand is packed/rammed into the cope in the same way as the drag.

Preparation of sand mould

The top box (the cope) is then removed and if all is well the cope with the sand inside should lift off the drag (bottom box) without the sand falling out. A small gate is cut below the position of one of the sprue pins. This will help the molten metal to flow into the cavity left by the mould. Small tools are available or can easily be made to dig a variety of shapes in the casting sand. They are similar to small trowels

Preparation of sand mould

The pattern is removed using a spike. Before removing the pattern it is a good idea to gently tap the spike so that it loosens the pattern from the sand. It can then be lifted away from the casting box (drag). The cope (top casting box) is placed back on top of the drag and the locating pins put in position. Before this is done vents can be created using a thin piece of welding rod, pushing it through the sand . This allows gases to escape once the molten metal is poured.

Preparation of sand mould

The molten metal is poured with great care. The molten metal is poured down the hole left by the first sprue pin (now called the runner). As it runs down the runner it flows through the gate cut by the trowel, into the cavity left by the pattern and up the riser (the hole left by the second sprue pin). The casting should be left for at least an hour before removal from the sand When removed from the sand, the runner and riser are cut away and the casting is ready for machining

Thank u