CASTING

SIX FACTORS INVOLVED IN CASTING 1. mould cavity 2. molten metal 3. escape of air /gas 4. shrinking 5. mould removal 6. finishing

MAJOR CASTING PROCESSES

sand casting die casting investment casting shell mould casting permanent mould casting full mould casting (e.g. EPS) centrifugal casting

SAND CASTING

Steps involved are : 1. make a wood pattern 2. place pattern on a mould board, surround with a box (cask), fill with sand & consolidate 3. remove pattern and cut in :
sprue - thru which molten metal is poured runner - connecting sprue to mould cavity riser - to ensure complete fill of the mould

4. place cope on lower half of mould (drag) and clamp 5. pour molten metal and allow to solidify 6. remove casting by destroying sand mould 7. cut off sprue and riser, machine if necessary

ALLOWANCE ON PATTERNS
1. SHRINKAGE
cast iron steel Al Mg brass 0.8 - 1.0 % 1.5 - 2.0 % 1.0 - 1.3 % 1.0 - 1.3 % 1.5 %

2. FINISH ALLOWANCE FOR MACHINING 3. DISTORTION ALLOWANCE (FROM EXPERIENCE)

4. DRAFT

DRAFT

CORES
hollow / reentrant sections can be included

by inserting cores
eg engine block

Grain growth, shrinkage, piping

Grain size and direction determined by cooling rate / direction

Columnar hole due to shrinkage

SAND REQUIREMENTS
REFRACTORINESS - withstand high

temp. without fusing; adversely affected by impurities STRENGTH -ability to retain shape when packed in a mould
green strength (after pattern removed) dry strength (after dried or gasses)

SAND REQUIREMENT
PERMEABILITY - allow escape of gas,

function of sand particle size, bonding agent and moisture COLLAPSIBILITY - ability to permit metal to shrink after solidification, obtained by adding organic materials such as cellulose which burn out when exposed to hot metal

FACTORS AFFECTING PROPERTIES OF SAND

grain size / shape type / amount of bonding agent moisture content impurities typical foundry sand constitutes :

quartz clay substance moisture impurities

80 - 90 % 4 - 15 % 3-7% 3-6%

CO2 SAND
Na2SiO3 + CO2 --> Na2CO3 + SiO2
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

non toxic no heating required

when hardened, poor collapsibility - difficult to shake out heating during pour makes the sand even stronger, further reduces collapsibility

SAND TESTING
moisture test green strength permeability loss on ignition (5 gm of sand placed in

oven at 920oC for 2 hours) active clay content shatter test - toughness of sand under impact sieve test - range of sand grain size

OTHER CASTING PROCESSES

DIE CASTING

fast used for low melting point alloys e.g. zinc,

tin, aluminium based alloys Large variety of items can be made (see next picture)

DIE CASTING
dies well designed to allow venting expensive dies - made from hardened tool

steel good surface finish / good dimensional accuracy

10

INVESTMENT CASTING (LOST WAX)

INVESTMENT CASTING (LOST WAX)

produce a master pattern (wood, metal,

plastic etc.) produce a master die from master pattern produce wax patterns assemble wax patterns to form a cluster coat the cluster with a thin layer of investment material by dipping into a slurry of finely ground refractory until required thickness is obtained

11

 allow investment to harden melt the wax pattern & let wax run out preheat the mould prior to pouring pour remove casting by breaking the mould

INVESTMENT CASTING (contd.)

Advantages complex shapes / thin sections down to 0.4 mm can be cast excellent dimensional tolerance - 0.1 to 1 % smooth finish Disadvantages complex process expensive

12

PERMANENT MOULD
metal mould - low temp non ferrous metal graphite - high temp. e.g. cast iron
Advantages reusable mould good surface finish selective heating / chilling yield desired properties Disadvantages low melting pt. alloys mould life can be short for steel casting complexity restricted not permeable

SLUSH CASTING
variation of permanent mould casting metal remains in the mould until shell has

been formed, mould is then inverted and remaining molten metal is poured out e.g. ornamental objects such as lamp base

13

LOW PRESSURE PERMANENT MOULD

PRESSURE POURING
graphite

mould used molten metal is forced into the mould by air pressure when mould is filled, a plunger seals the sprue to retain the molten metal in the mould used extensively for railroad wheels

14

Distinct features of
pouring

pressure

mould protected from atmosphere mould filled in a controlled manner by

controlling air pressure gas porosity is minimised long cycle time excess metal falls back to crucible and reused in subsequent castings

FULL MOULD CASTING expanded polystyrene - EPS

15

FULL MOULD CASTING expanded polystyrene - EPS

Advantages EPS pattern stays in the mould, so complex shapes can be cast less expensive than wood pattern for small quantity Disadvantages fragile pattern - more care normally adopted for small volume production

SHELL MOULD CASTING

mixture of sand / thermosetting resin dumped onto

a heated metal pattern - forming a layer of shell about 3 mm thick pattern / sand mixture inverted pattern & partially cured shell placed in oven to cure the mould hardened shell removed from pattern two shells clamped to form a mould placed in pouring jacket, backed up with extra support

16

Shell Mould Casting

Advantages better surface finish better dimensional accuracy good for mass prod. of small castings resin burns out during pour - good collapsibility Disadvantages metal pattern costly design must include gate/runner large amount of expensive binding resin required

17

PIT CASTING
very large mould are made in pits on the

floor e.g. large steam turbine casting

CONTINUOUS CASTING
molten metal flows from a ladle, through a

tundish, to a bottomless mould mould cooling controlled such that outside has solidified before the metal exits further cooling to ensure solidification cut to required length

18

CONTINUOUS CASTING

CENTRIFUGAL CASTING
mould rotates about a horizontal or vertical

axis, at speeds from 300 - 3000 r.p.m. when rotated in a horizontal axis, inner surface is always horizontal when rotated in a vertical axis, inner surface becomes a parabola

19

CENTRIFUGAL CASTING

Features of centrifugal casting

mould expensive, but with a long life molten metal forced against the walls and

solidifies first; impurities tend to collect at the inner surface high yield since no gate / runner / riser possible to produce composite casting by spinning a second alloy onto the surface of the first material

20

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
parting line / plane location affects : no. of core method of supporting cores effective gating casting weight dimensional accuracy ease of moulding

design for adequate draft present a cooling surface bring minimum no. of sections together avoid abrupt section changes (follow guidelines) avoid

sharp angles & corners proportion walls correctly design for uniform sections

21