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Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 25212–25218 www.materialstoday.com/proceedings

IConAMMA_2017

Study on Cold Metal defect in Pump Mounting Flange using

Taguchi Approach
Sengottuvelan Ma*, Sivakumar Kb, Nandagopal Mc
a
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechatronics, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, India - 638401
b
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, India - 638401
c
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, India - 638401

Abstract

Sand casting is a process of producing complex shape castings which cannot produce by other processes. Production of defect
free casting is a challenging task in a foundry. The quality of component produced by sand casting is affected due to
uncontrollable process parameters. Until controlling such parameters, it is difficult to achieve defect free casting. Keeping this in
mind, a study is carried out in a jobbing foundry in South Tamil Nadu. From the six months rejection data, it is identified that the
Pump Mounting Flange is mostly rejected due to cold metal defect. In order to overcome the cold metal defect the process
parameters mold hardness, moisture, time and temperature of pouring are investigated using the Taguchi approach the optimized
values are arrived. The regression analysis confirmed that the optimized values are acceptable. The values are recommended to
foundry for the production process. By six sigma methodology (DMAIC), the quality tools Data Chart and Histogram are used to
select defected casting. From the Cause and effect diagram the root cause of the cold metal defect is identified.

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Advances in Materials and Manufacturing Applications
[IConAMMA 2017].

Keywords:Parameters; cold metal; Minitab; Taguchi; Six sigma; regression analysis; Control charts;

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-9843094945;

E-mail address: sengottuvelanm@bitsathy.ac.in

2214-7853© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Advances in Materials and Manufacturing Applications
[IConAMMA 2017].
 Sengottuvelan et al/ Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 25212–25218 25213

1. Introduction

Casting is one of the oldest manufacturing methods since the 4th century B.C. This method is used to make
utensils and to create weapons. Now a day, in most of the engineering fields the castings are playing a major
contribution. The products of complex shapes and difficult to produce by other method can employ this method. It is
a versatile process and capable of being used in mass production. It plays an important role in the field of
manufacturing industries.

The foundry is a place where castings are produced. The metals are cast into desired shapes by pouring the molten
metal in a mould and remove the cast part from mold after the metal is getting solidified and cooled. In foundry the
processes like pattern making, core making, mold making, melting, pouring, fettling, inspection followed by painting
is carried out while producing castings. Due to the various processes it is necessary to maintain the quality of casting
in good level. The defect free casting is not possible in the casting process. The defects are occurring due to
improper deviation from the actual requirements in a cast product. This leads to the formation of defects. Few
defects in cast products are acceptable with close tolerance while others need to be rectified by suitable additional
processes. The most occurrence defects [5] during casting process are classified as Gas defect, molding material
defect, pouring metal defect and metallurgical defect.

Six-Sigma[4] approach has a set of tools and techniques for process improvement. It helps to improve the essence
of process outputs by investigation and straighten out the causes of defects (errors). It also minimizes the challenge
ability in both business and manufacturing processes. The statistical method is most predominantly used method in
six sigma for quality management. Hence the method Six Sigma is used to describe how well the process variation
meets the customer requirements. The six sigma rating indicates the yield and the manufactured defect free products
in many manufacturing sectors. By six sigma methods, the parts produced are statistically expected to be free from
defect and we can achieve 3.4 defects/million opportunities. The six-sigma uses five phase technique for process
improvement and to produce the defect free casting. The five phases involved are defined, measure, analysis,
improve and control which is called as DMAIC. In each phase different quality tools and processing techniques are
used for the successful process improvement.

This paper focuses to minimize the cold metal defect in the pump mounting flange of grey cast iron. It is a major
product produced in one of the casting industries in Tamilnadu. Here an attempt is made to reduce the cold metal
defect on that casting using six-sigma methodology of DMAIC approach. The quality tools [8] such as histogram
and cause-and-effect diagram are used in various phases. Using Minitab software, Taguchi technique [6] is
employed to find out the best solution for various parameters. The solution arrived emphasis to improve the quality
of the casting which leads to reduce the cold metal defect occurred in the casting.

Sunil Chaudhari et al [9] reviewed the various research work done by several researchers and bring out the
technical solution to produce defect free casting by adopting a suitable manufacturing process. Rajesh Rajkolhe et
al [11] provide guidelines for Quality control department in foundry to sort out the defects in casting. They
suggested the ways to find the root cause for the occurrence of those defects. Further, it aims to enhance the yield of
casting. Moore et al [10] proposed the various causes and remedial measures for defects such as metallic projection,
cavities, discontinuities and defect surfaces and reviewed the various defect analyses done various authors in
different aspects. Vijayaram et al [3] suggest that the timely implementation of modified technique based on quality
control research is must and provide some solutions for young engineers to start their career in the manufacturing
sector. Also the steps involved in quality circle, inspection methods and the responsibilities of Quality control
person are well explained by him. Shivappa et al [2] analyze the defects such as blow hole, sand drop and mismatch
in Trunion support bracket in Dakshin foundry and suggest the remedial measures to be incorporated in standard
operating procedure. Dobrzanski et al [1] concluded that the proper supervision and control of process through
automation leads to reduce defects. The neural network, the image analysis, geometric shape coefficient technique
25214 Sengottuvelan et al / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 25212–25218

combination leads to achieve better efficiency. Sushil Kumar et al [6] made an attempt to obtain an optimum level of
process parameters for differential housing cover by Taguchi method and verify his results by the confirmation run.
From the literature review, the six sigma method is chosen which is a powerful tool for improving in
manufacturing sector. The process parameters can optimize by using Taguchi method in Minitab and it is able to
find the best values for selected parameters.

2. Methodology
The six-sigma DMAIC methodology is used in each phase with different quality tools and other techniques to
reduce the cold metal defect in the pump mounting flange. The DMAIC refers to Define, Measure, Analyze,
Improve and Control. The step-by-step process of DMAIC is discussed as follows

2.1. Define Phase

The Define phase is the first stage in DMAIC of Six Sigma process. In this phase a detailed study is carried out in
one of the leading foundry located in South Tamilnadu where the cast iron products are produced. The rejection
data for fifty products are collected from the previous records. From the collected record the most occurring defects
are listed. The nineteen types of defect related to gas, mold, melting, fettling and cleaning are identified from those
products. Among the nineteen types of defects three major defects are identified and taken for study.

Fig. 1. Histogram for Defects in 50 Products

The Fig. 1. shows the histogram in which the different types of defects with its quantity that occurred among
fifty products. The defects such as slag, sand drop and cold metal are addressed as 16, 14 and 14 respectively.
Among the three defects the defects occurred due to slag can easily minimized by adding suitable additives. The
sand related defects are reduced by proper handling methods during the moulding process. But the occurrence of
cold metal defect is due to some unknown reasons. Hence there is in need to reduce the percentage of cold metal
defect by identifying the root cause of the defect.

2.2 Measure Phase

The Measure phase is the second state of DMAIC in Six Sigma. In this phase, the products associated with the cold
metal defect are separated using suitable tables. Totally fourteen products are identified which are affected by cold
metal. The detail of the production and rejection quantity of those fourteen products is shown in the Table 1.
 Sengottuvelan et al/ Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 25212–25218 25215

Table 1. Products affected by Cold Metal Defect

S.No Product Quantity Defects
1 Pressure Plate 200 7
2 Fly End Cover 70 3
3 Flange 71 10
4 Pump Mounting Flange 57 10
5 Section Bracket 400 6
6 CDV Cover Doom 62 4
7 New Horn Flange 540 4
8 Pressure Plate 11 1
9 CDB Cover Doom 60 1
10 Bearing End Plate 320 1
11 Gear Case 25 1
12 Manifold 400 3
13 Internal Support 270 2
14 Support 204 5

The data shown in above Table 1 are represented by the histogram by taking the number of products in x-
axis and percentage of cold metal defect in the y-axis. From the following Fig. 2. It is identified that the product
affected by cold metal defect is Pump Mounting Flange.

Fig. 2. Histogram Chart for Cold Metal Affected Products

The total number of pump mounting flange produced is 57 while the casting rejection number is 10 due to the cold
metal defect. This shows that 17.54% of pump mounting flange are rejected during production.
2.3 Analyze Phase
In DMAIC the Analyze is the third phase. The quality tool cause-and-effect diagram is used to analyze the cause
and occurrence of cold metal defect. The causes of the cold metal defects are categorized as Machine, Method,
Material, Manpower, Measurement and Environment. The Cause-and-effect diagram is used to analyze the reason
for the occurrence of defects in each stage due to various reasons. It also helps to know the various causes of defect,
according to the process behavior with the relationships among various variables. The Causes are identified by
conducting the brainstorming session among the employees from top, middle and low level management. Then the
causes are categorized and labeled in Fishbone diagram. Fig. 3. represents the Cause and effect diagram for Cold
Metal defect.
25216 Sengottuvelan et al / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 25212–25218

Fig. 3. Cause-and-Effect Diagram for Cold Metal Defect

From fish bone diagram it is identified that Mold Hardness, Mold Temperature, Pouring Temperature and
Pouring Time are the most influencing factors for the cold metal defect.

2.4 Improve Phase

The fourth phase in DMAIC is Improve Phase. The Taguchi method [7] in Minitab software is used to find the
optimal value for the identified four factors in the analyze phase. Table 2 shows the various factors taken at three
levels.
Table 2. Various Selected Factors and its levels

Factor Designation Control factors Range Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

A Mould Hardness(nu) 50-80 50 65 75

B Mould Temperature(deg c) 40-70 45 55 65

C Pouring Temperature(deg c) 1420-1300 1390 1375 1360

D Pouring Time(deg c) 20-28 22 24 26

In Minitab the three-level design for four factors is selected and L9 orthogonal array is generated by the
combination of levels. The selected values for all the four factors in three different levels are shown in the Table 3.
Table 3. Experimental values

Trial No A B C D
1 50 45 1390 22
2 50 55 1375 24
3 50 65 1360 26
4 65 45 1375 26
5 65 55 1360 22
6 65 65 1390 24
7 75 45 1360 24
8 75 55 1390 26
9 75 65 1375 22
 Sengottuvelan et al/ Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 25212–25218 25217

With the above combinations the experiments are conducted for three times for each trail in the foundry. The
total cold metal defect occurred in each trail is taken as the output. By taking the average output of the cold metal
defect in pump mounting flange the S/N Ratio is calculated by Taguchi method and the mean graphs are plotted.
The Signal-to-Noise ratio of occurrence of the defect are tabulated in Table 4.

Table 4. Signal to Noise Ratio for occurrence of defect

Trial No A B C D O/P S/N Ratio
1 50 45 1390 22 3.33 -10.4489
2 50 55 1375 24 10 -20
3 50 65 1360 26 20 -26.0206
4 65 45 1375 26 13.33 -22.4966
5 65 55 1360 22 10 -20
6 65 65 1390 24 6.66 -16.4695
7 75 45 1360 24 16.66 -24.4335
8 75 55 1390 26 13.33 -22.4966
9 75 65 1375 22 6.66 -16.4695
The aim to conduct this experiment is to reduce the cold metal defect in the pump mounting flange. The
objective is to minimize the cold metal defect in the casting. Hence the minimum is best is chosing and the main
effects for Signal to noise ratio is plotted in the graph as in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. Main Effect Plot obtained for S/N Ratios

By regression analysis the regression value obtained from the above result is R-Sq (adj) = 89.4%. Hence the
obtained result is an acceptable because the regression value is more than 85%.

2.5 Control Phase

The last phase in DMAIC is Control phase. The optimum value obtained for the parameters is Mold Hardness -
50nu, Mold Temperature - 45°C, Pouring Temperature-1390°C and Pouring Time-22 sec. Hence, these parameters
are suggested in the company to be maintained during the production of the Pump Mounting flange. The control
chart which is one of the six sigma tool plays a vital role during process control. Maintaining the upper critical level
25218 Sengottuvelan et al / Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 25212–25218

(UCL) and lower critical level (LCL) in the control chart reflect the condition of casting once there is a deviation of
process parameter in each batch of production. Apart from this proper supervision and follow up by the supervisor
is needed during the process. By considering the above factors, by proper follow up, the cold metal defect raised
during the process is reduced substantially in Pump mounting flange casting.

3. Conclusion

The optimum values obtained for the selected factors Mold Hardness - 50nu, Mold Temperature - 45°C, Pouring
Temperature-1390°C and Pouring Time-22 seconds are recommended to the industry to maintain those values while
producing the pump mounting flange. Once they maintained it during the process, then there is a subsequent
reduction of cold metal defects in the pump mounting flange and percentage of yield is also increased. Hence the
six sigma methodology plays a vital role to give solutions for most of the defects occurred during the process. The
quality tools like histogram, Measuring Tables, Control charts and cause-and-effect diagram are very helpful to find
the maximum defect occur in the products and also to identify the root cause of the defect. Also the Taguchi
technique is used to identify the optimal values in various parameters and the considerable reduction of cold metal
defect is expected in the industry.

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