Few grams

Up to 100 Tons
 Metal Casting in three steps

MeltingPouring Cooling
Fundamentals of Metal Casting
Casting:
“ Process of forming objects by putting liquid or viscous material into a
prepared mold or form”
 Foundry
furnace
Molten
Casting
Crucible metal Mold
Raw Material

Technique
Mould
Machining
preparation
Pattern
3D Printing

Carving
 Main elements
Pattern/Model
Molten Metal

Mold

Casting
 Parts

Accessories
Machinery Parts

Art
 Casting Processes

Permanent Mold
Expendable Mold

Expendable Pattern Permanent Pattern

 Variables in Casting Process
Liquid Metal
𝑇𝑀 (𝑡 > 0) Vapours
𝑇𝑃 (𝑡 = 0)
𝑉𝑉
𝑄 = 𝐴𝑣

𝑇𝑃 Part Temperature 𝑇𝑀 Mold Temperature

𝑉𝑉 Cavity Volume
𝑄 Flow
 Solidification Process

Pure Metals Alloys

 Cooling curve Pure Metals

Temperature as a function of time for the solidification of pure metals. Note that the freezing takes place at a constant
temperature. (b) Density as a function of time
Cooling curve Alloys

Pouring Temperature
Cooling of liquid
Solidification begins
Solidification ends

Cooling of Solid

Solidification time
 Grain morphology for pure Metals, alloys and using
nucleating agents

Three cast structures of metals solidified in a square mold:

Development of a preferred texture at a cool mold wall. Note that only
(a) pure metals; (b) solid-solution alloys; and (c) structure
favorably oriented grains grow away from the surface of the mold
obtained by using nucleating agents.
 Time V.S. Solidification patterns

Solidification patterns for gray cast iron in a 180-mm (7-in.) square casting. Note that after 11 minutes of
cooling, dendrites reach each other, but the casting is still mushy throughout. It takes about two hours for
this casting to solidify completely
 Solidification of Carbon Steels

Solidification patterns for gray cast iron in a 180-mm (7-in.) square casting. Solidification
of carbon steels in sand and chill (metal) molds. Note the difference in solidification
patterns as the carbon content increases.
 Phases in Cast Structures

Schematic illustration of cast structures in (a) plane front, single phase, and (b) plane front, two phase
Fluid flow and solidification time
 p v2
Bernoulli’s theorem h    constant
g 2g

Mass continuity Q  A1v1  A2v2


A1 h
Sprue design   2
A2 h1

vD
Reynolds number Re 
 

 Volume n
Chvorinov’s Rule Solidification time = C


Surface Area 


Schematic illustration of a typical riser-gated casting. Risers serve as reservoirs, supplying molten metal to the
casting as it shrinks during solidification.
 Casting Design and Fluidity Test

A test method for fluidity using a spiral mold. The fluidity index is the length of the solidified metal in the spiral
passage. The greater the length of the solidified metal, the greater is its fluidity.
Solidification Contraction or Expansion
Defects
 Common Casting Defects

Examples of common defects in castings. These defects can be minimized or eliminated by proper design and
preparation of molds and control of pouring procedures
 Hot Tears in Castings

Examples of hot tears in castings. These defects occur because the casting cannot shrink freely during cooling, owing to constraints
in various portions of the molds and cores. Exothermic (heat-producing) compounds may be used (as exothermic padding) to control
cooling at critical sections to avoid hot tearing
 Types of Internal and External Chills used in Casting

Various types of (a) internal and (b) external chills (dark areas at corners) used in castings to eliminate porosity caused by shrinkage. Chills
are placed in regions where there is a larger volume of metal, as shown in (c).
 Hot Spots

EFoundry
http://efoundry.iitb.ac.in/Academy/index.jsp?left=leftExercises
Parameters
1. Part Properties 10. Velocity and turbulence
2. Shape Complexity 11. Casting fill time
3. Core Print, Bouyancy 12. Gating choke design
4. Mold stress due to Core 13. Gating sprue design
5. Mold Cavity layout 14. Runner and gate design
6. Solidification time 15. Casting Yield
7. Side feeder design 16. Tooling material cost
8. Insulated Feeder Design 17. Tooling manufacturing cost
9. Feeder Neck design 18. Energy Cost
Finishing
 Casting Process Surface Smoothness in RMS
American Foundry Society Investment Casting 50-125
Shell Molding Casting 75-150
Micro-finish shows surface finishes from 20 to 9000 RMS
Die Casting 90-200
Lost Foam Casting 125-175
Vacuum Casting 150-200
Nobake (Resin) Sand 150-600
Green Sand Casting 250-900

Surface Finish Capabilities by Sand Casting Processes

http://www.iron-foundry.com/surface-finish-quality-smoothness-cast-iron-steel-sand-castings-china.html
Use of Software
 Casting of an Aluminum Piston

Simulation of mold filling and solidification. (a) 3.7 seconds after start of pour.
Aluminum piston for an internal combustion engine: Note that the mushy zone has been established before the mold is filled
(a) as-cast and (b) after machining. completely. (b) Using a vent in the mold for removal of entrapped air, 5 seconds
after pour.