NAME: MOLEBEDI SETLHAKO

ID NO:19000778

MODULE CODE: INME 313

MODULE NAME:MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING PROPERTIES

PROJECT REPORT
Contents
ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................3
LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................................................3
MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT..................................................................................................5
METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURE........................................................................................6
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.....................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................11
References........................................................................................................................................12
ABSTRACT
This project was divided into 3 parts.The first part included Processing of the aluminium
parts by Sand Casting. The second part was Post treatment of the samples. The third and
last past was characterisation of the samples. Each part depended on the success of the
previous part hence they were carried out like that simultaneously. The main objective of
this report was to investigate the effects of heat treatment on aluminium, hence different
mediums were used such as water, air , oil and the furnace. To investigate those effects, two
Tests were conducted, namely ; Impact Test and the Scratch hardness Test. Results were
collected and analysed in the Results and Discusssion section. Conclusion was then made
on those results.
INTRODUCTION
Processing of the aluminium parts by Sand Casting process
Aluminium parts were processed using sand casting process. Sand casting comprises of mixing sand
with water and oil.The sand was processed and made ready to make a mould. A pattern was made
readily available and placed in the sand so that the sand can take its shape.After removing the
pattern from the sand , using the gating system , molten aluminium was poured into the Mould
cavity. After waiting for the metal to cool and take the sand’s shape, the sand mould was then
broken in order to obtain the solidified aluminium piece or the metal casting.

Post treatment of the samples

The samples produced by sand casting in the first part were taken through some post
treatment. The post treatment here involved heat treatment. The aluminium samples were
exposed to higher temperature before cooling them at various cooling temperature. The
following four cooling mediums were used for both quenching and cooling the samples.The
cooling mediums, namely Water quenching, Oil quenching, Air cooling and Furnace
cooling. The following heating profile was followed before quenching or cooling the
samples. The samples were pre-heated to 200°C and held there for 20°C followed by
heating to 385°C for 40minutes.

Characterisation of the samples

In this last part of the practical, the heat treated samples were now characterized in order to
determine the effects of heat treatment on the prepared aluminium samples. The tests that
were carried out were ; Scratch hardness Test and the Impact Test performed at the Material
testing Lab. Optical Microscopy was used to analyse the scratch obtained from the scratch
hardness test.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Processing of the aluminium parts by Sand Casting process

Sand casting is one of the oldest manufacturing processes, and modern sand casting uses
technology to optimize the entire process.. Sand casting molding method was recorded
by Vannoccio Biringuccio in his book published around 1540.The oldest known casting
process, sand casting dates back to over 1000 BC. Process control, material options,
tolerances, the ability to manufacture complex parts, wide size ranges - all of this has of
course come a very long way. But the fundamentals of metals have remained relatively
unchanged (Olsen, 2021).
It can also be referred to as a metal casting process done by using sand as the mould
material.It entails a mixture of sand , water and oil or sometimes bonding substances are
used in order to achieve strength and plasticity (Hendronursito et al., 2019) Sand casting is
the perfect solution for batches of small and medium-sized parts that do not require accurate
shape reproducibility, and is the only solution for very large objects that cannot be created
using other mass production casting techniques (Aluminum Sand Casting, 2021). From the
design provided by a designer, a skilled model maker builds a model of the manufactured
object, using wood, metal, or plastic such as expanded polystyrene. Sand can be crushed,
swept or shaped. The metal to be cast will shrink during solidification, which may be
heterogeneous due to uneven cooling. Therefore, the sample must be slightly larger than the
finished product, a difference known as shrinkage tolerance.The manufactured part and its
sample shall be designed to suit each step of the process, since it must be able to remove the
sample without disturbing the casting sand and have suitable locations for receiving and
positioning. taste the cores. A light taper, called a draft, should be used on a surface
perpendicular to the dividing line so that the sample can be removed from the mold. This
requirement also applies to cores, since they must be removed from the core box in which
they are formed. (Paul, 2021).
The significant cost reduction achieved by using sand for mold making instead of other
materials is a major advantage. Especially when one takes into account the fact that mold
making costs make up a large part of the costs associated with other casting techniques.
However, the nature of the sand means that the mold used in this process is disposable and
cannot be reused. On the other hand, is ideal for metals with high melting points such as
titanium, aluminium, steel, and nickel. This is the only casting method that can handle these
materials. Not surprisingly, this technique is the first choice for economical mass
production of small parts in the aerospace and automotive industries. Casting is most widely
used in the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as in mechanical and industrial
engineering and medical technology (Grainger, 2021).
Post treatment of the samples
Post-treatment of the casting provides various mechanical and chemical properties of the
material that are not present in the untreated metal(Aluminium). Heat treatment exposes
castings to a wide range of extreme temperatures and fluctuations (or shortages), which can
improve metallurgical properties such as ductility, wear resistance, and hardness(Aluminum
Sand Casting, 2021). Aluminium casting heat treatment involves the use of extreme
temperatures to change the physical properties of the casting. Other uses of aluminium heat
treatment can include normalising the grain size and composition of an alloy, and removing
the internal stresses of the metal.There is no standardised aluminium heat treatment
procedure. Rather, a combination of heat treatment techniques may be used in order to
achieve the required properties. Common techniques include annealing, solution treatment,
quenching, hardening and tempering.Some aluminium heat treatment processes are carried
out close to the melting point of the castings, therefore it is vital that the temperature of the
heat treatment environment is carefully controlled (Harrison, 2015). Heat treatment is
commonly used to alter or strengthen materials’ structure through a heating and cooling
process. It offers many advantages, including:
 It can change a material’s physical (mechanical) properties and it aids in other
manufacturing steps.
  It relieves stresses, making the part easier to machine or weld.
 Increases strength, making the material ductile or more flexible.
 Introduces wear-resistant (hardness) characteristics, either just to the surface or right
through the part.
 Improves brittleness. Some metals can become weak or brittle once exposed to a
specific environment, so they need to be treated in order to overcome this.
Some BASIC HEAT TREATMENTS include:
Annealing :This heat treatment heats the material to the desired temperature. This
temperature is maintained for a period of time before the material cools slowly or rapidly,
depending on the type of material. This process refines the microstructure of the particles,
making them more uniform and easier to machine. It is also used to improve the ductility of
the material for further processing and reduce the stresses that can occur in the casting
Normalizing: This technique applies only to iron metals and is useful for applications that
require a uniform pearlite structure at the microscopic level. This includes particle size and
composition. Normalization, which is often used for ferroalloys, requires that the steel be
heated about 40 ° C above the critical temperature, held at that level for some time, and then
cooled outdoors.
Hardening and tempering include two stages. Hardening can be performed on some steels
containing a specific range of carbon and involves heating the material, usually above
900°C, before cooling or cooling rapidly. The result is lighter, stronger parts and tools and
dies that can achieve the required wear resistance while maintaining toughness. If a part is
made of martensitic stainless steel, it can only become corrosion resistant after undergoing
such heat treatment.
The solution to most aluminum heat-treatment-related problems is to understand what can
go wrong; establish good practices and procedures; be consistent (and repeatable) in the
execution of these procedures; monitor the process in as close to real-time as possible; and
maintain furnace records and time-temperature charts to confirm that the intended practices
were indeed performed. (dean, 2021)
MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT
Processing of the aluminium parts by Sand Casting process
Materials
 Oil and Water
 Sand
 Parting Powder
 Aluminium
Equipment
 Sieve
 Cope and Drag(Casting Flask)
 Steel Tongs
 CRM 700 Crucible Furnace
 Sprue
 Carving File
 Wood Hammers
 Core(made from wood)
Post treatment of the samples
Materials
 Water
 Air
 Oil
Equipment
 Blast Furnace/Oven
 Steel Tongs
 Protective clothing

Characterisation of the samples

Materials
 Water
Equipment
 Abrasive cutter
 Silicone Nitride Indenter
 Charpy Impact Tester
 Microscope
 RTEC Tribometer
 Ruler
 Saw and Files

METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURE

Processing of the aluminium parts by Sand Casting process
STEP 1
1. SAND PROCESSING
The sand was processed by being mixed with oil and water, in order to make a sand mould.
2. PATTERN MAKING
A core made from wood was used to make the required pattern shape in the sand mould.
3. PLACING THE MOULD PATTERN IN SAND
The mould pattern was then mixed with some parting dust and placed inside the casting
flask .Sand was hammered on top of the mould pattern, making sure there was little air
spaces left. Some wood hammers were used to do that process.
4. MELTING AND OF ALUMINIUM
Aluminium blocks of required amount were then melted inside the CRM 700 Tilting
Crucible Furnace at the required temperature which was a temperature above 1000 degrees.
Steel tongs were used to safely place the molten inside the furnace with safety precautions
observed.
 5. REMOVING MOULD PATTERN
The mould pattern was carefully taken out of the sand mould using a gating system setup.
6. POURING MOLTEN METAL INTO MOULD CAVITY
After safely collecting molten aluminium into a Crucible, tongs were used to hold and pour
the molten into the mould cavity and it was left for some time to cool.
7. BREAKING OPEN THE MOULD
The mould was then broken in order to collect the newly made metal casting.
Figure 1 showing solid aluminium inside mould cavity

Post treatment of the samples

STEP 2
1. After moulding the samples to the required size, using sand casting; Post treatment
which involved heat treatment , of the samples followed.
2. The samples were placed in the Blast Furnace/ Oven, using tongs in order to avoid
getting burnt. Also protective clothing was worn to avoid any injuries.
3. The samples were preheated / subjected to temperatures of 200 degrees celcius.
4. They were then held there at 20 degrees celcius for some time.
5. Heating of the aluminium samples followed at 385℃ for 40 minutes.
6. The following heating profile was followed:
Figure 2 showing heating profile
 7. After heating, quenching and cooling followed.The samples were placed in four
cooling mediums, namely:
 Water quenching
 Oil quenching
 Air Cooling
 Furnace cooling

Figure 3 showing Blast Furnace/ Oven

Characterisation of the samples.
STEP 3
1. The heat treated samples were now characterized to determine the effect of heat
treatment on the aluminium samples.
2. Firstly, the samples were prepared, by filing and cutting out unnecessary pieces using
a saw.Each piece for Furnace, Air ,water and oil was made to have a length and width
of 12 by 12 in order to prepare it for Charpy impact Test.
3. After preparation through filing, cutting and polishing, a 45 degree cut was made on
the centre of each piece.

Figure 4 showing the sample

preparations made for the Impact Test
4. Charpy impact Test followed after preparation of the samples and results were
recorded:
 Figure 5 showing the Charpy
Impact Tester.
5. Samples were then prepared for the scratch hardness test. A silicone Nitride indenter
was used to make indents on the test samples.
6. Optical Microscopy was used to analyse the scratch obtained from the scratch
hardness Test.Results were recorded and analysed in the Results and Discussion
section.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

CHARPY IMPACT TEST

Cooling Length(mm) Width (mm) Thickness(mm) Notch Depth(mm)

type

Water 100 12.0 12.0 2.0

quenching

Oil 100 12.0 12.0 2.0

quenching

Air 100 12.0 12.0 2.0

Furnace 100 12.0 12.0 2.0

Table 1 showing measurements of the samples

Specimen Impact Strength (KJ/m2) Absorbed Energy (J)

Water 67.108 135.217 66.334 50890 8.053 16.225 7.960 6.107
Oil 50,147 117-271 50890 71-787 6.018 14073 6.107 8.614
Air cooling 59.173 53.491 67.885 64.780 4.734 4.279 8.146 7.774
Furnace 50,038 58.584 74.145 70.332 4.643 7.030 8.S97 5.427
Table 2 showing the results collected after impact test.
 Specimen Average Impact Strength (KJ/m2) Average Absorbed Energy (J)
Water quenching 79.89 9.07
Oil quenching 72.52 8.70
Air cooling 61.33 6.23
Furnace cooling 63.27 50

Table 3 showing impact strength and absorbed energy samples

Average impact strength and absorbed Energy

Average Impact Strength (KJJm2 Average Absorbed Energy (J)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Water quenching Oil quenching Air cooling Furnace cooling

Graph 1 showing Average impact strength and absorbed Energy

SCRATCH HARDNESS TEST

The equation below was used to convert average scratch widths to average scratch hardness
number.
8P
HSP=
πW 2
Where HSP:scratch hardness
P=Normal force (Pa)
W=scratch with (m)

SCRATCH HARDNESS NUMBER (Gpa)

Water quenching Air Cooling Oil quenching Furnace Cooling
327.1 341.7 457.1 382.6
Table 4 showing the collected results for Scratch Test
 Scratch Hardness Test
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1

Water quenching Air Cooling Oil quenching Furnace Cooling

Graph 2 showing Scratch Hardness Test

Microstructures of the specimens

CONCLUSION
It was observed that Water quenching rapid cooling process can produce high strength
aluminium with much lower alloying elements due to its great cooling speed.Oil quenching
serves two primary functions. It facilitates hardening of steel by controlling heat transfer
during quenching, and it enhances wetting of steel during quenching to minimize the
formation of undesirable thermal and transformational gradients which may lead to
increased distortion and cracking.Since normalized metals are air-cooled, the mass of the
metal is a key determinant of the cooling rate and resulting part's level of hardness. During
normalizing, thinner pieces will cool faster in the air and become harder than thicker pieces.
References
https://www.gwcast.com/. (2021, december 8). Retrieved from https://www.gwcast.com/the-
basics-of-the-sand-casting-process
Hendronursito, Y., Birawidha, D., Isnugroho, K., Bahfie, F., Persatika, W. and Sapriyadi, S.,
2019. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LAMPUNG LOCAL SAND AS CASTING SAND IN
THE METAL CASTING PROCESS. Jurnal Dinamika Penelitian Industri, 30(1), p.10.
Olsen, D., 2021. Sand Casting. [Blog] Metaltek, Available at:
<https://www.metaltek.com/blog/what-is-sand-casting/> [Accessed 9 December 2021].
Paul, D., 2021. Sand casting - Wikipedia. [online] En.wikipedia.org. Available at:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_casting> [Accessed 9 December 2021].
Harrison, H., 2021. Aluminium Heat Treatment UK | Harrison Castings Ltd. [online] Harrison
Castings. Available at: <https://www.harrisoncastings.com/capabilities/casting-heat-treatment/>
[Accessed 9 December 2021].
dean, J., 2021. The Benefits of Heat Treatment | Dean Group. [online] Dean Group International.
Available at: <https://www.deangroup-int.co.uk/the-benefits-of-heat-treatment/> [Accessed 9
December 2021].

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