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Casting Defects Final
Casting Defects Final
Content
Introduction
Classification of defect in casting/common causes of casting defects
Dimensional Inaccuracies or Dimensional errors in casting
Distortion
Surface roughnessSurface irregularities
Nodules
Fins
Ridges/Veins on casting surface
Discoloured castings
Pits(Inclusion porosity)
Incomplete casting
Porosity
Review of literature
Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
An unsuccessful casting results in considerable trouble and loss of time. These can be avoided by strict
observance of procedures governed by certain fundamental rules and principles. Seldom is a defect in a casting
is attributable to factors other than the carelessness or ignorance of the operator. With present techniques,
casting failures should be the exception, not the rule.
DEFENITIONS
1casting : something that has been cast in a mold; an object formed by the
solidification of a fluid that has been cast into a refractory mold
2casting : the action of pouring or injecting a flowable material into a refractory mold;
comp, VACUUM CASTING
Classification of defect in casting/common
causes of casting defects.
Classification
According to Anusavice
According to Anusavice
Distortion
Surface roughness and irregularities
Porosity
Incomplete or missing details
Based on location
Internal
external
According to Rosensteil
According to Rosensteil
Roughness
Nodules
Fins
Incompleteness
Voids or porosity
Marginal discrepancy
Dimensional inaccuracies
Fin
s Rough casting
inadequate or
excessive
expansion.
According to O’Brien
General Problems with Problems
problems internal porosity external
with
porosity
accuracy localized shrinkage porosity back pressure
porosity
distortio subsurface porosity
n
micro porosity
bubbles
fins
short rounded
margins miscasting's
pits
Distortion
Causes:
Can occur from the time of pattern preparation to the time of
investing due to stress relaxation.
Distortion of the wax pattern occurs during the investment
procedure.
Minimized by:
Surface roughness
Defined as relatively finely spaced surface imperfections whose
height, width and direction establish the predominant surface
pattern.
Surface irregularities
Isolated imperfections such as nodules that are not characteristic of
the entire surface area
REASONS FOR SURFACE ROUGHNESS
• Improper finishing of wax pattern
• Improper water powder ratio
• Excess surfactant
• Direct wax pattern
• Raid heating rates
• Underheating
• Too high pressure during casting
• Composition of investment
• Carbon inclusions
• Impact of molten alloy
• Pattern position
LIQUID/POWDER RATIO
The amount of water and investment should be measured
accurately.
TO AVOID
Use the correct W/P ratio according to manufacturer’s
instructions
RAPID HEATING
Due to the flaking of the investment when water or steam pours into the mold
A surge of steam or water may carry certain salts into the mold that are left
behind in the walls as the water evaporates
TO AVOID
The mold should be heated gradually;atleastb60 min should elapse during the
heating of the investment filled ring from room temperature to 700 deg cel.
UNDERHEATING
Incomplete elimination of wax residues may occur if the heating time is too
short or if insufficient air is available in the furnace.
Voids or porosity may occur in the casting from the gases formed when the hot
alloy comes in contact with the carbon residues.
Too high a pressure during casting can produce a rough surface on the casting
TO AVOID
a gauge pressure of 0.10 to 0.14 MPa in an air pressure casting machine (or)
The ratio of the binder to the quartz influences the surface texture of the casting.
Direction of sprue former molten gold alloy does not strike a weak portion
of the mold surface.
Molten alloy may fracture or abrade the mold surface on impact, regardless of its
bulk.
TO AVOID
Proper Spruing To prevent the impact of molten metal at an angle of 90 degrees to
investment surface.
PATTERN POSITION
If several patterns are invested in the same ring, it causes breakdown
or cracking of the investment if the spacing between the patterns
are less than 3mm.
TO AVOID
Do not place several patterns too close together if invested in the
same ring
May lead to the formation of carbides or even create visible carbon inclusions
Control of surface roughness
Wetting agent be applied
in thin layer
Before starting to invest a direct wax pattern taken from
the mouth it should be washed in
water
Mold should be heated gradually, at least 60
min should elapse during the heating of the
investment filled ring from room temperature
to 700ºC.
A gauge pressure of 0.10 to 0.14 MPa in air pressure casting machine or 3 to 4 turns of
the spring in an average type of centrifugal casting machine is sufficient for small
casting.
Surface irregularities
Air bubbles:
Small nodules on the casting
Prevented By:
Proper investment technique
Vibration of mix or by vacuum mixing
Application of wetting agent properly and correctly – important that it be
applied in a thin layer.
Water films:
•If the Investment becomes separated from the wax pattern, a water
film may form irregularly over the surface.
•Appears as minute ridges or veins on the surface.
Prevented By:
1.Use of wetting agent
2.Correct L/P ratio (Too high L/P ratio may produce these
irregularities)
Rapid Heating Rates
Causes:
Fins or spines
Flaking of the investment
Prevented by:
Heat gradually at least 60min from room temperature to 700°c.
Greater the bulk – more slowly heated.
Under heating
Incomplete elimination of wax residues.
Bubbles of gases trapped between the wax
pattern and the investment produce
nodules on the casting surface.
Large nodule- Air trapped during
investing
Multiple nodules – Inadequate vacum during mixing
Improper brush technique
Lack of surfactant.
Positive bubble –external part of the casting Positive bubble-margins and internal
portion of the casting
AIR ENTRAPMENT
Water Films
• Wax is repellent to water; if the investment becomes separated
from the wax pattern in some manner, a water film may form
irregularly over the surface.
Liquid/Powder Ratio
The amount of water and powder measure should be accurate.
Casting pressure
Too high pressure – rough surface of the casting
Too low pressure – incomplete casting
Average – 0.01 to 0.14 Mpa and 3 to 4 turns of the spring.
Foreign Bodies
• When foreign substances get into the mold a surface
roughness may be produced.
Pattern position
Should not place too close together
Should not place many patterns in same plane
• Any casting that shows sharp, well-defined deficiencies indicates the presence of
some foreign particles in the mold, such as pieces of investment and bits of carbon
from a flux.
• Bright-appearing concavities may be the result of flux being carried into the mould
with the metal.
Impact of metal alloy
Cause:
The direct impact of molten alloy may fracture or abrade the mold surface
regardless of its bulk.
Prevented by:
This type of surface roughness or irregularities can be avoided by proper spruing.
Carbon inclusions
Carbon from- carbon crucible, carbon containing investment – absorbed by the
alloys during casting results in formation of carbides or visible carbon inclusion.
Surface irregularities on an experimental casting caused by air bubbles (A),water film (B),
and inclusion of foreign bodies(C).
Fin
Prolonged heating- s Cracks in the investment
that radiate out from the
surface of the pattern.
Gradual heating of the mold- atleast 60 min should elapse during the heating of
the investment filled ring from room temperature to 700º C.
I. Solidification defects
• A. Localized shrinkage porosity
• B. Microporosity
• These small chill set sprues ensure that solidification begins within the
sprues, and they act as cooling pins to carry heat away from the
pontic.
Microporosity
• This type of porosity defect can be eliminated by flaring the point of sprue attachment and
reducing the mold-melt temperature differential—that is, lowering the casting temperature by
about 30 °C.
Subsurface porosity
cause
d
Can be diminished by controlling the rate at which the molten metal enters the
mold.
Back pressure porosity
• Prabhu et al did a study on to evaluate “Sprue design alterations and its effect on the
properties of base metal alloy castings: An in vitro study.”
• To study the effect of various sprue designs on the properties of base metal alloy castings.
The base metal alloys are extensively used for their excellent properties such as an increase
in hardness, high melting range, high elastic modulus, its compatibility with ceramic
material and low cost.
• However, to improve the properties of the base metal alloys is leading to various
modifications in their fabrication procedure – which include sprue designs and their mode
of attachment to the wax pattern.
• Study compared the effect of three sprue designs on the properties of mass and micro-hardness
of base metal alloy castings. viz.
1. Conical sprue,
2. Cylindrical sprue and
3. Bottleneck sprue
• A prefabricated wax mesh pattern was selected for the fabrication of the alloy test samples in
the
study.
• The cylindrical sprue design was connected to the mesh pattern with a straight attachment.
• The bottleneck sprue design was connected to the mesh pattern with a constricted attachment.
• The conical sprue design was connected to the mesh pattern with a flared attachment.
• In this manner, ten samples for each of the three different sprue designs were prepared.
• Results:
The obtained value for mass and microhardness were subjected to statistical analysis.
ANOVA test was performed to determine the difference between the sprue designs.
• Conclusion:
The bottleneck sprue, conical sprue, and cylindrical sprue designs did not exert any apparent
influence on the mass and microhardness.
Earnshaw R. The effect of casting ring liners on the potential expansion of a
gypsum-bonded investment. Journal of dental research. 2010
Nov;67(11):1366- 70.
• Earnshaw R. did a study to determine “The effect of casting ring liners on the potential
expansion of a gypsum-bonded investment”
• A study was conducted on cellulose paper, ceramic paper and asbestos paper of the effects
on the setting and subsequent thermal expansion of a gypsum-bonded cristobalite casting
investment.
• Thermal expansion measurements were made on the same specimens that were produced
during the setting expansion tests.
• Control specimens setting against a smooth dry surface showed a total expansion of 1. 7%.
Specimens setting against dry ceramic liners had similar total expansions, in the range 1. 6
to 1. 7%.
• Specimens setting against either of the wet lining materials showed an increased total
expansion (in the range 2.2 to 2.3%), by virtue mainly of a large increase in setting
expansion.
• Dry asbestos and dry cellulose liners gave higher expansions than pre-wetted ones, since
they abstracted water from the mix, reducing its effective W/P ratio (giving a thicker mix),
and then functioned as wet liners.
• These results suggest that, at least as far as potential investment expansion is concerned, wet
cellulose liners have an effect similar to that of the traditional wet asbestos liners.
• Dry ceramic liners give a much lower investment expansion, and when these liners are used,
an investment with an increased measured expansion could be an advantage.
Baskaran BE, Prabhu KG, Prabhu R, Krishna GP, Eswaran MA, Gajapathi B.
Casting made simple using modified sprue design: An in vitro study. Indian
Journal of Dental Research. 2014 May 1;25(3):340.
• Baskaran et al did a study on “Casting made simple using modified sprue design: An in vitro
study”.
• Regardless of the alloy used for casting, the casting technique should yield a casted alloy,
whichshould possess sufficient mass, surface hardness and minimal porosity after casting.
• Twenty patterns for casting were made from three-dimensional printed resin pattern
simulating a 3 unit FPD and casted using modified sprue technique.
• Later test samples were cemented sequentially on stainless steel model using pressure
indicating paste and evaluated for vertical marginal gap in eight predetermined reference
areas.
• Marginal gap were measured in microns using Video Measuring System. A portion of the
axial wall of the cast abutments depicting premolar and molar were sectioned and embedded
in acrylic resin and tested for micro hardness and porosity.
• The results obtained for marginal gap, micro hardness, and porosity of all test samples were
tabulated, descriptive statistics were calculated and the values were found to be within the
clinically acceptable range.
• Thus new sprue technique can be an alternative and convenient method for casting which
would minimize metal wasting and less time consuming.
CONCLUSION
– Craig
Fixed prosthodontics – Rosenstiel
The Journal of prosthetic dentistry. 2010 Jul 1;84(1):27 31.