Metal Casting: Design,

Materials, & Economics

Chapter 12
 Design Considerations

• Developed over many years

– Established though practical experience
– Analytical methods
– Process modeling
– CAD
– Manufacturing techniques

• Improving productivity

• Cost savings
 Design for expandable-Mold Casting
• Corners, angles, and section thickness
• Flat areas
• Shrinkage
• Parting line
• Draft
• Dimensional tolerances
• Machining allowance
• Residual stresses
Casting design modifications

Fig : Suggested design

modifications to avoid
defects in castings.
Note that sharp corners
are avoided to reduce
stress concentrations.
 Design for expandable-Mold Casting Con’t

Fig : Examples of designs showing the importance of maintaining uniform cross-sections

in castings to avoid hot spots and shrinkage cavities
 Avoiding shrinkage cavities

Fig : Examples of design modifications to avoid shrinkage cavities in castings.

Chills

Fig : The use of metal

padding (chills) to
increase the rate of
cooling in thick regions
in a casting to avoid
shrinkage cavities.
Normal Shrinkage Allowance for some Metals Cast in
Sand Molds

Metal Percent
Grey Cast Iron 0.83 – 1.3
White Cast Iron 2.1
Malleable cast Iron 0.78 – 1.0
Aluminum alloys 1.3
Magnesium alloys 1.3
Yellow Brass 1.3 – 1.6
Phosphor bronze 1.0 – 1.6
Aluminum bronze 2.1
High-manganese steel 2.6
Solidification Contraction of various Cast
Metals
Parting Line

Fig : Redesign of a casting by

making the parting line
straight to avoid defects.
 Casting Design Modifications

Special consideration
– Draft angle
– Galling

• Eamples of casting design

modifications.
 Desirable and Undesirable Die-Casting Practices

Examples of undesirable and

desirable design practices for
die-cast parts. Note that
section-thickness uniformity is
maintained throughout the
part.
 Nonferrous Casting Alloys

• Aluminum-based alloys

• Magnesium-based alloys

• Copper-based alloys

• Zinc-based alloys

• High-temperature alloys
 Ferrous Casting Alloys

• Cast Irons
– Gray cast iron
– Ductile iron
– White cast iron
– Malleable iron
– Compacted graphite iron

• Cast steels

• Cast stainless steels

 The Economics of Castings
• Casting Processes
– Some involve more labor than others
– Some take a more time than others
– Some more time to produce
• Cost of a product
– Materials
– Labor
– Tooling
– Equipment
• Cost of casting process
– Sand casting – little cost
– Die-casting
• Materials
• Machining
• Preparation
– Melting and pouring of molten metal
• Cost for furnaces
• Related machinery
• Cost of finishing the casting
– Heat treating
– Cleaning
– Inspecting
THE END