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7 Solidification, Casting Defects.

The document discusses common defects that can occur during metal solidification including shrinkage, porosity, and segregation of impurities. Shrinkage can lead to shrinkage cavities and piping as the solid metal occupies less space than the liquid. Piping includes primary pipe forming in the top of the ingot and secondary pipe from trapped liquid. Porosity is caused by gases becoming trapped during solidification. Finally, impurities tend to segregate and concentrate in the last areas of the ingot to solidify such as the central pipe.

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Ahmad Abd
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324 views5 pages

7 Solidification, Casting Defects.

The document discusses common defects that can occur during metal solidification including shrinkage, porosity, and segregation of impurities. Shrinkage can lead to shrinkage cavities and piping as the solid metal occupies less space than the liquid. Piping includes primary pipe forming in the top of the ingot and secondary pipe from trapped liquid. Porosity is caused by gases becoming trapped during solidification. Finally, impurities tend to segregate and concentrate in the last areas of the ingot to solidify such as the central pipe.

Uploaded by

Ahmad Abd
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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04. Solidification: castings defects.

When the temperature of a molten pure metal falls to its freezing point,
crystallisation will begin. The nucleus of each crystal will be a single unit cell of
the appropriate crystal lattice.

For example, in the case of a metal with a body-centered cubic lattice, nine
atoms will come together to form a single unit, and this will grow as further atoms
join the lattice structure.

The tiny crystal will reach visible size, and form what is called a “ dendrite “.

(a) Small crystallite nuclei. (b) Growth of the crystallites;


the obstruction of some grains
that are adjacent to one
another is also shown.

(c) Upon completion of


solidification, grains having (d) The grain structure as it
irregular shapes have formed. would appear under the
microscope; dark lines are the
grain boundaries.
Casting defects (macro-defects):

The preceding section discussed defects on an atomic scale that arise from
solidification.

Other defects that may result from solidification are large enough to be visible to
the naked eye. These are known as macrodefects.

The most common macrodefects are:

1. Shrinkage.

a. Shrinkage cavities.

b. Primary pipe.

c. Secondary pipe.

2. Porosity.

3. Segregation of impurities.

1. Shrinkage.

Solid metals occupy less space than they do as liquids and shrinkage takes place
during solidification as a result of this decrease in volume:

a. Shrinkage cavities.

If the mould is of a design such that isolated pockets of liquid remain when the
outside surface of the casting is solid, shrinkage cavities will form.
b. Primary pipe.

The metal which is adjacent to the mould surface solidifies almost


immediately, and as it does so it shrinks. This causes the level of the remaining
metal to fall slightly.And as further solidification takes place the process is
repeated, the level of the remaining liquid falling still further.

This sequence of events continues to be repeated until the metal is completely solid
and a conical cavity or “primary pipe” remains in the top portion of the ingot.

Primary pipe. Primary pipe and different types of crystals.

c. Secondary pipe.

Would be formed due to the shrinkage of trapped molten metal when it solidifies.

The influence of the shape of the mould on the extent of piping in a steel ingot.
2. Porosity:

or blowholes occur whenever gases are trapped in the casting. They


are usually more numerous and smaller than shrinkage cavities and may be
distinguished by their rounded form.

Microscopic image of gas hole casting defect

Shrinkage cavities in cast metals Porosity in cast metals is usually


tend to follow the shape of the of rounded shape and occurs at
dendritic arms and occur at the almost any point in the structure.
crystal boundries.
3. Segregation of impurities:

There is a tendency for dissolved impurities to remain in that portion of


the metal which solidifies last. As the columnar crystals begins to grow inwards,

they will push in front of them some of the impurities which were dissolved in the
molten metal.

In this way there is a tendency for much of the impurities in the original melt to
become concentrated in the central pipe.

If a vertical section of an ingot is polished and etched, these impurities show as V-


shaped markings in the area of the pipe as shown in figure below:

The segregation of impurities in the central 'pipe' of an ingot.

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