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PNC2 - Casting I

The document discusses casting processes and provides details about sand casting. Some key points: - Casting involves pouring liquid material into a mold to solidify into the desired shape. Common metals cast include iron, steel, aluminum and others. - Sand casting uses sand as the mold material, which is mixed with other materials. Patterns are used to form molds, which must be at least two pieces to remove patterns. - Factors in casting include having a suitable mold, melting method, pouring technique, preventing cracks from shrinkage, and removing the casting from the mold.

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62 views6 pages

PNC2 - Casting I

The document discusses casting processes and provides details about sand casting. Some key points: - Casting involves pouring liquid material into a mold to solidify into the desired shape. Common metals cast include iron, steel, aluminum and others. - Sand casting uses sand as the mold material, which is mixed with other materials. Patterns are used to form molds, which must be at least two pieces to remove patterns. - Factors in casting include having a suitable mold, melting method, pouring technique, preventing cracks from shrinkage, and removing the casting from the mold.

Uploaded by

Alp
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MECH202 – Manufacturing Technologies Professor’s Notes

Casting Processes - I

Basically, casting consists of pouring a liquid or molten material into a previously prepared
cavity, or mold, and permitting it to solidify and thereby obtaining the desired shape. Some
important properties of casting are as follows:

 Single step process


 Some nonmetals can be cast, but important for metals
 Iron, steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, magnesium, certain zinc alloys are the metals
frequently used for casting
 A wide variety of sizes can be produced (less than 1 mm to more than 10 m)

Basic Factors in Casting Processes


1. A mold cavity having the desired shape and size should be produced.
2. A suitable means must be available for melting the metal that is to be cast.
3. A proper way to pour the metal into the mold.
4. Mold should not restrict shrinkage due to cooling. Otherwise, cracks occur in the
casting.
5. It must be possible to remove the casting from the mold.
6. After removal, finishing operations may need to be performed to remove
extraneous material that is attached to the casting.
Sand Casting
Some important properties of sand casting are as follows.

 Sand is used as the mold material

Casting - I
MECH202 – Manufacturing Technologies Professor’s Notes

 Sand grains are mixed with small amounts of other materials to improve
moldability and cohesive strength
 Patterns are used to prepare the molds
 In order to remove the pattern, the mold should be made at least in two
pieces
 A new mold is prepared for each casting
 An opening, called sprue hole, is provided from the top of the mold through the
sand and connected to the mold cavity through a system of channels, c alled
runners. An opening called gate controls the rate of flow of molten material into
the mold cavity. The riser provides a reservoir of molten material which,
because of its mass, remains molten until the adjacent portions of the casting
have solidified and thus can feed the necessary material during shrinkage. Most
risers are open risers, and open to the atmosphere; but blind risers, which are
enclosed within the mold are also used.
Patterns
Pattern is the duplicate of the part that is to be cast, but it should be modified to take the
allowances into consideration. The most commonly used pattern materials are, wood,
aluminum, magnesium and certain hard plastics.

Modifications that must be incorporated into a pattern are called allowances. Pattern
allowances are given below.

1. Shrinkage allowance
Pattern should be made slightly larger than the desired casting to compensate for
shrinkage during solidification and cooling.

Casting - I
MECH202 – Manufacturing Technologies Professor’s Notes

2. Draft (taper) allowance


Tapers are necessary to facilitate pattern's withdrawal. Otherwise, sand particles may
be broken away from the mold due to the friction between the pattern and the mold.
Pattern is made larger

3. Finish allowance
Required if a better surface is going to be obtained by
machining. Pattern is made larger

4. Distortion allowance
5. Rap (shake) allowance
To facilitate removal, pattern is shaked, which enlarges the
mold. Pattern is made smaller

Sand Properties, Sand Conditioning and Control


Casting sand is made by compounding ordinary silica (SiO2), zircon, or olivine (forsterite
and fayalite) with additives, in order to meet the following requirements.
1. Refractoriness: The ability to withstand high temperatures. Basic nature of sand.
2. Cohesiveness: The ability to retain a given shape when packed in a mold. Grains
are coated with clays.
3. Permeability: The ability to permit gases to escape through it. Depends on sizes of
sand grains, size distribution and moisture content.
4. Collapsibility: The ability to permit the metal to shrink after it solidifies.
Organic materials are added that burn out when exposed to the hot metal.

Casting - I
MECH202 – Manufacturing Technologies Professor’s Notes

Standard tests and procedures have been developed to maintain consistent sand quality
by evaluating grain size, moisture content, clay content, mold hardness, permeability
and strength, periodically.

The Making of Sand Molds

Except in very small foundries or when only a very few castings of a given design are
to be made, virtually all sand molds are made with the use of various types of molding
machines. Some advantages and properties of molding machines are given below.
 Castings with better dimensional accuracy and consistency are
obtained
 Labor is reduced, necessity for skilled workers is decreased
 Molding machines are generally jolt and squeeze type
 Match-plate patterns are used with molding machines

For large castings, sands linger is used which impels the sand into the mold with high
velocity in order to pack it to the desired hardness. Extra tamping is done by a
pneumatic rammer.

Very large molds usually are made in pits in the floor. Such molds are called pit-type
molds.

Shell Molding
Important advantages and properties of shell molding are given below.
 Better surface finish
 Better dimensional accuracy

Casting - I
MECH202 – Manufacturing Technologies Professor’s Notes

 Low labor cost


 Low machining cost
 High productivity
 But, requires expensive machines
Steps of shell molding are as follows
1. Mix-sand and thermosetting plastic binder and dump onto 150-230° C metal
pattern and allow to stand for a few minutes. Cures a layer.
2. Invert the pattern and sand to let uncured sand drop off, and have a layer of partially
cured material adhering to the pattern.
3. Put these in an oven for a few minutes to complete curing of the shell.
4. Strip the hardened shell from the pattern.
5. Glue or clamp the shells together to have a complete mold.
6. Place the mold in a pouring jacket and back it up with shot or sand to provide extra
support during pouring.

The Full-Mold Process


 Useful for complex castings when pattern withdrawal is not easy or
pattern cost is high
 Useful for a single casting or a few castings
 The pattern is made of foamed (expanded) polystyrene, which remains in the
mold during pouring. When the molten metal is poured, the heat vaporizes the
pattern almost instantaneously

Casting - I
MECH202 – Manufacturing Technologies Professor’s Notes

 When compared to wood, foamed (expanded) polystyrene is relatively


inexpensive and light; can easily be cut and glued to obtain the desired
workpiece geometry, sprue, runner, riser, etc.,
 Since the pattern is not withdrawn, no draft allowance is required

Cores

 Cores are used to obtain hollow or reentrant sections in castings


 Sections of sand, which protrude into the hole in the pattern are called cores

Types of Cores Used in Sand Casting

1. Green-sand cores
Those formed by the pattern and made of the same sand as the rest of the mold.
They are desirable, but weak.
2. Dry-sand cores
Made by mixing the sand with some kind of binding material and packing it into
a core box that contains a cavity of the desired shape.

 When dry-sand cores are used, it usually is necessary to provide recesses in


the mold into which the ends of the cores can be placed to provide support
and/or to hold them in position. These recesses are known as core prints.
 In cases where the design of the casting does not permit the core to be
supported from the sides of the mold, the core can be supported, and can be
prevented from being moved or floated by the molten metal, by means of
small, metal supports called chaplets.

Casting - I

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