CHAPTER THREE

TECHNOLOGY OF MOULDING AND

CORE MAKING
 Mould
• Suitable and workable material possessing high refractoriness in nature material can
be metallic or non-metallic
• For metallic category, the common materials are cast iron, mild steel and alloy steels.
• Non-metallic group molding sands, plaster of paris, graphite, silicon carbide and
ceramics.
• Molding sand is the most common utilized non-metallic molding material because of
its certain inherent properties namely,
Refractoriness
 Chemical and thermal stability at higher temperature,
High permeability
Workability along with good strength.
 Highly cheap and easily available.
• Mould is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid like
plastic, glass, metal, or ceramic raw materials .
• The liquid hardens or sets inside the mould, adopting its shape.
• A mould is the counterpart to a cast.
• Mould or Mould cavity contains molten metal and is essentially a
negative of the final product.
• Mould is obtained by pattern in moulding material (sand).
• Mould material should posses refractory characteristics and withstand
the pouring temperature.
• Types of moulding:
1.Hand moulding- are used for odd castings generally less than 50 no.
and ramming is done by hands which takes more time.
2.Machine moulding- are used for simple castings to be produced in
large numbers. Ramming is done by machine so require less time.
3.Bench moulding- moulding is done on a bench of convenient height
to the moulder and is used for small castings.
4.Floor moulding-moulding is done on the foundry floor and is used
for all medium and large castings.
5.Pit moulding- moulding is done in a pit which act as drag and is used
for very large castings.
• Types of Moulds
• Basically moulds are two types:
1.Expendable moulds- are made of sand and is used for single casting
which break upon solidification.
2.Permanent moulds- are made of metal or graphite (costly) and used
repeatedly for large number of castings which do not break upon
solidification.

Open Mould Close Mould

Types of molding sand
• Natural Molding sand:
• known as green sand having appreciable amount of clay which acts as
a binder between sand grains obtained by crushing and milling of soft
yellow sand stone, carboniferrous etc.
• Ease of availability
• Low cost
• High flexibility
• Mostly used for ferrous and non ferrous metal casting
• Synthetic sand
• known as silica sand not having binder(clay) in natural form desired strength
and properties developed by separate addition of binder like bentonite, water and
other materials.
• More expensive than natural sand
• Special sands
• Zicron-cores of brass and bronze casting
• Olivine-for non ferrous casting
• Chromite-for heavy steel casting
• Chrome-magnesite-used as facing materials in steel casting.
 Types of moulding sand (According to use)
• Green sand
• Green sand is also known as tempered or natural sand
• mixture of silica sand with 18 to 30 percent clay, having moisture content
from 6 to 8%.
• The clay and water furnish the bond for green sand. It is fine, soft, light, and
porous.
• Green sand is damp, when squeezed in the hand and it retains the shape and
the impression to give to it under pressure.
• Molds prepared by this sand are not requiring backing and hence are known
as green sand molds.
• Dry sand
• Green sand that has been dried or baked in suitable oven after the making
mold and cores, is called dry sand.
• more strength
• rigidity
• thermal stability
• mainly suitable for larger castings.
• mold prepared in this sand are known as dry sand molds.
• Loam sand
• Loam is mixture of sand and clay with water to a thin plastic paste.
• sand possesses high clay as much as 30-50% and 18% water.
• Patterns are not used for loam molding and shape is given to mold by sweeps.
• particularly employed for loam molding used for large grey iron castings.
• This sand is used for loam sand moulds for making very heavy castings
usually with the help of sweeps and skeleton patterns.
Facing sand
• High strength refractoriness.
• Made of silica sand and clay, without the use of used sand.
• Different forms of carbon are used to prevent the metal burning into the sand.
• A facing sand mixture for green sand of cast iron may consist of 25% fresh
and specially prepared and 5% sea coal.
• sometimes mixed with 6-15 times as much fine molding sand to make
facings.
• The layer of facing sand in a mold usually ranges from 22-28 mm.
From 10 to 15% of the whole amount of molding sand is the facing sand
System sand
• In mechanized foundries where machine molding is employed.
• A so-called system sand is used to fill the whole molding flask.
• The used sand is cleaned and re-activated by the addition of water and
special additives. This is known as system sand.
• Since the whole mold is made of this system sand, the properties such
as strength, permeability and refractoriness of the molding sand must be
higher than those of backing sand.
• Parting sand
• Without binder and moisture to keep the green sand not to stick
to the pattern
• To allow the sand on the parting surface the cope and drag to separate
without clinging.
• This is clean clay-free silica sand which serves the same purpose as
parting dust.
• Core sand
• is used for making cores and it is sometimes also known as oil sand.
• This is highly rich silica sand mixed with oil binders such as core oil
which composed of linseed oil, resin,
• light mineral oil and other bind materials.
• Pitch or flours and water may also be used in large cores for the sake
of economy
• Properties of Moulding Sand
• Refractoriness
• Refractoriness is defined as the ability of molding sand to withstand high
temperatures without breaking down or fusing thus facilitating to get sound
casting.
• Poor refractoriness burn on to the casting surface and no smooth casting
surface can be obtained.
• Degree of refractoriness depends on the SiO2 i.e. quartz content, and the
shape and grain size of the particle.
• Higher the SiO2 content higher is the refractoriness of the molding
• Permeability
• It is also termed as porosity of the molding sand in order to allow the escape
of any air, gases or moisture present or generated in the mould when the
molten metal is poured into it.
• All these gaseous generated during pouring and solidification process must
escape otherwise the casting becomes defective.
• Permeability is a function of grain size, grain shape, and moisture and clay
contents in the molding sand.
• The extent of ramming of the sand directly affects the permeability
• Cohesiveness
• It is property by virtue of which the sand grain particles interact and attract
each other within the molding sand.
• Thus, the binding capability of the molding sand gets enhanced to increase
the green, dry and hot strength property of molding and core sand.
• Green strength
• By virtue of this property, the pattern can be taken out from the mould without
breaking the mould and also the erosion of mould wall surfaces does not occur
during the flow of molten metal.
• The green sand after water has been mixed into it, must have sufficient strength
and toughness to permit the making and handling of the mould.
• For this, the sand grains must be adhesive, i.e. they must be capable of attaching
themselves to another body and therefore, and sand grains having high
adhesiveness will cling to the sides of the molding box.
• Dry strength
• As soon as the molten metal is poured into the mould, the moisture in the sand
layer adjacent to the hot metal gets evaporated and this dry sand layer must have
sufficient strength to its shape in order to avoid erosion of mould wall during the
flow of molten metal.
• The dry strength also prevents the enlargement of mould cavity cause by the
pressure of the liquid metal.
• Strength of the moulding sand depends on:
1. Grain size and shape
2. Moisture content
3. Density of sand after ramming
•· The strength of the mould increases with a decrease of grain size and an
increase of clay content and density after ramming.
• The strength also goes down if moisture content is higher than an optimum
value.
• Flow ability or plasticity
• It is the ability of the sand to get compacted and behave like a fluid.
• It will flow uniformly to all portions of pattern when rammed and distribute the
ramming pressure evenly all around in all directions.
• Generally sand particles resist moving around corners or projections.
• In general, flow ability increases with decrease in green strength, and decrease in
grain size.
• The flow ability also varies with moisture and clay content.
• Adhesiveness
• It is the important property of the moulding sand and it is defined as
the sand particles must be capable of adhering to another body, then
only the sand should be easily attach itself with the sides of the
moulding box and give easy of lifting and turning the box when filled
with the stand.
• STEPS INVOLVED IN MAKING A SAND MOLD
• Initially a suitable size of molding box for creating suitable wall
thickness is selected for a two piece pattern. Sufficient care should also
be taken in such that sense that the molding box must adjust mold
cavity, riser and the gating system (sprue, runner and gates etc.).
2. Next, place the drag portion of the pattern with the parting surface
down on the bottom (ram-up) board as shown in Fig. 12.6 (a).
3. The facing sand is then sprinkled carefully all around the pattern so
that the pattern does not stick with molding sand during withdrawn of
the pattern.
4. The drag is then filled with loose prepared molding sand and
ramming of the molding sand is done uniformly in the molding box
around the pattern. Fill the molding sand once again and then perform
ramming. Repeat the process three four
times,
5. The excess amount of sand is then removed using strike off bar to bring
molding
•sand at the same level of the molding flask height to completes the drag.
6. The drag is then rolled over and the parting sand is sprinkled over on the
top of the drag
7. Now the cope pattern is placed on the drag pattern and alignment is done
using dowel pins.
8. Then cope (flask) is placed over the rammed drag and the parting sand is
sprinkled all around the cope pattern.
• Sprue and riser pins are placed in vertically position at suitable locations
using support of molding sand. It will help to form suitable sized cavities for
pouring • molten metal etc. [Fig. (c)].
10. The gaggers in the cope are set at suitable locations if necessary. They
should not be located too close to the pattern or mold cavity otherwise they
11. Strike off the excess sand from the top of the cope.
12. Remove sprue and riser pins and create vent holes in the cope with a vent
wire.
• The basic purpose of vent creating vent holes in cope is to permit the escape of
gases generated during pouring and solidification of the casting.
13. Sprinkle parting sand over the top of the cope surface and roll over the cope on
the bottom board.
14. Rap and remove both the cope and drag patterns and repair the mold suitably
if needed and dressing is applied
15. The gate is then cut connecting the lower base of sprue basin with runner and
then the mold cavity.
16. Apply mold coating with a swab and bake the mold in case of a dry sand mold.
17. Set the cores in the mold, if needed and close the mold by inverting cope over
drag.
18. The cope is then clamped with drag and the mold is ready for pouring
 Core Making Process For Casting
• A core is a device used in casting process to produce internal cavities and reentrant
angles (an interior angle that is greater than 180°).
• The core is normally a disposable item that is destroyed to get it out of the casted
product.
• They are most commonly used in sand casting, die casting and injection moulding.
• Cores are compact mass of core sand (special kind of molding sand ) prepared
separately that when placed in mould cavity at required location with proper
alignment does not allow the molten metal to occupy space for solidification in that
portion and hence help to produce hollowness in the casting.
• The environment in which the core is placed is much different from that of the mold.
In fact the core has to withstand the severe action of hot metal which completely
surrounds it.
• They may be of the type of green sand core and dry sand core.
• Therefore the core must meet the following functions or objectives which are given as
under.
Characteristics of Core Making:
• Sufficient strength before hardening.
• Sufficient hardness and strength after hardening.
• Smooth surface.
• Minimum generation of gases.
• Adequate permeability.
• Adequate refractoriness.