A

Micro-Project Report

on

PREPARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF

PATTERN,CORE,CORE BOX WITH SUITABLE
MATERIALS.

Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of

the Diploma in

Mechanical Engineering
By

Das Pavan Mahesh ( Roll No 66 )

Singh Deepak Kumar Manoj ( Roll No 56 )
Yadav Ravindra Shivram ( Roll No 60 )

the Guidance of
Mr. Roshan C Vani

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Smt. Geeta D. Tatkare Polytechnic, Gove-Kolad, Raigad

2023-2024
 Abstract

A core is a device used in casting and moulding processes 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 piece.[1] They are most commonly used in sand casting, but are also used in die casting
and injection moulding.

For example, cores define multiple passages inside cast engine blocks. One model of GM V-8 engine
requires 5 dry-sand cores for every casting.

INTRODUCTION
Casting is the process of producing metal/ alloy component parts of desired shapes by pouring the molten
metal / alloy into a prepared mold (of that shape) and then allowing the metal/alloy to cool and solidify. The
solidified piece of metal/alloy is known as casting. Casting is the basic process in industry, so we never
skip it from industry [1]. To enhance the casting process, we must need to improve the quality of sand and
sand muller improves this quality.A core is essentially a body of materials which forms components
of the mold. It possesses sufficient strength to be handled as an independent unit.Core is an obstruction
which when positioned in the mold, naturally does not permit the molten metal to fill up the space occupied
by the core. In this way a core produces hollow casting. Cores are required to create the recesses,
undercuts and interior cavities that are often apart of castings. Cores are employed as inserts in mould to
form design features that are otherwise extremely difficult to produce by simple moulding [2]. The dry silica
sand is used as a basic refractory material for pre-preparing core .This sand withstands for high
temperature of metal poured in the mould.
Materials required to make cores

• Core sand
• Bentonite clay
• Pulverized coal
• Resin oil

Advantages and disadvantages

Cores are useful for features that cannot tolerate draft or to provide detail that cannot
otherwise be integrated into a core-less casting or mold.

The main disadvantage is the additional cost to incorporate cores.

 Requirements

There are seven requirements for cores:[2]

Green strength: In the green condition, there must be adequate strength for handling

In the hardened state, it must be strong enough to handle the forces of casting; therefore, the compression
strength should be 100 to 300 psi (0.69 to 2.07 MPa).

Permeability must be very high to allow for the escape of gases.

Friability: As the casting or molding cools, the core must be weak enough to break down as the material
shrinks. Moreover, they must be easy to remove during shakeout.

Good refractoriness is required as the core is usually surrounded by hot metal during casting or molding.

A smooth surface finish.

Minimum generation of gases during metal pouring.

Types

Many types of cores are available. The selection of the correct type of core depends on production
quantity, production rate, required precision, required surface finish, and the type of metal being used. For
example, certain metals are sensitive to gases that are given off by certain types of core sands; other
metals have too low of a melting point to properly break down the binder for removal during the shakeout.

Green-sand core

Green-sand cores makes casting long narrow features difficult or impossible. Even for long features that can be cast it still leave much material to be
machined. A typical application is a through hole in a casting.
 Dry-sand cores

The simplest way to make a dry-sand cores is in a dump core box, in which sand is packed into the box and scraped
level with the top. A wood or metal plate is then placed over the box, and then the two are flipped over and the core
segment falls out of the core box. The core segment is then baked or hardened. Multiple core segments are then hot
glued together or attached by some other means. Any rough spots are filed or sanded down. Finally, the core is lightly
coated with graphite, silica, or mica to give a smoother surface finish and greater resistance to heat.[2]Single-piece
cores do not need to be assembled because they are made in a split core box. A split core box, like it sounds, is made
of two halves and has at least one hole for sand to be introduced. For simple cores that have constant cross-sections
they can be created on special core-producing extruders. The extrusions are then cut to the proper length and
hardened. More complex single-piece cores can be made in a manner similar to injection moldings and die castings.[2]

Types of core:
• Cold box
• Half core box
• Dump core box
• Split core box
• Left and right core box
• Gang core box
• Strickle core box
• Loose piece core box

Lost cores

Cores are used for complex injection moldings in the fusible core injection molding process. First, a core is
made from a fusible alloy or low melting temperature polymer. It is then placed inside the injection mold’s
dies and the plastic is shot into the mold. The molding is then removed from the mold with the core still in it.
Finally, the core is melted or washed out of the molding in a hot bath.

Binders

Special binders are introduced into core sands to add strength. The oldest binder was vegetable oil,
however now synthetic oil is used, in conjunction with cereal or clay. The core is then baked in a
convection oven between 200 and 250 °C (392 and 482 °F). The heat causes the binder to cross-link or
polymerize. While this process is simple, the dimensional accuracy is low.[3]

Another type of binder process is called the hot-box process, which uses a thermoset and catalyst for a
binder. The sand with the binder is packed into a core box that is heated to approximately 230 °C (446 °F)
(which is where the name originated from). The binder that touches the hot surface of the core box begins
to cure within 10 to 30 seconds. Depending on the type of binder it may require further baking to fully
cure.[4] Cores produced using this method are sometimes referred to as “shell-core” because often, only
the outside layer of the core is hardened when in contact with the hot corebox. When the corebox is
opened and the core removed, the uncured sand inside the core is dumped out to be reused. This practice
can also be observed in some cold-box coremaking practices, though cold box shell-core making is much
less common.

In a similar vein, the cold-box process uses a binder that is hardened through the use of special gases.
The binder coated sand is packed into a core box and then sealed so that a curing gas can be introduced.
These gases are often toxic (i.e. amine gas) or odorous (i.e. SO2), so special handling systems must be
used. However, because high temperatures are not required the core box can be made from metal, wood,
or plastic. An added benefit is that hollow core can be formed if the gas is introduced via holes in the core
surface which cause only the surface of the core to harden; the remaining sand is then just dumped out to
be used again.[4] For example, a cold-box sand casting core binder is sodium silicate which hardens on
exposure to carbon dioxide.[5]

Special binders are used in air-set sands to produce core at room temperature. These sands do not require
a gas catalyst because organic binders and a curing catalyst are mixed together in the sand which initiates
the curing process. The only disadvantage with this is that after the catalyst is mixed in there is a short time
to use the sand. A third way to produce room temperature cores is by shell molding.[4]

The term no-bake sands can refer to either the cold-box process or air-set process.[4][5]

Other considerations

To increase the strength of cores internal wires and rods can be added. To enhance collapsibility, straw
can be added to the middle of the core or a hollow core can be used. This attribute is especially important
for steel casting because a large amount of shrinkage occurs.[4]

Except for very small cores, all cores require vent holes to release gases. These are usually formed by
using small wires to create holes from the surface of the mold to the core. When this is not feasible cinder
and coke can be added to the core to increase permeability.[4]

Chaplets
If Fubwhat is it?≤0, no chaplet is used.

If Fub>0, chaplets is used.

As mentioned earlier, cores are usually supported by two core prints in the mold. However, there are
situations where a core only uses one core print so other means are required to support the cantilevered
end. These are usually supplied in the form of chaplets. These are metal supports that bridge the gap
between the mold surface and the core. Since the chaplets become part of the casting, the chaplets must
be of the same or similar material as the metal being cast. Moreover, their design must be optimized
because if they are too small they will completely melt and allow the core to move, but if they are too big
then their whole surface cannot melt and fuse with the poured metal. Their use should also be minimized
because they can cause casting defects or create weak spots in the casting.[6] It is usually more critical to
ensure the upper chaplets are stronger than the lower ones because the core will tend to float upward in
the molten metal.[7]

Cheeks

When casting a reentrant angle, instead of using a core a cheek can be used. This is a third segment in the
flask, in addition to the cope and drag. This allows the entire mold to be made from green sand and from
removable patterns. The disadvantage of this is more mold-making operations are required, but it is usually
advantageous when the quantities are low. However, if large quantities of casting are required, it is usually
more cost effective to simply use a core.[6]
CONCLUSION

Casting has shown wide range of applications. Core plays the important role without which casting
process will not get complete. We have studied types of core used for casting processes. This paper in
simple, presents a review on core and its types for casting processes in detail. To increase the strength of
cores internal wires and rods can be added. To enhance collapsibility straw can be added to the middle of
the core or a hollow core can be used. This attribute is especially important for steel casting because a
large amount of shrinkage is present. Except for very small cores, all cores require vent holes to release
gases. These are usually formed by using small wires to create holes from the surface of the mold to the
core.

REFERENCES
Wikipedia