Chapter No 7

Topics Introduction
Sand casting Shell-Mold Casting Sodium silicate molding process Permanent molding process Centrifugal casting Investment casting

SAND MOLD FEATURES

Schematic illustration of sand mold features

Steps in Sand Casting

-Pattern making

Molding -Core making

-Gating systems

Sand

Mold

Melting Of Metal

Pouring into mold

Casting

Heat Treatment

Cleaning & Finishing

Inspection

Furnaces tightness

Solidification

Shakeout Removal of risers and gates

Additional heat treatment

Defects Pressure

Sand Casting Cont

Major components of sand molds:

Flask supports the mold Pouring basin in which molten metal is poured in to Sprue through which molten metal flows downward Runner system channels that carry molten metal from the sprue Risers - supply additional metal to the casting during shrinkage. Cores

Inserts made of sand Used to make hollow regions Used to form letterings on the casting and other features

Vents used to carry off gases that are produced and exhaust air from the mold cavity as metal flows on to the mold

 Patterns Used to mold the sand mixture

Made from

Wood Plastic Metal They must be tough enough to be used repeatedly Made of different materials to reduce wear Coated with a parting agent to facilitate there removal Patterns One-piece patterns for simple low cost production Split patterns each part forms a portion of the cavity Match-plate patterns popular type of pattern Two-piece patterns are constructed by securing each half of one or more split patterns to the opposite sides of a single plate Used in large production runs and in molding machines

Rapid prototyping

Used to make a mold quickly Reduces cost

Green Sand Mold making procedure

Dry facing sand sprinkled on board & pattern & then Molding sand is packed
Cope half placed over the Drag half Parting sand Sprinkled over the drag & the pattern Sprue pin, Riser pin placed

Facing sand in the form of paste applied in the Mold cavity The mold is now ready for pouring

Dry Sand molds

To lower gas forming materials in the mold sometimes Air dried molds are used. Drying of molds can be of two types: skin dried complete mold drying

Common methods of drying the mold hot air gas or oil flame

Skin drying accomplished with the aid of torches Directed at the mold surface

Shell-Molding Process

DeGarmo

Process involved In shell molding

First step in preparing the shell mould is the

preparation of the sand mixture in such a way that each of sand grain is thoroughly coated with resin The metallic pattern is heated to a temperature of 200-300C depending on the size of the pattern The heated pattern is securely fixed to dump box as shown in figure(a) Then the dump box is rotated after some time as shown in figure(b) So that the coated sand falls on the heated pattern

 The heat from the pattern melts the resin adjacent to

it thus causing the sand mixture to adhere to the pattern The required thickness of shell is achieved , dump box is rotated backward ,so that the extra sand falls on the box leaving the formed shell intact with the pattern as in fig(d) The average shell thickness achieved depends on the temperature of the pattern and the time the coated sand remains in contact with heated pattern

Advantages of Shell Mould Casting

Good surface finish (Ra 1.25 to 3.75 microns) High dimensional tolerance Amenable towards automation Castings weighing upto 450 kgs can be cast by this process Thin sections (upto 0.25 mm) can be cast by this process Patterns are expensive Castings weighing more than 450 kgs cannot be made Highly complicated shapes cannot be made

Limitations

Applications Cast iron, Aluminium and copper alloys are cast by this process

Sodium silicate process

The mixture is packed around the pattern Harden by blowing CO2 gas though it First used in the 1950s

Reduces tendency for parts to tear

PROCESS 1 Here we use the refractory material which is coated with a sodium

silicate based binder , the sand mixture will be jolted or squeezed around the pattern
2 After squeezing CO2 is passed through core or mold 3 The CO2 chemically reacts with silicate to get harden 4 Then pattern is withdrawn from mold

Sodium silicate Molding Process The refractory material is coated with a sodium Silicate binder. After compaction CO2 is passed Through the mold. CO2 chemically reacts with Sodium silicate to cure or harden the binder. After Curing the pattern is withdrawn from the mold

Advantages good dimensional tolerance because of the hard rigid mold good surface finish of the cast products

Limitations

poor shake out and collapsibility binder hygroscopic causing porosity in castings

Permanent-Mold Casting
Called hard-mold casting Two halves of a mold are made from materials such as iron, steel,

bronze, or other alloys The mold cavity and gating system are machined in to the mold Sand aggregate are placed in to the mold prior to casting for producing cavities Typical core materials are Oil-bonded or resin-boned sand Plaster Graphite Gray iron Low-carbon steel Hot-worked die steel Mold cavity surfaces are coated with refractory slurry to increase the life of the mold every few castings Mechanical ejectors are used to remove complex parts Can produce high production rates Good surface finish

Centrifugal Casting
Utilizes the inertial forces caused by rotation to distribute the molten

metal in to the mold cavities First used in the 1800;s Three types of centrifugal casting True centrifugal casting Semi centrifugal casting Centrifuging

Schematic illustration of the centrifugal casting process. Pipes, cylinder liners, and similarly shaped parts can be cast with this process.

True Centrifugal Casting produces hollow shaped products without using internal cores The Centrifugal accelerating force is high almost 70 to 80 times that of gravity which helps in pushing the molten metal to the walls of the mold Outer shape is controlled by the mold contour while the inner shape is controlled by the amount of the molten metal poured in

There are horizontal as well as vertical axis machines. Only short tubes are manufacture in the vertical machines Advantages Mechanical properties of the castings are better Directional solidification can be accomplished Core requirements are eliminated Gating system is not required

CENTRIFUGAL CASTING

Limitations
VERTICAL TYPE
Axisymmetric shapes and concentric holes are suitable for CC Equipment cost is high so suitable for mass production

Investment Casting
One-piece mold
Dried in the air Heated to 90 175 C Held inverted for 12 hrs to melt out wax The mold is then heated to 650 1150 C for about 4

hrs depending on the metal to be cast to drive off the water of crystallization After the metal has been poured the mold is broken up and the cast is removed A number of patterns can be joined to make one mold called a tree which increases production rate

Schematic illustration of investment casting

1. WAX INJECTION : Wax replicas of the desired castings are produced by injection molding. These replicas are called patterns.

2. ASSEMBLY : The patterns are attached to a central wax stick, called a sprue, to form a casting cluster or assembly.

3. SHELL BUILDING : The shell is built by immersing the assembly in a liquid ceramic slurry and then into a bed of extremely fine sand. Up to eight layers may be applied in this manner. 4. DEWAX : Once the ceramic is dry, the wax is melted out, creating a negative impression of the assembly within the shell.

 5. CONVENTIONAL CASTING

In the conventional process, the shell is filled with molten metal by gravity pouring. As the metal cools, the parts and gates, sprue and pouring cup become one solid casting.
6. KNOCKOUT

When the metal has cooled and solidified, the ceramic shell is broken off by vibration or water blasting.

7. CUT OFF

The parts are cut away from the central sprue using a high speed friction saw.
8. FINISHED CASTINGS After minor finishing operations, the metal castings-identical to the original wax patterns--are ready for shipment to the customer.

Steps followed in Investment Casting Process

1. A heat disposable pattern made of wax or plastic is made

2. A pattern assembly (tree / cluster) is prepared attached to a central wax sprue 3. Pattern assembly is invested into a ceramic slurry composed of silica flour suspended in soln. of ethylsilicate. Ceramic shell of 6mm thickness is formed around the wax assembly. 4. The assembly baked in oven to melt out the wax/plastic thereby the dimensions of mold cavity precisely match those of the product 5. The shell mold is fired at 900 to 10000 C to remove all traces of wax and also the strength gets enhanced 6. Molten metal is poured when the mold is still hot resulting in a production of a cluster of castings at a time

Applications of Investment Casting Intricate shaped objects like jewelry Cylinder heads cam shafts gas turbine blades

Advantages of Investment Casting Process Complicated and intricate shaped products can be easily cast High dimensional tolerance achievable Surface finish is excellent Additional machining not required as it is a net shape process All types of metals and alloys can be cast by this process

Limitations
A relatively expensive process Size of the casting is limited (max. around 5 kg)

THE END