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Introductions
Syllabus
Brief "Big Picture" look at casting and Metal Casting Annual Census 2015
I. Mold Parts (Please Refer to the Handout Posted Separately on Canvas) or in this
document. It is important that we all speak the same language and metal casting, like
any other specialty, has its own jargon.
Terms to know:
Flask Ladle
Cope Pouring Basin
Drag Sprue
Parting Line Runner
Core Riser
Chaplet Mold Cavity
Cheek Pattern
Draft
Fun with words: I've tracked down the roots of some of the more vague terms below.
Best I can find, "cope" has an archaic use to mean "sky" or a priest's cloak. Regardless
it appears to have come from something that "goes on top" of something.
Entertainingly, "sprue" can mean a disease or tumor. This may relate to the fact that
sprues, while useful, are not typically shipped with the casting, meaning they are an
"extra growth" on the casting itself.
A. Each material used for molding has its advantages and disadvantages. We should always begin
designing our casting process with a set of application oriented goals in mind. What material do
we want to cast? What properties do we want it to have? Etc. Depending on the answers to these
questions we may choose vastly different molding materials and casting processes.
A major physical property that differentiates various molding materials is the thermal
conductivity, K, of that material.
KFe= 72 W/(m*C)
KCu= 390 W/(m*C)
B. Sand Advantages
1. It is cheap. ($10/ton)
2. It is refractory meaning it can resist high temperatures and is thermally stable. This is important
for high melting point metals like cast iron and steel.
3. It's low thermal conductivity can be an advantage. Cooling too fast in some alloy systems
results in the formation of brittle phases (Fe3C in cast iron). The low thermal conductivity of sand
helps promote slower cooling and promotes ductility in these systems.
C. More About Sand Than Many Want to Know (but need to for this class)
1. Most sand used in casting is silica (SiO2) other types (Olivine, Chromite, Zircon, etc.) can be used
for special applications .
3. Green Sand
-Black in color
-Mixture of sand, clay, and water
-Called "green" because of moisture content (think green wood)
-Clay is mostly montmorillonite
Al2Si5O5(OH)2 + adsorbed Na+1 or Ca+2
For Na+1 the clay is called Western Bentonite
For Ca+2 the clay is called Southern Bentonite
-The clay takes up water (~3 wt.% max) and expands to fill the voids in between the sand
grains
-At low moisture content (< 3 wt.%) the bonds between the sand and clay are polar
-At higher moisture content (> 3 wt.%) the bonds between the sand and clay are ionic and
the adsorbed cations (Na+1 or Ca+2) form chemical bridge bonds with the sand.
-Bonding helps resist shear stresses during the molding process, but adding too much
moisture can have negative consequences as well.
-It is important that as we mix water into our sand, we have some process controls in place
to ensure we have optimal molding characteristics.
-Note: Because of the small batch sizes in our foundry, our sand properties can change very
drastically in short amounts of time.
4. Sand Properties
a. Compactibility-Ability of the clay bonded sand to be packed around a pattern (We use this
in lab as a "quick" check)
Even though the maximum strength is achieved at 3 wt.%, the adsorbed cation bonding that
occurs beyond this point can be important for wet/warm strength of the sand layers away
from the cast part.
5. Petrobond Sand
-93% silica sand (120 grade), generally finer than green sand, gives better surface finish
-5% petrobond "clay" (organophilic as opposed to hydrophilic like Bentonite)
-2% 30 weight non-detergent oil
Advantages:
-Fine features in cast part
-Less gas/fewer related defects
-Higher stability (less evaporation than moisture, properties are more consistent)
Disadvantages:
-Only good for low melting point metals (e.g. aluminum)
-Fume generated are an environmental issue
-Oil costs more than water
Next Time: Melting, solidification, heat transfer, and volume change. Read Sections 2.1-2.4 of