TYPES OF DEFECTS IN CASTING

CAUSES FOR DEFECTS.

FETTLING AND CLEANING OF CASTING

Classification of casting defects

Based on nature of defects.

Based on contributing causes or origins

Based on nature of defects.

Surface defects : Visible on surface of castings . ex : misrun ,laps. Internal defects : Present in interior of castings ex : pin holes ,blow hole, Incorrect chemical composition results in formation of undesirable micro structure Un-satisfactory mechanical properties

Based on contributing causes or origins

Defects caused by pattern and molding box . Ex : poor surface finish , flash. Defects due to improper mold , core or core making . Ex : hot tear , scabs. Defects due to improper gating and rising . Ex :mistune , cold shit.

Surface Defects
Blow is relatively large cavity produced by gases which displace molten metal from convex surface. Scar is shallow blow generally occurring on a flat surface.

Surface Defects
A scar covered with a thin layer of metal is called blister . These are due to improper permeability or venting . Sometimes excessive gas forming constituents in molding sand.

Drop is an irregularly-shaped projection on the cope surface caused by dropping of sand. A scab when an up heaved sand gets separated from the mould surface and the molten metal flows between the displaced sand and the mold.

Internal defects
The internal defects found in the castings are mainly due to trapped gases and dirty metal. Gases get trapped due to hard ramming or improper venting. These defects also occur when excessive moisture or excessive gas forming materials are used for mould making.

Internal defects
Blow holes are large spherical shaped

gas bubbles.
Porosity indicates a large number of uniformly distributed tiny holes. Pin holes are tiny blow holes appearing just below the casting surface.

Visible Defects
Swell is the deformation of vertical mould surface due to hydrostatic pressure caused by moisture in the sand.

Wash is a low projection near the gate caused by erosion of sand by the flowing metal.
Rat tail is a long, shallow, angular depression caused by expansion of the sand.

Major defects of casting

Gas defects Shrinkage cavities Metallurgical defects Molding material defects Pouring metal defects Mold shift

Gas defects
Gas pockets come from gas dissolving in the melt then coming out when it solidifies. This usually manifests itself as a rough surface on areas exposed to air or pockets of varying size in the cross-section of the metal. The defects in this category can be classified into
1. Blow holes 2. Pinhole porosity

Gas defects
Gas porosity may present itself on the surface of the casting as porosity or the pore may be trapped inside the metal , which reduces strength in that vicinity. Nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen are the most encountered gases in cases of gas porosity. For casting that are a few kilograms in weight the pores are usually 0.01 to 0.5 mm (0.00039 to 0.020 in) in size. In larger casting they can be up to a millimeter (0.040 in) in diameter.

Remedies for gas defects

To prevent gas porosity the material may be melted in a vacuum, in an environment of low-solubility gases, such as argon or carbon dioxide , or under a flux that prevents contact with the air. To minimize gas solubility the superheat temperatures can be kept low. Turbulence from pouring the liquid metal into the mold can introduce gases, so the molds are often streamlined to minimize such turbulence. Other methods include vacuum degassing, gas flushing, or precipitation.

Gas defects

Shrinkage defects
These are caused by liquid shrinkage occurring during the solidification of the casting. To compensate for this, proper feeding of liquid metal is required. For this reason risers are placed at the appropriate places in the mold. Sprues may be too thin, too long or not attached in the proper location, causing shrinkage cavities. It is recommended to use thick sprues to avoid shrinkage cavities.

Shrinkage defects
Most materials are less dense in their liquid state than in their solid state, and more dense at lower temperatures in general. Due to this nature a casting undergoing solidification will tend to decrease in volume, during the manufacture of a part by casting this decrease in volume is termed shrinkage. Shrinkage of the casting metal occurs in three stages:

Decreased volume of the liquid as it goes from the pouring temperature to the freezing temperature.

Decreased volume of the material due to solidification.

Decreased volume of the material as it goes from freezing temperature to room temperature.

Molding Material Defects

The defects in this category are 1. cuts and washes 2. metal penetration 3. Fusion 4. Swell 5. Inclusions

Cut and washes

These appear as rough spots and areas of excess metal, and are caused by erosion of molding sand by the flowing metal. This is caused by the molding sand not having enough strength and the molten metal flowing at high velocity. The former can be taken care of by the proper choice of molding sand and the latter can be overcome by the proper design of the gating system.

Metal penetration
When molten metal enters into the gaps between sand grains, the result is a rough casting surface. This occurs because the sand is coarse or no mold wash was applied on the surface of the mold. The coarser the sand grains more the metal penetration.

Fusion
This is caused by the fusion of the sand grains with the molten metal, giving a brittle, glassy appearance on the casting surface. The main reason for this is that the clay or the sand particles are of lower refractoriness or that the pouring temperature is too high.

Swell
Under the influence of metallostatic forces, the mold wall may move back causing a swell in the dimension of the casting. A proper ramming of the mold will correct this defect.

Inclusions
Particles of slag, refractory materials, sand or deoxidation products are trapped in the casting during pouring solidification. The provision of choke in the gating system and the pouring basin at the top of the mold can prevent this defect.

Metallurgical defects
There are two defects in this category: hot tears and hot spots. Hot tears, also known as hot cracking , are failures in the casting that occur as the casting cools. This happens because the metal is weak when it is hot and the residual stresses in the material can cause the casting to fail as it cools. Proper mold design prevents this type of defect. Hot spots are areas on the surface of casting that become very hard because they cooled more quickly than the surrounding material. This type of defect can be avoided by proper cooling practices or by changing the chemical composition of the metal.

Pouring Metal Defects

The likely defects in this category are Mis-runs and Cold shuts.

Mis-runs
A mis-run is caused when the metal is unable to fill the mold cavity completely and thus leaves unfilled cavities. A mis-run results when the metal is too cold to flow to the extremities of the mold cavity before freezing. Long, thin sections are subject to this defect and should be avoided in casting design.

Cold shuts
A cold shut is caused when two streams while meeting in the mold cavity, do not fuse together properly thus forming a discontinuity in the casting. When the molten metal is poured into the mold cavity through more-than-one gate, multiple liquid fronts will have to flow together and become one solid. If the flowing metal fronts are too cool, they may not flow together , but will leave a seam in the part. Such a seam is called a cold shut, and can be prevented by assuring sufficient superheat in the poured metal and thick enough walls in the casting design.

Mold Shift
The mold shift defect occurs when cope and drag or molding boxes have not been properly aligned.

Fettling and cleaning of casting

After solidification of casting , it is separated from the mould using knock out vibrations. Due to this vibration , the cores also get loosened and hence they can be easily separated from the casting.

Core removal and surface cleaning

There are two methods under this process , they are Manual cleaning method Mechanical method

Manual cleaning method

After the casting is solidified ,a good lot of sand will be sticking to the surface and this is more in steel castings compared to non ferrous castings. In small foundries cleaning can be accomplished with wire brushes , which is tedious and time consuming and hence mechanical equipments are generally used

Mechanical method
Tumbling
The components to be cleaned are placed inside a barrel along with hardened steel balls. The barrel is then rotated about its central axis for a sufficient length of time , so that the surfaces are cleaned by peening action as casting rub against the steel rods.

Compressed air impact cleaning

Here , a suitable abrasive particles along with compressed air is directed at high velocities against the surface to be cleaned . This is done in tightly closed chambers and due to the impact ,the surface of casting will be cleaned.

Mechanical impact cleaning

The abrasive particles are thrown against the surface to be cleaned by centrifugal force. Due to the impact , the surface of castings are cleaned .

Hydroblasting
In this method a high velocity stream containing about 15%sand and 85%water is directed against the surface to be cleaned. Water at pressure of about 140 atmospheres is supplied to nozzle so that stream velocities of upto 6000 m/min are obtained , due to this the minimum weight of the casting cleaned this way should be atleast 120 kg , the jet angled is 450

Removal of gates and risers

1. 2. 3. 4. Several methods are used depending upon the metal ,casting size and other conditions . These are, Breaking the gates from the casting Sawing with hand , disc or hacksaw Flame cutting and oxyacetylene torch Cutting with an abrasive cut off wheel

Removal of fins , unwanted projections etc

This can be done using methods such as chipping , sawing , flame cutting , grinding etc .

Repair of castings
After casting is made , sometimes many minute defects may be noticed in the casting which may not affect its usefulness. In such cases , these defects are filled up using metal etc Inspections of castings are carried out at various stages as follows -

Stages of inspection in castings

i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. Process inspection Visual inspection Dimensional inspection Pressure testing Destructive testing Non-destructive testing

Process inspection
It is done to detect defects and to allow corrections to be made before the parts have been processed i.e. before it is too late.

Visual inspection
This is the simplest , fastest and most commonly employed method for finding many defects visually. It is limited to the defects which can be observed on surfaces.

Dimensional inspection
First casting to be machined is to be dimensionally checked in the foundry by setting up on a surface plate with angle plate and measuring instruments such as micrometer , vernier height gauge etc. to ensure that the pattern and core boxes are used correctly.

Pressure testing
Casting to be used for containing or conveying liquids have to be tested foe leaks through their walls. The castings with porosity may leak and leaks may be detected by submerging the complete casting under water for gas pressure or by virtual inspection for liquid pressure.

Destructive testing
Destructive tests such as tensile , compression , impact , fatigue and creep may be performed on specimens machined out of the castings to assess the various properties

Non-destructive testing
The basic feature of this test is that the parts are inspected for internal and surface defects without destroying the components . Few different methods are , Liquid penetrant test Magnetic particle inspection X-ray radiography Ultra sonic inspection Eddy current test Gama ray radiography

a) b) c) d) e) f)