METAL CASTING

OTHER TECHNIQUES
  FIGURE 5.21 (a)
The continuous-
casting process for
steel. Typically, the
solidified metal
descends at a
speed of 25mm/s
(1 in/s).Note that
the platform is
about 20 m (65 ft)
above ground
level. Source:
Metalcaster’s
Reference and
Guide, American
Foundryman’s
Continuous Society. (b)
Casting Continuous strip
casting of
nonferrous metal
strip. Source:
Hazelett Strip
Casting Corp.
A Semipermanent
Composite Mold Operation Sequence of
Making a Ceramic Mold

 FIGURE 5.22 Schematic FIGURE 5.23 Sequence of operations in making a

ceramic mold. Source: Metals Handbook, 8th ed., Vol. 5:
illustration of a Forging and Casting, Materials Park, OH: ASM
semipermanent composite International, 1970.
mold. Source: Steel
Castings Handbook, 5th
ed., Steel Founders’
Society of America, 1980.
 Vacuum-Casting Process

 FIGURE 5.24 Schematic illustration of the

vacuum-casting process. Note that the
mold has a bottom gate. (a) Before and (b)
after immersion of the mod into the
molten metal. Source: After R. Blackburn.
Guidelines for Casting Design
1. Risers: Major concern is the size and placement of risers. Based on
experience and considerations of fluid flow and heat transfer.
2. Corners, angles and section thickness: Sharp cornes, angles and fillets
should be avoided, because they may cause cracking and tearing durinf
solidfication of the metal.
3. Flat Areas: Large flat areas should be avoided, they cause warp, poor
surface finish.
4. Shinkage: Allowance for shrinkage should be provided to avoid cracking.
Pattern makers shrinkage allowance: 10 to 20 mm/m.
5. Parting Lines: Should be along a flat plane, rather than contoured, should
be at the corners or edges, rather than on flat surface in the middle of the
casting.
6. Drafter (taper): is provided in sand-mold pattern to enable remove of the
pattern. Draft angle: 0.50 ~ 20.
7. Machining Allowance: increasing with the size and section thickness as
usually from 2 ~ 5 mm for small to more than 25 mm for large castings.
 Design Modifications to
Avoid Defects in Castings

 FIGURE 5.39 (a) Suggested design modifications to avoid

defects in castings. Note that sharp corners are avoided to
reduce stress concentrations. (b)-(d) Examples of designs
that show the importance of maintaining uniform cross-
sections in castings to avoid hot spots and shrinkage
cavities.
Casting Design Modifications
 FIGURE 5.40 Examples of casting design
modifications. Source: Steel Castings
Handbook, 5th ed., Steel Founders’ Society
of America, 1980. Used with permission.
 Design Practices for Die-cast
Parts

 FIGURE 5.41 Examples of undesirable and

desirable design practices for die-cast parts. Note
that section-thickness uniformity is maintained
throughout the part. Source: Courtesy of The
North American Die Casting Association.
 Costs
Comparison for
Different Casting
Processes

 FIGURE 5.42 Economic comparison of making a

part by different casting processes. Note that
because of the high cost of equipment, die
casting is economical for large production runs.
Source: The North American Die Casting
Association.
Problems
 Why does die casting produce the smallest
cast parts?
 You have seen that even though die casting
produces thin parts, there is a limit to how
thin they can be. Why can’t this process
make even thinner parts?
Problems
1. Three pieces being cast have the same volume but
different shapes. One is sphere, one a cube, and the
other cylinder with a height equal to its diameter.
Which piece will solidify the fastest and which one the
slowest?

2. A round casting is 0.1 m in diameter and 0.5 m in length.

Another casting of the same metal is elliptical in cross-
section, with a major-to-minor axis ratio of 2, and the
same length and cross-sectional area as the round
casting. Both pieces are cast under the same conditions.
What is the difference in the solidification time.

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Problems
3. A 50-mm (2-in.) thick square plate and a right circular
cylinder with a radius of 100 mm (4 in.) and height of 50
mm each have the same volume. If each is to be cast
using a cylindrical riser, will each part require the same
riser to ensure proper feeding? Explain.

4. Assume that the top of a round sprue has a diameter of

75 mm and is at a height of 254 mm from the runner.
Based on the sprue equation, plot the profile of the
sprue diameter as a function of the height.

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Problems
5. In sand casting, it is important that cope mold half be
held down with enough force to keep it from floating
when the molten metal is poured in. For the casting
shown in the figure below, calculate the minimum
amount of the weight necessary to keep the cope from
floating up.

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Sand Casting

73
Basic principles
 Molten metal flow 2 2
v1 p v p
 Bernoulli’s theorem
 h1  1  2  h2  2
2g g 2 g g
 Law of continuity Q = A1v1= A2v2

 Solidification Time 2
 volume 
 Chvorinov rule: Solidification time = C 
 surface area 
where C is a constant that reflects mold material, metal
properties and temperature
 Casting yield
 Not all the metal finally ending up as a casting
W
Casting yield  x 100
w
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 Basic principles
 Pouring time
The methods to calculate the pouring time for different casting
material (by experienced)
1) Grey cast iron, < 450 kg: t (s) = K [1.41 + (T/14.59)]W1/2
2) Grey cast iron, > 450 kg: t (s) = K [1.41+(T/16.65]W1/3
3) Steel: t (s) = (2.4335 – 0.3593 log W)W1/2
4) Shell molded ductile iron: t (s) = K1 W1/2
5) Copper alloy: t (s) = K2 W1/3
6) Intricately shaped: t (s) = K3 (W’)1/3
7) Casting above 450 kg, up to 1000 kg: t (s) = K4 (W’ T)1/3

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Basic principles
where,
K = Fluidity of iron (in)/40
T = average section thickness (mm)
W = mass of the castings (kg)
while,
K1 = sectional thickness
= 2.080 (thinner) – 2.97 (thicker)
K2 = 1.3 – 2.8
W’ = mass of the casting with gates and risers (kg)
K3 = thickness of walls = 1.62 – 2.2
K4 = thickness of walls = 1 – 1.7

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 Application
A1 h2
Sprue: 
A2 h1

W
Choke: A
tC 2 gH

where W = casting mass

t = pouring time
  mass density of molten metal, kg/mm3
g = gravity acceleration = 9.804 mm/s2
H = effective sprue height
C = efficiency factor (gating system used)

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 Application
Runner:
 Connects the sprue to the ingates, normally is
made trapezoidal in cross section (to trap the slag)

Ingate:
 Free height of metal:
Q2 V 2
Q = metal flow rate, mm3/s h  1.33 2
 mm
b = gate width, mm gb 2g

 Height of gate, h1 = h – 5 mm

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Application
 Riser:
 Caine method (based on Chvorinov rule)
 Freezing ratio, X
SAcasting / Vcasting
X 
SAriser / Vriser
 Empirical relationship

 Modulus method
 Modulus = inverse of the cooling characteristic
 Established empirically Mr = 1.2 Mc where Mr = 0.2D

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Application
 Shrinkage:
 Rate of contraction depend on the material
 The shrinkage allowance is to be added to the
linear dimension
 Draft:
 The vertical faces of the pattern are tapered
from parting line
 Finishing machine allowance

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81
Application
 Buoyant force acting on the core
P = V (metal - core) (theoritical)
P  350A (empirical)
where A = core print area, mm2
 Force acting on the moulding flasks
Fm = Ap  (h – c)
where Ap = projected area of the
casting in the parting line
(h – c) = head of metal

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