FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

BMM 3611
MANUFACTURING PROCESSES LABORATORY

METAL CASTING PROCESS

Lab

Prepared by,
Ir. Mohd Rashidi bin Maarof
Lab Location
FKM Manufacturing Process LAB
Lab Objectives
By the end of this semester, students should be able to:

Perform moulding and casting operations for sand casting based on the prepared pattern

Analyze the quality of moulds and casting products produced by sand casting operation

Group Members

20

ABSTRACT

Student ID

Section

ABDUL HADI BIN SHAMSUL KAMAR

MA 12100

05

MOHAMAD SYARIFUDDIN BIN MAT DIN

MC 12004

05

MUHAMMAD SHAHREL BIN MD HASSAN

MC 12007

05

MOHAMAD SAIFULLAH BIN ADNAN

MC 12011

05

NURUL IZZATI BINTI MOHAMAD SOBRI

MC 12013

05

NORHABIBAH BINTI SANSUDIN

MC 12014

05

In performing manufacturing process laboratory on casting, the purpose is to perform

molding and casting operation for sand casting based on prepared pattern. Beside that,
is to analyze the quality of moulds and casting products, produced by sand casting
operations. Based on a prepared pattern, sand casting is perfectly right because of it
has advantages in production of complex shape, parts having hollow sections or
internal cavities and also contain irregular curved surfaces. Casting process involved
three basic steps which are mould making, melting and pouring of metals into the
mould cavity and lastly removal and finishing of casting after complete solidification.
The result and analysis of data on composition of moulding sand and core sand used,
melting and pouring temperature of the used metal, list of allowances that generally
provided on a pattern and also defects produced in casting is recorded. In the end of
experiment, someone should be able to generate an intricate design by the method of
sand casting throughout whole process. There are a few defects such as on the surface
projection causes by a crack in the sand mold, therefore each step in that process was
crucial to the final design and output. Lastly, it is substantial for students to be
familiar with the concepts and procedures for projects that will have to be done in the
future.

1.INTRODUCTION
Sand casting is used to make large parts (typically Iron, but also Bronze, Brass,
Aluminium). Molten metal is poured into a mold cavity formed out of sand (natural or
synthetic). The processes of sand casting are discussed in this section; include patterns,
sprues and runners, design considerations, and casting allowance. Sand casting, the most
widely used casting process, utilizes expendable sand molds to form complex metal parts
that can be made of nearly any alloy. Because the sand mold must be destroyed in order
to remove the part, called the casting, sand casting typically has a low production rate.
The sand casting process involves the use of a furnace, metal, pattern, and sand mold.
The metal is melted in the furnace and then ladled and poured into the cavity of the sand
mold, which is formed by the pattern.
Pouring of molten metal required a good discipline both from gating system
design and risering system application. Several parameters are applied such as pouring
time, gating element, gating ratios, and slag trag system, method of solidification
behaviour, feeding distances and feeding aids.
The sand mold separates along a parting line and the solidified casting can be
removed. Sand casting is used to produce a wide variety of metal components with
complex geometries. These parts can vary greatly in size and weight, ranging from a
couple ounces to several tons. Some smaller sand cast parts include components as gears,
pulleys, crankshafts, connecting rods, and propellers. Larger applications include
housings for large equipment and heavy machine bases. Sand casting is also common in
producing automobile components, such as engine blocks, engine manifolds, cylinder
heads, and transmission cases.

2.OBJECTIVE

To get experience on metal casting through the process of sand casting.

To become accustomed with the language and procedure of metal casting in

general and sand casting in particular.

To deploy the knowledge of metal casting into making useful products through
the process of sand casting.

3.PROBLEMS STATEMENT

To prepare the sand moulds use the prepared pattern and experience the metal

pouring to complete the casting process

Composition ofmolding sand and core sand used
Melting and pouring temperature of the used metal
Allowances that generally provided on a pattern
Defects produced in casting

4.PROCEDURES

FIGURE4.1: Procedure Diagram

1. The pattern is placed in flask with enough room for gating. Parting dust is applied
onto the pattern to keep it from sticking. Parting dust is a hydrophobic material, it
repels moisture.
2. Fine riddle is used to cover just the pattern, then fill up the flask with sand, level
(flush) with the top. There is no need to riddle all the sand, just make sure there is
no lumps. The riddle fluffs the sand up so it can be packed properly, the same way
a flour sifter works.
3. Paddle side of rammer is used to tuck edges first. The sand is added to about 2
inches above flask.Drag section is stroke off with rammer. The first half mould or
cope is finished and continued with process of creating the drag
4. Step 1to 4 is repeated again in addition of pipe to assist the formation of sprue
hole.
5. The pipe is removed after the sand mould is compact enough. The pattern is
removed from both half of moulds and then it were assembled together.
6. The metal is melt inside the furnace. As it is fully melt, the metal is taken out of
the furnace and poured into the mould through the sprue hole
7. The metal is let about 10 minutes for complete solidification. The mould is shaken
out to remove the sand and extract the solid metal

8. The gating system is cut out to let only the desired pattern of solid metal
produced.

Safety Precaution During Casting Process

FIGURE4.2:safety equipment during casting process

1) Wear the personal protective equipment as shown below in the image

2) Clear any hazards that are in the workspace
3) Do not spill any metal onto the floor, especially concrete floor as it can cause an
explosion
4) Be cautious of your surroundings
5) Be wary of any surfaces that may be hot
6) As with any unfamiliar task be cautious and pay attention to your surroundings
7) USE COMMON SENSE, often forgotten but a very useful tool to always use

4.REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The factor to considered during selection of casting process

Casting Method

Advantages

Disadvantages

Recommended
Application

Sand Casting

Least Expensive in Dimensional

Use
when
small
quantities accuracy inferior to strength/weight ratio
(less than 100)
other
processes, permits
requires
larger
tolerances
Ferrous and non Tolerances, surface
ferrous metals may
finish
and
low
be cast
Castings
usually machining cost does
exceed
calculated not warrant a more
weight
expensive process
Possible to cast
very large parts.
Surface finish of
ferrous
castings
usually exceeds 125
RMS

Permanent
and Less expensive than Only
non-ferrous Use when process
Semi-permanent
Investment or Die metals may be cast recommended
for
Mold Casting
Castings
by this process
parts subjected to
hydrostatic pressure
Dimensional
Less
competitive
Tolerances closer with Sand Cast
than Sand Castings process when three
or more sand cores
are required
Castings are dense
and pressure tight
Higher tooling cost
than Sand Cast

Ideal
for
parts
having low profile,
no
cores
and
quantities in excess
of 300

Plaster Cast

Smooth "As Cast" More costly than Use when parts

finish (25 RMS)
Sand or Permanent require smooth "As
Mold-Casting
Cast" surface finish
and closer tolerances
than possible with
Closer dimensional
tolerance than Sand Limited number of Sand or Permanent
Mold Processes
Cast
sources

Intricate shapes Requires minimum

and fine details of 1 deg. draft
including
thinner
"As Cast" walls are
possible

Large parts cost

less to cast than by
Investment process

Investment Cast

Close dimensional Costs are higher

tolerance
than
Sand,
Permanent Mold or
Plaster
process
Complex
shape, Castings
fine detail, intricate
core sections and
thin
walls
are
possible

The process cost is

justified
through
savings
in
machining
or
brazing

Ferrous and nonferrous metals may

be cast

Weight
justifies
cost

As-Cast" finish (64

- 125 RMS)
Die Casting

Use
when
Complexity
precludes use of
Sand or Permanent
Mold Castings

savings
increased

Good dimensional Economical only in Use when quantity

tolerances
are very large quantities of parts justifies the
possible
due to high tool cost high tooling cost

Excellent part-part Not recommended

dimensional
for
hydrostatic
consistency
pressure
applications
Parts require a
minimal
post For Castings where
machining
penetrant (die) or
radiographic
inspection are not
required.

Difficult
to
guarantee minimum

Parts
are
not
structural and are
subjected
to
hydrostatic pressure

mechanical
properties

5.MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

i) materials
Type of base sand for mould
Name Of Sand

Descriptions
Silica (SiO2) sand is the sand found on a beach and is also the most
commonly used sand. It is made by either crushing sandstone or taken
from natural occurring locations, such as beaches and river beds. The
fusion point of pure silica is 1,760 C (3,200 F), however the sands
used have a lower melting point due to impurities. For high melting
point casting, such as steels, a minimum of 98% pure silica sand must
be used; however for lower melting point metals, such as cast iron and
non-ferrous metals, a lower purity sand can be used (between 94 and
98% pure)

Silica Sand

Silica sand is the most commonly used sand because of its great
abundance, and, thus, low cost (therein being its greatest advantage).
Its disadvantages are high thermal expansion, which can cause casting
defects with high melting point metals, and low thermal conductivity,

which can lead to unsound casting. It also cannot be used with certain
basic metal because it will chemically interact with the metal forming
surface defect. Finally, it causes silicosis in foundry workers

Olivine Sand

Olivine is a mixture of orthosilicates of iron and magnesium from

silica, therefore it can be used with basic metals, such as manganese
steels. Other advantages include a low thermal expansion, high thermal
conductivity, and high fusion point. Finally, it is safer to use than silica,
therefore it is popular in Europefrom the mineral dunite. Its main
advantage is that it is free

Chromite
Sand

Chromite sand is a solid solution of spinels. Its advantages are a low

percentage of silica, a very high fusion point (1,850 C (3,360 F)), and
a very high thermal conductivity. Its disadvantage is its costliness,
therefore its only used with expensive alloy steel casting and to make
cores.

Zircon Sand

Zircon sand is a compound of approximately two-thirds zircon oxide

(Zr2O) and one-third silica. It has the highest fusion point of all the
base sands at 2,600 C (4,710 F), a very low thermal expansion, and a
high thermal conductivity. Because of these good properties it is
commonly used when casting alloy steels and other expensive alloys. It
is also used as a mold wash (a coating applied to the molding cavity) to
improve surface finish. However, it is expensive and not readily
available.

Chamotte
Sand

Chamotte is made by calcining fire clay (Al2O3-SiO2) above 1,100 C

(2,010 F). Its fusion point is 1,750 C (3,180 F) and has low thermal
expansion. It is the second cheapest sand, however it is still twice as
expensive as silica. Its disadvantages are very coarse grains, which
result in a poor surface finish, and it is limited to dry sand molding.
Mold washes are used to overcome the surface finish problem. This
sand is usually used when casting large steel workpieces

(ii)Equipment and machine

Non-ferrous melting furnace

Furnaces are refractory lined vessels that contain the material to be melted and provide
the energy to melt it. Modern furnace types include electric arc furnaces (EAF), induction
furnaces, cupolas, reverberatory, and crucible furnaces. Furnace choice is dependent on
the alloy system quantities produced. For ferrous materials EAFs, cupolas, and induction
furnaces are commonly used. Reverberatory and crucible furnaces are common for
producing aluminium, bronze, and brass castings.Furnace design is a complex process,
and the design can be optimized based on multiple factors. Furnaces in foundries can be
any size, ranging from small ones used to melt precious metals to furnaces weighing
several tons, designed to melt hundreds of pounds of scrap at one time. They are designed

according to the type of metals that are to be melted. Furnaces must also be designed
based on the fuel being used to produce the desired temperature. For low temperature
melting point alloys, such as zinc or tin, melting furnaces may reach around 500 C.
Electricity, propane, or natural gas are usually used to achieve these temperatures. For
high melting point alloys such as steel or nickel based alloys, the furnace must be
designed for temperatures over 1600 C. The fuel used to reach these high temperatures
can be electricity (as employed in electric arc furnaces) or coke.

The majorities of foundries specializes in a particular metal and have furnaces dedicated
to these metals. For example, an iron foundry (for cast iron) may use a cupola, induction
furnace, or EAF, while a steel foundry will use an EAF or induction furnace. Bronze or
brass foundries use crucible furnaces or induction furnaces. Most aluminium foundries
use either electric resistance or gas heated crucible furnaces or reverberatory furnaces.

Hand-held ladle
In a foundry a ladle is a container used to transport and pour out molten metals. It needs
to be

Strong enough to contain a heavy load of metal.

Heat-resistant
Heat-insulated as much as can be managed, to avoid losing heat and overheating
its surroundings.

For foundries making small castings, a hand-held ladle somewhat resembling a kitchen
ladle with a long handle to keep the heat of the metal away from the person holding it.
Better quality ladles have a pouring lip to aid accurate pouring.

6.DISCUSSIONS AND RESULT

Generally sand casting proses need high individual skill and technique to make sure
the part that produces are perfectly follow the specification needed or less defect produce.
As the sand casting lab section is done we can see the problem comes, there is many
causes that make the problem appear and we will discuss about defect and causes, paten
of the mold and consideration must be taken to design the mold and product so that sand
casting process can be done smoothly and less defect form.
First, after we filled the pattern with sand we have to remove the pattern out of the
mold during this time had make mistake by took it out too fast and carelessly as a result
part of the mold not being molded properly and if the worst case, the mold cannot be used
at all because the sand is not compact. After we proceed to next step which is pouring the
molten metal into the pattern and remove the pattern after cooling process, the product
form is our finished product had rough, irregular, surfaces of casting at the bottom of the
part. This is probably the result from the erosion of the sand mold.
Secondly, from our observation the edges of our casted part we notice that some
indentations in the part. Those indentation is hot tears. Hot tears, also known as hot

cracking, are failures in the casting that occur during the cooling proses. 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. The hot tears can appear on the surface or through
cracks that initiate during the cooling of casting.
The other point is, non-flat surface on our product. This is defect is named
inclusion. Inclusions are any foreign materials present in the cast metal. Inclusion can be
found in many form such as oxides, slag, dirt, sand or nails. Inclusions commonly causes
by impurities with the molten metal, sand and dirt from the mould not properly cleaned,
break away sand from mould, core or gating system, gas from the metal and foreign items
picked on the mould cavity while handling. Inclusions are reduced by using correct grade
of moulding sand and proper skimming to remove impurities.

Defect
Bubbles
Ejector marks
Hot tearing
Flash
Unfilled sections

Causes

Injection temperature too high

Non-uniform cooling rate
Cooling time too short
Ejection force too high
Non-uniform cooling rate

Injection pressure too high

Clamp force too low
Insufficient shot volume
Slow injection
Low pouring temperature

Table 1:Defect that may occur during the casting proses

There are general considerations that must be take care by us in order to form the
best casting product during the laboratory session. There are include:-

The Design Of Cast Parts

Selecting The Casting Process
Locating The Parting Line
Locating And Designing Gates
Runner Design
Designing Other Mold Features
Establishing Good Practices
Finishing, Draft And The Section Changes.

1) The Design Of Cast Parts:

Corners , angle and section thickness, this must be avoid as much as possible because
they act as stress raisers and may cause cracking and tearing of the metal during
solidification. Fillet radii should be selected to reduce stress concentrations and to
ensure proper liquid metal flow during pouring. Fillet radii usually range from 3 to 25
mm.
2) Selecting The Casting Process:
Casting process selection cannot be separated from a discussions of economic. From
figure 1 it show some of the advantages and limitations of casting processes that have
an impact on casting design.

Figure 1: Summary of casting processes.

3) Locating The Parting Line:

A part should be oriented in a mold so that the large portion of the casting is relatively
low and the height of casting is minimized. Part orientation also determines the
distribution of porosity. A properly oriented part then can have the parting line
specified. The parting line is the line or plane separating the upper and lower halves of
molds.

4) Locating And Designing Gates:

Gates are the connection between the runners and the part to be cast the consideration
in designing gating systems such as gates should feed into thick section of casting, a
fillet should be used where a gate meets a casting- this will produce less turbulence

than abrupt junctions, curved gates should be avoided and the minimum gates length
should be 3 to 5 times the gates diameter.
5) Runner Design:
The runner is a horizontal distribution channel that accepts molten metal from the
sprue and delivers it to the gates. One runner is used for simple parts, but 2 runner
system can be specified for more complicated casting. Runner are used to trap dross
and keep it from entering the gates and mold cavity.
6) Designing other mold features.
The main gold in designing a sprue is to achieve the required metal flow rates while
preventing aspiration or excessive dross formation. Flow rates are determined such
that turbulence is avoided but the mold is filled quickly compared to the solidification
time required.
7) Establishing good practices
It has been observed widely that a given mold design can produce acceptable part as
well as defective ones and rarely will produce good or only defective part. To check
for defective casting, quality control procedures are necessary. Start with high-quality
molten metal is essential for producing superior casting. Next , the pouring of metal
should not be interrupted, since this can lead to dross entrainment and turbulence.
Lastly, the different cooling rates within the body of a casting cause residual stresses,
stress relieving thus may be necessary to avoid distortions of casting in critical
application.

7. CONCLUSION
As a conclusion, we have to follow the steps of sand casting to make sure that there are
lacks of defects. For example, we had hot tear on our project as a defect. We identified
that maybe there is non- uniform cooling rate. Then, it was maybe because of the
improper pattern design and metal compositions. For unfilled section defect, the causes
are low pouring temperature and insufficient material.
We should have improvement to make sure that the design is lack or no defect. Firstly, the
sand should be separate from the foreigner objects, then, the sand should be compact
properly to make the design is not getting crack. Next, the moulding pattern should be
practice. We also have to follow the steps in sand casting properly.
In this experiment or laboratory, we had learned some knowledge beside we have through
the experience so that we can applied when in job field.

8.REFERENCES
(i)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_casting

(ii)

Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, Fifth Edition in SI Units, by

SeropeKalpakjian and Steven Schmid, Pearson Prentice Hall

(iii)

http://www.thelibraryofmanufacturing.com/metalcasting_sand.html

(iv)

http://www.custompartnet.com/wu/SandCasting#possible_defects