Scribd
Upload
21 views

Lecture Metal Casting-1

Uploaded by

ahmed.samy.sobhie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
21 views

Lecture Metal Casting-1

Uploaded by

ahmed.samy.sobhie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 23

FUNDAMENTALS OF METAL CASTING

1. Overview of Casting Technology


2. Heating and Pouring
3. Solidification and Cooling
Casting
Process in which molten metal flows by gravity or other force into a
mold where it solidifies in the shape of the mold cavity
 The term casting also applies to the part made in the process
 Steps in casting seem simple:
1. Melt the metal
2. Pour it into a mold
3. Let it freeze
Capabilities and Advantages of Casting
 Can create complex part geometries
 Can create both external and internal shapes
 Some casting processes are net shape; others are near net shape
 Can produce very large parts
 Some casting methods are suited to mass production
Disadvantages of Casting
 Different disadvantages for different casting processes:
 Limitations on mechanical properties
 Poor dimensional accuracy and surface finish for some
processes; e.g., sand casting
 Safety hazards to workers due to hot molten metals
 Environmental problems
Parts Made by Casting
 Big parts
 Engine blocks and heads for automotive vehicles, wood burning
stoves, machine frames, railway wheels, pipes, church bells, big
statues, pump housings
 Small parts
 Dental crowns, jewelry, small statues, frying pans
 All varieties of metals can be cast, ferrous and nonferrous

Overview of Casting Technology


 Casting is usually performed in a foundry
Foundry = factory equipped for making molds, melting and
handling molten metal, performing the casting process, and
cleaning the finished casting
 Workers who perform casting are called foundrymen
The Mold in Casting
 Contains cavity whose geometry determines part shape
 Actual size and shape of cavity must be slightly
oversized to allow for shrinkage of metal during
solidification and cooling
 Molds are made of a variety of materials, including sand,
plaster, ceramic, and metal

©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e
Open Molds and Closed Molds

Figure 10.2 Two forms of mold:


(a) open mold, simply a container in the shape of the desired part; and
(b) closed mold, in which the mold geometry is more complex and
requires a gating system (passageway) leading into the cavity.

©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e
Two Categories of Casting Processes
1. Expendable mold processes – uses an expendable mold
which must be destroyed to remove casting
 Mold materials: sand, plaster, and similar materials, plus
binders
2. Permanent mold processes – uses a permanent mold which
can be used over and over to produce many castings
 Made of metal (or, less commonly, a ceramic refractory
material
Advantages and Disadvantages
 More intricate (complicated) geometries are possible with
expendable mold processes
 Part shapes in permanent mold processes are limited by the
need to open the mold
 Permanent mold processes are more economic in high
production operations

©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e
Sand Casting Mold

Figure 10.2 (b) Sand casting mold.

Sand Casting Mold Terms


 Mold consists of two parts:
 Cope = upper half of mold
 Drag = bottom half
 Mold halves are contained in a box, called a flask
 The two halves separate at the parting line
Forming the Mold Cavity
 Mold cavity is formed by packing sand around a pattern,
which has the shape of the part
 When the pattern is removed, the remaining cavity of the
packed sand has desired shape of cast part
 The pattern is usually oversized to allow for shrinkage of
metal during solidification and cooling
 Sand for the mold is moist and contains a binder to
maintain its shape
Use of a Core in the Mold Cavity
 The mold cavity provides the external surfaces of the cast part
 In addition, a casting may have internal surfaces, determined
by a core, placed inside the mold cavity to define the interior
geometry of part
 In sand casting, cores are generally made of sand
Gating System
Channel through which molten metal flows into cavity from
outside of mold
 Consists of a downsprue, through which metal enters a
runner leading to the main cavity
 At the top of downsprue, a pouring cup is often used to
minimize splash and turbulence as the metal flows into
downsprue
Riser
Reservoir in the mold which is a source of liquid metal to
compensate for shrinkage of the part during solidification
 The riser must be designed to freeze after the main
casting in order to satisfy its function
Heating the Metal
 Heating furnaces are used to heat the metal to molten
temperature sufficient for casting
 The heat required is the sum of:
1. Heat to raise temperature to melting point
2. Heat of fusion to convert from solid to liquid
3. Heat to raise molten metal to desired temperature for
pouring

©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e
Pouring the Molten Metal
 For this step to be successful, metal must flow into all
regions of the mold, before solidifying
 Factors that determine success
 Pouring temperature
 Pouring rate
 Turbulence

Solidification of Metals
Transformation of molten metal back into solid state
 Solidification differs depending on whether the metal is
 A pure element or
 An alloy
Cooling Curve for a Pure Metal
 A pure metal solidifies at a constant temperature equal to
its freezing point (same as melting point)

Figure 10.4 Cooling curve for a pure metal during casting.


Solidification of Alloys

Figure 10.6 (a) Phase diagram for a copper-nickel alloy system and
(b) associated cooling curve for a 50%Ni-50%Cu composition during casting.

©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e
Solidification Time
 Solidification takes time
 Total solidification time TTS = time required for
casting to solidify after pouring
 TTS depends on size and shape of casting by
relationship known as Chvorinov's Rule
n
V 
TST  Cm  
 A
where TST = total solidification time;
V = volume of the casting;
A = surface area of casting;
n = exponent with typical value = 2; and
Cm is mold constant.
Mold Constant in Chvorinov's Rule
 Mold constant Cm depends on:
 Mold material
 Thermal properties of casting metal
 Pouring temperature relative to melting point
 Value of Cm for a given casting operation can be based on experimental
data from previous operations carried out using same mold material, metal,
and pouring temperature, even though the shape of the part may be quite
different

What Chvorinov's Rule Tells Us


 A casting with a higher volume-to-surface area ratio cools and solidifies
more slowly than one with a lower ratio
 To feed molten metal to main cavity, TST for riser must greater than
TST for main casting
 Mold constants of riser and casting will be equal, design the riser to have a
larger volume-to-area ratio so that the main casting solidifies first
 This minimizes the effects of shrinkage
Shrinkage in Solidification and Cooling

Figure 10.8 Shrinkage of a cylindrical casting during solidification and cooling:


(0) starting level of molten metal immediately after pouring;
(1) reduction in level caused by liquid contraction during cooling

©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e
Shrinkage in Solidification and Cooling

Figure 10.8 (2) reduction in height and formation of shrinkage


cavity caused by solidification shrinkage; (3) further reduction in
height and diameter due to thermal contraction during cooling of
solid metal (dimensional reductions are exaggerated for clarity).

©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e
Solidification Shrinkage
 Occurs in nearly all metals because the solid phase has a
higher density than the liquid phase
 Thus, solidification causes a reduction in volume per unit
weight of metal
 Exception: cast iron with high C content
 Graphitization during final stages of freezing causes
expansion that counteracts volumetric decrease
associated with phase change
Shrinkage Allowance
 Patternmakers account for solidification shrinkage and thermal
contraction by making mold cavity oversized
 Amount by which mold is made larger relative to final casting size is
called pattern shrinkage allowance
 Casting dimensions are expressed linearly, so allowances are applied
accordingly

Riser Design
 Riser is excess metal (waste) that is separated from the casting and
remelted to make more castings
 To minimize waste in the unit operation, it is desirable for the volume
of metal in the riser to be a minimum
 Since the geometry of the riser is normally selected to maximize the
V/A ratio, this allows riser volume to be reduced to the minimum
possible value

You might also like