Moulding Process

Expendable Permanent Mold

Mold Special Mold

Diecasting Centrifugal casting

Using permanent Using expendable Sweep molding
Pattern pattern

Sand as molding Fine Sand as Use of POP as Flask less molding

Investment casting Gravity Die casting True centrifugal
material. molding molding
Inorganic material with material
binders are organic binder
used (shell molding) Pressure Die casting Semi centrifugal

Green sand molding Dry sand molding skin dried molding CO2 process

Centrifuging
Using Natural sand

Using synthetic sand

Chief characteristics of molding sand are

1. Cohesiveness ( compression, shear and Tensile strength)

2. Permeability
3. Refractoriness

Natural sand contains 70% silica and 30% clay. It requires 5-8% water, less refractory and used in non-ferrous casting.

Synthetic sand contains no binder as it is washed sand. 8-12% binder is added, requires less moisture (3-8%),
composition control is simple.

Cores are used to form cavities of various shapes inside a casting and is held in its correct position in the mold cavity by
core prints. Generally they are made using synthetic sand and special binders such as linseed oil or thermosetting plastic
are prepared separately using wooden or metal core box. Core should have necessary mechanical strengths for handling
to resist erosion and effect of bouncy when molten metal is poured into the mold. In addition to this core should have
permeability and collapsibility.
 Defects in Castings
If process is not controlled properly during manufacturing, defects can occur in the castings. Causes are

1. Poor pattern design and bad molding practice

2. Bad melting and pouring practice (this includes bad design of gating system)

Defects

Surface defects Internal defects

Rough surface Blow holes and

shrinkage

Scabs and
Buckles Inclusion

Cold shuts and

Misrun

Mismatch

Shift

Pinholes

Hot tear

Blow holes Misrun

Pinholes shrinkage

Scab
 Melting furnace
Melting Furnace is a device used to convert solid metal into molten metal using application of heat. They are classified
into Crucibles, Reverbatory furnace, Electric Arc furnace, Electric Induction furnace, Cupola and Open hearth furnace.
These furnaces are can be either direct heat transfer furnaces or Indirect heat transfer furnaces i.e. in direct heat transfer,
heat produced by combustion of fuels or magnetic field effect or Electric Arc is in direct contact with the charge, where as
in indirect heat produced by above method is not in direct contact with the charge.

Cupola Furnace is used to melt Iron and steel. It is direct contact type. In this purity of molten metal is not good.
Cupola Operation
Preparation of Cupola The slag and refuse on the lining from the previous run is removed and, if necessary, the lining
itself is repaired or remade. The bottom plates are swung to closing position and the prop inserted beneath them. The sand
bottom is then prepared with moulding sand such that it slopes towards the tap hole.
Firing the Cupola The cupola is fired by kindling wood at the bottom. This should be done 2.5 to 3 hours before the
molten metal is required. On top of the kindled wood, a bed of coke is built. The height of this coke bed may vary from 50
cm to 125 cm according to the size of the cupola. Charging the Cupola When the coke bed has thoroughly ignited,
alternate layers of pig iron, coke, and flux (limestone) are charged from the charging door. Suitable scrap is also added
with the pig iron to control the chemical composition of the iron produced. The thickness of the layers is kept about 150–
200 mm. The purpose of adding flux is to eliminate the impurities and thereby refine the metal, to protect the metal from
oxidation, and to render the slag more fluid for easy disposal. Besides limestone, fluorspar and soda ash are also
sometimes used as fluxing materials. The quantity of limestone required may be 30–40 kg per tonne of iron melted or
25% by weight of the coke charged. The CaO content required is 52, 50 and 45 per cent in grades 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
Soaking of Iron After the furnace has been fully charged, it is so maintained for about 45 minutes. The charge gets slowly
heated since the air blast is kept shut during this time. This causes the iron to get soaked. Opening of Air Blast At the end
of the soaking period, the air blast is opened. The tapping hole is kept closed by a plug, called the bot, till the time the
metal gets molten and sufficient metal has accumulated. As the melting proceeds, the contents of the charge move
gradually downwards. The charge should therefore be replenished and the furnace be kept filled up to the charging door
during the entire operation. Pouring the Molten Iron When sufficient metal has collected in the hearth above the sand bed,
first the slag hole is opened to allow the slag to get ejected and then the bot from the tapping hole is removed. The molten
metal that flows out of the spout is carried in ladles to the moulds for pouring. The same procedure is repeated until all the
metal is melted and the operation is over. Sometimes, a fore-hearth is used to collect molten metal from the cupola in a
large quantity before it is transferred to the ladles. Closing the Cupola When the operation is over, the blast is shut off and
the prop knocked down so that the bottom plates swing open. This enables the dregs in side the furnace to drop to the
floor. They are then, quenched and removed from underneath the cupola. Air Requirements for Cupola For complete
combustion of the fuel in the furnace, about 8.4 cu m of air is required per kg of coke at normal atmospheric pressure and
temperature. The relationship 234 between the amount of metal melted and the coke burnt is termed the metal : fuel ratio.
This ratio varies from 6 : 1 to 12 : 1. If this ratio is 8 : 1, which is considered a satisfactory figure, the coke required per
tonne of iron will be 100/8 kg, i.e., 125 kg.
Thus, the volume of air required per tonne of melted iron is 8.4* 125 = 1050 cu m To allow for leakage, etc., the air
supplied is generally a little in excess, i.e., about 1100 cu m per tonne of iron. Depending on the size of the cupola, the
type of iron melted, and the compactness of the charge, the pressure of air may vary from 250 mm to 400 mm of water for
small and medium-sized furnaces and from 400 mm to 750 mm for large-sized furnaces. The inside diameter of the cupola
determines the amount of coke that can be burnt and the amount of iron that can be melted per unit of time. It has been
observed that 14 sq cm of cupola plan area burns about 1 kg of coke per hour. Thus, a cupola having a capacity of 5
tonnes per hour will require (5 * 125) = 625 kg of coke per hour, assuming a metal–fuel ratio of 8 : 1. The plan area
required will therefore be equal to (14 * 625) = 8750 sq cm.