ME 2201 – MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY- I

Introduction
Manufacturing, in the broadest sense, is the process of converting raw materials into products; it includes

 Design of the product

 Selection of raw materials and
 The sequence of processes through which the product will be manufactured.

Manufacturing is extremely important for the national and global economies.

Manufacturing may produce discrete products, meaning individual parts or pieces, such as nails, rivets,
gears, steel balls, and beverage cans. On the other hand, wire, sheet metal, tubing, and pipe are continuous
products that may be cut into individual parts and thus become discrete products.

Manufacturing is generally a complex activity involving people who have a broad range of disciplines
and skills, together with a wide variety of machinery, equipment, and tools with various levels of
automation and controls, including computers, robots and material-handling equipment. Manufacturing
activity must be responsive to several demands and trends:

i) A product must fully meet design requirements and specifications and standards.
ii) It must be manufactured economically and by environmental friendly methods.
iii)Production methods must be sufficiently flexible to respond to changes
iv) New materials, methods and integration with computers must be continuously evaluated and
adopted.
v) Manufacturers should work with customers for timely feedback.
vi) Constantly strive for higher productivity.

Selecting Manufacturing Processes

Wide range of manufacturing processes is used to produce a variety of parts, shapes, and sizes. Also there
is usually more than one method of manufacturing a part. Each of these processes has its own advantages,
disadvantages, limitations, production rates and cost. The broad categories of processing methods for
materials can be listed as follows:

• Casting: Expendable molding and permanent molding

• Forming and Shaping: Rolling, Forging, Extrusion, Drawing, Sheet Forming, Powder
metallurgy, molding.
• Machining: Turing, Boring, Drilling, Milling, Planing, Shaping, Broaching, Grinding, Ultrasonic
machining, chemical, electrical, and electro chemical machining, and high energy beam
machining.
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 • Joining: Welding, Brazing, Diffusion Bonding, Adhesive bonding, and mechanical joining.
• Micro-manufacturing and Nano-manufacturing: Surface micromachining, dry and wet
etching and electroforming.
• Finishing: Honing, Lapping, Polishing, Burnishing, Deburring, Surface Treating, Coating and
plating.

It should be noted that no component can be produced entirely by one single category of manufacturing
process For ex: Coin preparation: Ingots or plates are cast, rolled into sheets, and blanked in presses and
coated, if necessary.

All manufacturing processes can be grouped into 2 major categories:

i. Primary manufacturing processes: Involved in the initial breakdown of the original material
to shapes that can be processed into final products. Ex: Casting Rolling, Extrusion, etc
ii. Secondary manufacturing processes: These processes take the products of some primary
process and change the geometry and properties to the semi-finished or finished stage. Ex:
metal removing processes, metal forming processes.

The selection of a manufacturing process depends on

i. Type and nature of the starting material
ii. Volume of production
iii. Expected quality and properties of the material
iv. Technical viability of the process
v. Economy
vi. Geometrical shape, jigs, fixtures, gauges, equipment available
vii. Delivery dates

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 UNIT I
METAL CASTING PROCESSES

Sand casting – Sand moulds - Type of patterns – Pattern materials – Pattern allowances – Types of
Moulding sand – Properties – Core making – Methods of Sand testing – Moulding machines – Types
of moulding machines - Melting furnaces – Working principle of Special casting processes – Shell –
investment casting – Ceramic mould – Lost Wax process – Pressure die casting – Centrifugal casting –
CO2 process – Sand Casting defects.

Casting
Casting is one of the oldest methods and was first used around 4000 B.C. to make ornaments,
arrowheads, and various other objects. Casting is the process of producing metal parts by pouring molten
metal into the mould cavity of the required shape and allowing the metal to solidify. The solidified metal
piece is called as “casting”. This process is capable of producing intricate shapes in a single piece,
ranging in size from very large to very small, including those with internal cavities. Typical cast products
are engine blocks, cylinder heads, transmission housings, pistons, turbine disks, railroad and automotive
wheels etc. The steps in this process are :

1. Place a pattern, having the shape of the desired casting, in sand to create a mold.
2. Incorporate the pattern and sand in a gating system.
3. Remove the pattern.
4. Fill the mold cavity with molten metal.
5. Allow the metal to cool.
6. Break away the sand mold
7. Remove the casting and finishing it.
8. Inspect and testing
9. Removal of defects if any
10. Heat treatment for stress relief
11. Inspect the casting
12. Ready for use.

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 SAND CASTING

Types of Sand Mold Casting Process:

 Hand Molding:- Bench (small objects), Floor (Medium sized castings), and Pit molding
(heavy)
 Machine Molding:

Example of hand molding operation- using two molding boxes

Casting Terms
1. Flask: A metal or wood frame, without fixed top or bottom, in which the mold is formed.
Depending upon the position of the flask in the molding structure, it is referred to by various
names such as drag - lower molding flask, cope - upper molding flask, cheek – intermediate
molding flask used in three piece molding.
2. Pattern: It is the replica of the final object to be made. The mold cavity is made with the help
of pattern.
3. Parting Line: This is the dividing line between the two molding flasks that makes up the mold.
4. Bottom Board: This is a board normally made of wood which is used at the start of the mould
making. The pattern is first kept on the bottom board, sand is sprinkled on it and then the
ramming is done in the drag.
5. Molding Sand: Sand, which binds strongly without losing its permeability to air or gases. It is a
mixture of silica sand, clay and moisture in appropriate proportions.
6. Facing Sand: The small amount of carbonaceous material sprinkled on the inner surface of the
mold cavity to give a better surface finish to the castings.
7. Backing Sand: it is what constitutes most of the refractory material found in the mould. This is
made up of used and burnt sand.

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 8. Core: A separate part of the mold, made of sand and generally baked, which is used to create
openings and various shaped cavities in the castings.
9. Pouring basin: A small funnel shaped cavity at the top of the mold into which the molten metal
is poured.
10. Sprue: The passage through which the molten metal, from the pouring basin, reaches the mold
cavity. In many cases it controls the flow of metal into the mold.
11. Runner: The channel through which the molten metal is carried from the sprue to the gate.
12. Gate: A channel through which the molten metal enters the mold cavity.
13. Chaplets: Chaplets are used to support the cores inside the mold cavity to take care of its own
weight and overcome the metallostatic force.
14. Chill: These are metallic objects which are placed in the mould to increase the cooling rate
of castings to provide uniform or desired cooling rate.
15. Riser: A column of molten metal placed in the mold to feed the castings as it shrinks and
solidifies. Also known as "feed head".
16. Vent: Small opening in the mold to facilitate escape of air and gases

Sand Molding Methods

Green Sand Molding:

It involves ramming sand around a pattern inside a container called flask. The various steps are:

1. The bottom half of the flask (drag) is placed upside down on a molding board and then drag half
of the pattern is placed inside the flask.
2. Parting Compound is dusted over the exposed surface. A layer of sand is riddled over the pattern
and rammed. The drag is then filled, rammed and struck off.
3. Bottom board is placed on the drag and they are turned over. Molding board is removed and the
top (cope) half of the flask is positioned using aligning pins. The cope half of the pattern is
inserted.
4. Gating system is formed using sprue and riser pins. Risers and sprues are formed during ramming
of the cope. Runners or gates are also formed during the molding process. The sprue is an
opening through which the metal enters, the runner leads the metal into the mold cavity and the
gate controls the floor of the metal into the cavity. Riser is a reservoir connected to the cavity,
which provides metal during solidification and for offsetting shrinkage, Venting is often done at
this point.
5. The flask is separated and the two pattern halves are removed. Cores needed for added details are
placed in the mold cavities.
6. Mold is closed and metal is poured slowly into the mold and allowed to solidify.
7. The mold is destroyed to recover the casting.

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Dry Sand Molding

It is similar to green sand molding except that a different sand mixture is used and all parts of the mold
are dried in an oven before being reassembled for casting. The green sand retains its shape depending
upon moisture and the natural clay binder in the sand. But he sand used in dry sand molds depends upon
added binding materials such as resin, clay, molasses and flour.

The materials are mixed thoroughly and tempered with thin clay water. The amount of binder is
determined by the size of the casting. Metal flasks are used to withstand heat in the oven.

Before drying, the inside surfaces of a dry sand mold are coated with wet blacking, a mixture of carbon
black and water, with a small addition of gum, to smoothen the surface of the casting.

Skin Dried Molding

This is similar to dry sand molding but instead of the whole mold, the skin of the mold, to a depth of 0.5
inch is dried using gas torches or heaters. Method is applicable for very large molds.

General Steps in Making Sand Castings process

There are six basic steps in making sand castings: 1. Patternmaking 2. Core making 3. Molding
4.Melting and pouring 5. Cleaning

PATTERN
Pattern is a replica of the product needed, with some allowances to compensate for the solidification and
withdrawal of pattern after preparing the mold. The quality of the casting mainly depends on the material
of the pattern, dimensional allowances given and technology used for pattern making.

Various factors affecting the selection of pattern materials are:

1. Accuracy and surface finish requirements in the casting ( Metal and plastic patterns used)
2. Type of casting process and molding methods (machine molding- metal patterns, loam molding-
plaster of Paris)
3. Possibility of frequent design changes (economical pattern-wood)
4. Number of casting to be produced (more quantity-repeated usage- metal pattern)
5. Intricacy of the casting (complicated shapes- metal pattern).

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Requirements of a good pattern:

Easily available, Hard and durable,

Easy to machine, Dimensionally stable,
Light weight, Repairable and reusable,
Strong Facilitate good surface finish after machining

PATTERN MATERIALS

Sl.No Pattern material and properties Advantages Limitations

1 Wood- Widely used when small Cheaper, easy to work, takes good Cannot be used in
numbers of castings are made. Teak surface finish and light in weight. machine molding as
wood, mahogany and easily affected by
impregnated wood laminates are moisture and abrasion
used of sand.
Metal: Used when large number of Dimensional stability, accuracy Costly, heavier than
castings are needed. The metal and strength. Not affected by wooden pattern and
pattern is itself cast from a wooden moisture. Used for machine relatively difficult to
pattern called master pattern. molding work.
Cast-Iron Strong, takes smooth surface, Heavy, easily broken
resistance to abrasion rusted by moister
Brass Strong, does not rust, takes good Costlier, heavier
surface finish and withstands wear
and tear
2 Aluminium Light, easy to work, resistant to Soft and easily
corrosion, melts at low damaged
temperature, takes good surface
finish, more accuracy
White Metal -Used for making Low melting point, dimensionally Soft and easily
complicated and fine shapes in die- stable, can cast intricate shapes damaged
casting process
3 Plastic:- Cast from master wood Does not absorb moisture, strong
pattern. Both thermosetting plastics and dimensionally stable, ability to
and thermoplastic are used. acquire glossy surface, light in
Thermoplastics can be reused but weight and resistance to wear and
not thermosetting plastics. tear. Can be withdrawn without
affecting the mold.
4 Rubber:- Dies for forming
operations are normally done used
for investment castings. Silicon
rubber is commonly used.
5 Plaster- plaster of paris Has high compressive strength ( Can be used for small
300kg/sqm). Need a master pattern patterns only.
6 Wax: Excellent material for Takes a high degree of surface
investment casting. Additives are finish. High tensile strength,
used for polymerizing and hardness and weld strength.
stabilizing.
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 PATTERN ALLOWANCES
To compensate for any dimensional and structural changes which will happen during the casting
or patterning process, allowances are usually made in the pattern. A pattern is different from the casting in
dimensions and shape. The various allowances given in patterns to obtain the correct size and shape in the
finished casting are:
1. Shrinkage allowance
2. Distortion allowance
3. Finish allowance
4. Shake allowance
5. Draft allowance

Shrinkage allowance

As the molten metal solidifies, it shrinks and contracts in size. To compensate for this, the pattern
is made larger than the required casting by giving contraction / shrinkage allowances. This is done by
using shrinkage/ contraction rule like 10 mm/m length of the casting. Different materials has
different/varying shrinkages hence according to the metal, it will be applied on pattern making.

Draft allowance

When the pattern is to be removed from the sand mold, there is a possibility that any leading
edges may break off, or get damaged in the process. To avoid this, a taper is provided on the pattern, so as
to facilitate easy removal of the pattern from the mold, and hence reduce damage to edges. The taper
angle provided is called the Draft angle. The value of the draft angle depends upon the complexity of the
pattern, the type of molding (hand molding or machine molding), height of the surface, etc. Draft
provided on the casting 1 to 3 degrees on external surface ( 5 to 8 internal castings).

Machining/ Finishing allowance

Rough surfaces of casting are to be machined to get exact dimension, surface finish etc. Extra
metal provided on the surfaces is called machine finish allowance. Amount of machine finish allowance
depends on

1. Type of metal used in casting

2. Size and shape of pattern
3. Method of moulding

Shake allowance
Usually during removal of the pattern from the mold cavity, the pattern is rapped all around the faces, in
order to facilitate easy removal. In this process, the final cavity is enlarged. To compensate for this, the
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pattern dimensions need to be reduced. There are no standard values for this allowance, as it is heavily
dependent on the personnel. This allowance is a negative allowance, and a common way of going around
this allowance is to increase the draft allowance.

Distortion or Camber Allowance

Sometimes castings, because of their size, shape

and type of metal, tend to warp or distort during
the cooling period depending on the cooling
speed. This is due to the uneven shrinkage of
different parts of the casting. Expecting the
amount of warpage, a pattern may be made with
allowance of warpage. It is called camber.

TYPES OF PATTERNS

There are various types of patterns depending upon the complexity of the job, the number of castings
required and the molding procedure adopted.

Single Piece Pattern

The one piece or single pattern is the most inexpensive of all types
of patterns. This type of pattern is used only in cases where the job is
very simple and does not create any withdrawal problems. It is also used
for application in very small-scale production or in prototype
development. This type of pattern is expected to be entirely in the drag
and one of the surfaces is expected to be flat which is used as the parting
plane. A gating system is made in the mold by cutting sand with the help
of sand tools. If no such flat surface exists, the molding becomes complicated

Split Pattern or Two Piece Pattern

Split or two piece pattern is most widely used type of pattern for intricate castings. It is split along the
parting surface, the position of
which is determined by the shape
of the casting. One half of the
patternis molded in drag and the
other half in cope. The two halves
of the pattern must be aligned
properly bymaking use of the
dowel pins, which are fitted, to the
cope half of the pattern. These dowel pins match with the precisely made holes in the drag half of the
pattern.

Gated Pattern
This is an improvement over the simple pattern where the gating and runner system are integral with the
pattern. This would eliminate the hand cutting of the runners and gates and help in improving the
productivity of a molder.

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Cope and Drag Pattern
These are similar to split patterns. In addition to splitting the pattern, the cope and drag halves of the
pattern along with the gating and risering systems are attached separately to the metal or wooden plates
along with the alignment pins. The cope and drag moulds may be produced using these patterns
separately by two molders but they can be assembled to form a complete mould. These types of patterns
are used for castings which are heavy and inconvenient for handling as also for continuous production.

Match Plate Pattern

These are generally used for small castings with higher dimensional accuracy and large production.
Several patterns can be fixed to a single match plate, if they are sufficiently small in size. These are used
for machine molding.

Loose Piece Pattern

This type of pattern is used when the contour of

the part is such that withdrawing the pattern from
the mould is not possible. Hence during moulding
the obstructing part of the contour is held as a
loose piece by a wire. After molding is over, first
the main pattern is removed and then loose pieces
are recovered through the gap generated by
the main pattern. Molding with loose pieces is a
highly skilled job and is generally expensive and
therefore, should be avoided wherever possible.

Follow Board Pattern

This type of pattern is adopted for

those castings where there are
some portions which are
structurally weak and if not
supported properly are likely to
break under the force of ramming.
Hence the bottom board is
modified as a follow board to
closely fit the contour of the weak pattern and thus support it during the ramming of the drag.
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Sweep Pattern

It is used to sweep the complete casting by means of a plane sweep. These are used for generating
largeshapes which are axi-symmetrical or prismatic in nature such as bell shaped or cylindrical. This
greatlyreduces the cost of a three dimensional pattern. It is suitable for very large castings such as the
bells forornamental purposes used which are generally cast in pit moulds..

Skeleton Pattern

It is made of strips of wood and is used for building the final pattern by packing sand around the skeleton.
After packing the sand, the desired form is made with the help of a strickle. This type of pattern is useful
for large castings, required in small quantities where large expense on complete wooden pattern is
not justified.

MOLDING SAND

Molding sand is principle raw material used in sand molding because it possesses several
major characteristics. Sand is formed by the breaking up of rocks due to the action of natural forces such
as frost, wind rain, heat and water currents. The principle ingredients of molding sand are:

1. Silica sand grains

2. Clay
3. Moisture
4. Miscellaneous materials

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Silica sand grains

Silica sand grains are the basic components of the molding sand. Molding sand contains 80-90% of silica,
silica is obtained from quartz rocks or by decomposition of granite composed of quartz and feldspar.
Silicon oxide imparts refractoriness, chemical receptivity and permeability.

Clay

Clay can be defined as those particles (below 20 µm in dia.) that fail to settle at a rate of 25 µm per
minute, when suspended in water. It holds the sand together (bonds). The bonding depends on amount
and quality of clay- normally 5 -20% of clay is used.

Moisture:

Clay imparts bonding action and strength to the molding sand in the presence of moisture, Generally 2-
5% of water is added to sand. When water is added to the mixture, it penetrates and forms a microfilm
coating on each particle.

Miscellaneous

Oxides of iron, limestone, magnesia, soda and potash, and other substances are found in the molding
sand. Good molding sand contains less than 2 % impurities.

TYPES OF MOLDING SAND

General Classification

Natural molding sand Synthetic sand Special sand

According to use

1. Green sand
2. Dry sand
3. Loam sand
4. Facing sand
5. Backing sand
6. System sand
7. Parting sand
8. Core sand

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Sl.No Type of Sand Details

1 Natural Molding It is obtained from natural resources like riverbeds. It has the required
Sand amount of clay to act as a bond between particles. It can also be obtained
by crushing and milling yellow sand stone and carbiniferrous rocks.
Advantages are – Ease of availability, Low cost and High Flexibility.
2 Synthetic Sand Also called high silica sand, containing little or no binder in natural form
and is also obtained by crushing quartzite sandstone. Binding is obtained
by the addition of bentonite, water and other materials. Advantages of
synthetic sand over natural sand are more flexibility, low maintenance cost
and improved permeability. High cost and needs more control while use.
3 Special Sand Used when special characteristics are needed. Zircon, Olivine, Chamotte,
Chromate and chrome-magnatite.

4 Green Sand Mixture of silica sand with 18-30% clay and 6-8% water. Contains water
and is moist in natural state. Fine, soft, light and porous.Has sufficient
plasticity and retains shape.
Used for small and medium sized castings. Coal defects are mixed in green
sand to prevent defects in castings. Molds prepared using green sand are
called green sand molds.
5 Dry Sand Does not contain water. Green sand is baked to remove all moisture.
Suitable of large castings. Very strong and compact when compared to
green sand molding. Blow holes will not occur. Dry sand molds are
prepared thro this.
6 Loam Sand Mixture of clay and sand, which is milled into plastic state. Loam sand
contains up to 50% of clay. When it is applied to vertical surfaces it
adheres to the surface. Loam sand moulds are prepared by sweeping the
pattern over the sand. When dried, loam sand becomes hard.
7 Facing Sand It contains silica sand and clay-not mixed with used sand. Has high
strength and refractoriness. Different forms of carbon are added to prevent
the metal from burning with sand. The thickness of the layer is 20-30mm
and is usually 10-15% of the whole amount of molding sand.
8 Backing Sand or Repeated used old sand. Used to fill behind the facing layer. Also called
Floor Sand black sand due to presence of coal and burning when sand comes in
contact with hot metal.
9 System Sand Used in mechanized foundries. It is the used sand which is rejuvenated or
reactivated by the addition of water, binder and special additives. No
facing sand is used. Whole flask is filled with this sand.
10 Parting Sand Dry and clean, clay- free silica sand. Used to prevent green sand from
sticking to the pattern and also to prevent clinging of sand on cope and
drag. When oil is used in molding sand, lycopodium is used as parting
compound.
11 Core Sand or Used of making core. It is the mixture of silica sand, linseed oil, light
Oil Sand mineral oil, resin and other binding materials. Pitch or floor and water are
used in making large cores.

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 SAND PROPERTIES

Molding sands, also known as foundry sands, are defined by eight characteristics: refractoriness, chemical
inertness, permeability, surface finish, cohesiveness, flowability, collapsibility, and availability/cost.

Refractoriness — This refers to the sand's ability to withstand the temperature of the liquid metal being
cast without breaking down. For example some sands only need to withstand 650 °C (1,202 °F) if casting
aluminum alloys, whereas steel needs sand that will withstand 1,500 °C (2,730 °F). Sand with too low a
refractoriness will melt and fuse to the casting.

Chemical inertness — The sand must not react with the metal being cast. This is especially important
with highly reactive metals, such as magnesium and titanium.

Permeability — This refers to the sand's ability to exhaust gases. This is important because during the
pouring process many gases are produced, such as hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and steam, which
must leave the mold otherwise casting defects, such as blow holes and gas holes, occur in the casting.
Note that for each cubic centimeter (cc) of water added to the mold 16,000 cc of steam is produced.

Surface finish — The size and shape of the sand particles defines the best surface finish achievable, with
finer particles producing a better finish. However, as the particles become finer (and surface finish
improves) the permeability becomes worse.

Cohesiveness (or bond) — This is the ability of the sand to retain a given shape after the pattern is
removed.

Adhesiveness — The sand particles must be capable of adhering to another body. It is due to this
property that the sand mass does not fall out of the molding box but is held firmly in it when the mold is
removed or the molding box is lifted.

Flowability – The ability for the sand to flow into intricate details and tight corners without special
processes or equipment.

Collapsibility — This is the ability of the sand to be easily stripped off the casting after it has solidified.
Sands with poor collapsibility will adhere strongly to the casting. When casting metals that contract a lot
during cooling or with long freezing temperature ranges, a sand with poor collapsibility will cause
cracking and hot tears in the casting. Special additives can be used to improve collapsibility.

Availability/cost — The availability and cost of the sand is very important because for every ton of metal
poured, three to six tons of sand is required. Although sand can be screened and reused, the particles
eventually become too fine and require periodic replacement with fresh sand.

In large castings it is economical to use two different sands, because the majority of the sand will
not be in contact with the casting, so it does not need any special properties. The sand that is in contact
with the casting is called facing sand, and is designed for the casting on hand. This sand will be built up
around the pattern to a thickness of 30 to 100 mm (1.2 to 3.9 in). The sand that fills in around the facing
sand is called backing sand. This sand is simply silica sand with only a small amount of binder and no
special additives.
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 CORES AND CORE MAKING

Many cast parts have interior holes (hallow parts), or other cavities in their shape that are not
directly accessible from either piece of the mold. Such interior holes are generated by inserts called cores.
A core is a device used in casting and molding processes to produce internal cavities and reentrant angles.
The core is normally a disposable item that is destroyed to get it out of the piece. They are most
commonly used in sand casting, but are also used in injection molding.

Cores are useful for features that cannot tolerate draft or to provide detail that cannot otherwise be
integrated into a core-less casting or mold. The main disadvantage is the additional cost to incorporate
cores.

Core are made by baking sand with other binder so that they retain their shape when handled.
Binders added to the sand are linseed oil, phenol, bentonite, urea and water. To improve the properties of
the sand, additives, such as pitch corn flour, straw, graphite, core dung and sea coal are also added.

Core Print

For supporting the molds in core cavity, an impression in the form of a recess is made in the mold with
the help of a projection suitably placed in the mold. This projection on the pattern is called the core print.

The core print design should consider the following

 The print must balance the body, so that the core stays in place during mold assembly.
 The Print must withstand the buoyancy force of the metal and not get crushed.
 The print must not shift during mold filling
 The print should minimize the deflection of the core.
 The print should maximize heat transfer from the core to the mold.
 The print should allow the internal gases generated in the core to escape to the mold.
 Asymmetrical holes should have foolproof prints to prevent incorrect assembly.
 The prints of adjacent cores may be combined into one.

Chaplet: Chaplets are used to support the cores inside the mold cavity to take care of its own weight and
overcome the metallostatic force. These are small metal supports that bridge the gap between the mold
surface and the core, but because of this become part of the casting. As such, the chaplets must be of the
same or similar material as the metal being cast. Moreover, their design must be optimized because if they
are too small they will completely melt and allow the core to move, but if they are too big then their
whole surface cannot melt and fuse with the poured metal. Their use should also be minimized because
they can cause casting defects or create a weak spot in the casting.

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 CORE MAKING

Core making consists of the following operation:

1. Core sand preparation
2. Core molding
3. Baking
4. Core Finishing

Core Sand Preparation:

The core sand mixture must be homogenous so that the core has uniform strength throughout. Core sands
are generally mixed in roller mills and core mixers.

Core Molding:
Normally a core box is required for the preparation of cores. Green sand cores are made by ramming the
sand mixtures into boxes, the interior of which have desired shapes and dimensions. Ramming is done by
machines. Core making machines can be broadly classified as ( I ) core blowing machines and ( 2) core
ramming machines e.g., jolting, squeezing, slinging,. The degree of compactness needed for a core
depends on the type of binder used and the on the size and shape of core.

Fragile and medium sized cores are normally reinforced with steel wires or rods. In large cores, perforated
pipes or arbors are provided for reinforcement and for venting.

Core Baking:

Cores are placed on metal plates or carriers and are baked in core ovens at a temperature of 150º C to
400ºC depending on the type of binder to remove the moisture and to improve strength of the binder used
in the core, size of the core and the length of the baking time. As a rule one or more vents are provided in
the core to assist in discharge of gases.

Core Finishing:
After baking operation, cores are smoothened and rough places and unwanted fins are removed. A fine
refractory coating or core wash is applied to the surface to prevent the metal from penetration into the
core and to provide a smoother surface to the casting.

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 Types of Cores

Green Sand Core: This core is made by the pattern itself. When a pattern
leaves a core as a part of the mold, that body of sand used to make the core
is called the green sand core. It is made out of the same sand as that of the
Mold.

Horizontal Core: This core is positioned horizontally in the mold and is

commonly used in foundries. It is usually cylindrical shape. It may also
have other shapes depending on the cavity needed. It is seated in the
mold in the cavities made by the core prints.

Vertical Core: Core is placed vertically in the mold. The upper end of
the core is forced into the cope and the lower end into the drag. On the
cope the core needs more taper (15°) so that it does not damage the mold in
the cope while the cope and drag are assembled

Balanced Core: Core is supported

and balanced at one end only. It
extends horizontally in the mold.
The core needs only one core print
and produces an opening at only
one side of the casting.

Hanging and Cover Core: This core hangs from the

cope. It is supported from the top and hangs vertically
in the mold. It has no support at the bottom. The cover
is also known as cover core as it covers the mold.

Wing Core: It is used to form a hole or recess in the casting,

which is not in line with the parting line. Depending on the usage it
is also called drop core.

Ram-up Core: This core is set in the mold with the pattern
before ramming. It is used when the cored detail is located in an
inaccessible position.

Kiss Core: When the

pattern is not provided
with core prints, and no
seat is available for the
core to rest, the core is
held in position between
the cope and drag simply
due to pressure of the cope.
17
Preparation of Sand
Preparation of sand includes
1. Mixing of sand
2. Tempering of sand
3. Sand conditioning

Mixing of sand
4 to 5 m3 of molding sand is expended to make one tonne of casting. As very few molding
sands have all the properties required for molding, the deficiency is made up by mixing it with other
materials such as clay, lime, magnesia, potash, soda, horse manure, saw dust, cow dung, coal dust etc., in
small quantities. Silica has high temperature withstanding capability but for bonding, clay is used.
Additives are added to make the casting soft.

Coal dust is most widely used as it helps to cool the mold after it has been poured. The coal
dust, immediately after coming in contact with the molten metal, gives off CO 2 and water in mold gets
converted into steam. The CO2 /CO separate the molten metal from the mold.

Mixing of molding materials should ensure uniform distribution of clay, moisture and other
constituents between the sand grains ensure better qualities in the sand.

Tempering of sand

To prepare foundry sand it should be tempered and cut through. The process by which
sufficient moisture is added to the molding sand is known as sand tempering. To temper the sand, water is
thrown over the heap in a sheet by giving a backward swing to the pail as the water leaves it. Then the
sand is cut through layer by layer letting the air through the clay in the sand.

Sand conditioning
New sand as well as used sand must be properly conditioned before being used. Proper sand
conditioning accomplishes uniform distribution of the binder around the sand grains, controls the
moisture content, eliminates foreign particles, and aerates the sand so that it flows readily around and
takes up the detail of the pattern. It renders sand suitable for ramming.

SAND TESTING METHODS

Foundry sand testing is a foundry process used to determine if the foundry sand has the correct
properties for a certain casting process. The sand is used to make moulds and cores via a pattern. In a sand
casting foundry there are broadly two reasons for rejection of the casting — metal and sand — each of
which has a large number of internal variables. The defects arising from the sand can be prevented by
using sand testing equipment to measure the various properties of the sand.

A basic set of parameters to test are:

A. Moisture content in the mixture (ranges from 2-7% depending on the casting method)
B. Clay content (dust content)
C. Fineness number (grain size/AFS Number) of the base sand
D. Permeability (ability of compacted mould to pass air through it)
E. Strength
18
 i. Green and Dry compression
ii. Green Tensile
iii. Green and Dry Sheer
iv. Bending

F. Hot Strength
G. Refractoriness
H. Mold Hardness

SAND TESTING METHODS

The moulding sand should be tested for its composition and properties.

The essential tests are:

1. Grain fineness test

2. Moisture content test
3. Clay-content test
4. Permeability test
5. Compression strength test
6. Mould and core hardness test

Grain Fineness test

Grain fineness is designated by a number

called grain fineness number. Grain fineness
number corresponds to the number of meshes in a
standard diameter sieve. The test is conducted with
the standard set of sieves, which are numbered
according to their fineness of mesh. These sieves
are fixed into a motor-driven shaker in the order of
coarse sieve to fine (Figure).A sample of dry sand,
free from clay is placed on the upper sieve and the
sieve is vibrated for 15 min. The amount retained in
the sieve is computed on a percentage basis. This
percentage figure is multiplied with multiplier
(which is given to each sieve). The product of this
multiplication is added to obtain the total product.
Then the grain fineness number is calculated as follows:

Total product
Grain fineness number = --------------------------------------------------------------------
Total percentage of sand retained on each sieve

19
Moisture Content test

The moisture content is calculated by measuring the

difference in weight between moist and dry sand. The drying of
moist sand is carried out at 105º C and 110º C in a heated oven
and then cooled to room temperature. Figure shows the sand
moisture drying device.

As the conventional method is time consuming and

cumbersome, direct reading instruments are often used to
quickly assess the moisture content such as:

1. Moisture teller
2. Moisture meter

Moisture Teller

This instrument blows hot air for 3 min through the 5g moist
sand, which is placed in a pan. The bottom of the pan is a 500-
mesh metal screen. Moisture is effectively removed and a
precision balance determines the loss of weight of the sample
(Figure).

Moisture Meter

This instrument shows the moist content of the

sand instantly. The instrument contains two arms. These
arms are inserted into the moist sand and the electric
current is passed through (via arms) the sand. The
current flows easily when the moist content is more and
gives the level of moist content. Another type of direct
reading instrument is shown in figure, which uses a fixed
weight for ramming the sand sample.

20
Clay-content test

In this test, a sample of 50 g sand is agitated in water so as to separate clay from the sand
particles, and then remove the clay which fails to settle down within the period of 5 min in
distilled water at room temperature. The equipment consists of a drying oven, a balance and
weights, and a sand washer. Fifty grams of dry sand is taken in a wash bottle. Then 47cc of
distilled water and 25 cc of a 3% caustic soda solution are added to this sand. This mixture is
stirred for 5 min in a rapid sand stirrer for 1 h in a sand washer (rotating type). Then it is allowed
to rest .after 5 min, the material on top of the water is collected. This process is repeated until the
water is clear after 5 min settling period. Then the bottle is placed in an oven. After the sand is
dried, the difference in weight shows the amount of clay.

Permeability Test

Permeability is measured by the quantity of air that passes through a standard specimen
of sand under the given pressure (p) at prescribed time (t).The arrangement for permeability test
is shown in fig. In this test a standard rammed
5.08 x 5.08 cm2 size test-piece is used. The
equipment consists of a water tank on which an
inverted bell or air holder is floating. The
specimen tube is connected to a manometer and
air holder by tube. Mercury is used at the bottom
of the specimen to provide an airtight seal. When
the pressure in the manometer reaches 10 gm/cm2
it is closed. Permeability number is defined as
the volume of air (v) in 2000 cc air that will pass
under pressure (p) of 10 gm/cm2 through 5.08
cm2 area (a) specimen.

MOLDING MACHINES

The use of molding machines are advisable when large number of repetitive castings are to be produced
since hand molding is more time consuming. Molding machines are classified according to

1. The method of compacting the molding sand

2. The method of removing the pattern

Methods for compacting the molding sand

1. Squeezer machine
a. Top Squeezer
b. Bottom Squeezer
2. Jolt machine

21
 3. Jolt-Squeezer machine
4. Sand -Slinger

Squeezer machine: The molding sand in the flask is squeezed between the machine table and the
overhead squeeze pneumatically or hydraulically until the mold attains the desired density.

Top Squeezer: The principle of operation of a top squeezer is

illustrated in the figure. The pattern 2 is placed on a mold board which
is clamped on the table 1. The flask 3 is then placed on the mold board
and the sand frame 4 on the flask. The flask and frame are filled with
molding sand and leveled off. Next the table is raised by the table lift
mechanism against the platen 5 on the stationary squeezer head 6. The
platen enters the sand frame upto the dotted line and compacts the
molding sand. After the squeeze, the table returns to the initial position.

Bottom Squeezer: The pattern is placed on the mold board which is

clamped to the table.The flask 3 is placed on the frame 7 and is filled
with sand. Next the squeeze head is brought against the top of the flask
and the table with the pattern is raised upon the dotted line. After
squeezing, the table returns to the initial position.

Limitation: Sand is packed more densely on the top of the mold from which the pressure is applied, and
the density decreased uniformly with the depth. At the parting plane, density is the lowest.

Jolt Machine: The flask is first filled with the molding sand
and then the table supporting the flask is mechanically raised
and dropped in succession. Due to the sudden change in inertia at
the end of each fall, the sands get packed and rammed. The
action of raising and sudden dropping is called jolting.

The principle of jolting machine is illustrated in the figure in

which the table 1, with the platen and flask 3, filled with
molding sand, is raised to 30 to 80mm at short intervals by the
plunger 8 when compressed air is admitted through the hose 9
and the channel 10. The air is next released through the opening 11 and the table drops down suddenly
and strikes the guiding cylinder 12 at the bottom. This sudden action causes the sand to pack evenly
around the pattern. Springs 13 are used to cushion the table blows and thus reduce noise and prevent
destruction of the mechanism and the foundation.

Limitation: The sand is rammed hardest at the parting plane and remains less dense at the top. Therefore
after jolting hand ramming is done near the mold.

Jolt-Squeeze machine: In order to overcome the draw backs of both the squeeze and jolt principles of
ramming the sand, a combination of squeeze and jolt action is often employed. A jolting action is used to
consolidate the sand on the face of the pattern and it is followed by a squeezing action to impart the
desired density throughout the mass of the sand.
22
Sand Slinger: In this operation, the consolidation and ramming are obtained by the impact of sand which
falls at a very high velocity.

The principle of sand slinger is shown in the figure. The overhead impeller
head consists of the housing in which the blade rotates at a very high speed.
The sand is delivered to the impeller through the opening by means of
conveyor buckets. The impeller head by the rotation of the blade throws the
sand through the outlet down the flask over the pattern at a range of 500 to
2000kg per minute. The desnisty of the sand can be controlled by the speed of
the blade.

This is used for medium sized castings. Hardness can be controlled by sound velocity.

Methods of removing the pattern

1. Straight Draw molding machine

2. Stripping plate molding machine
3. Turn-over molding machine

Straight Draw molding machine: In this machine, the pattern 1 is

fixed on the pattern plate 3 on the table 5 and the flask or molding
box 2 is placed over it and filled with sand. It is then roughly rammed
round the edges of the box. The squeeze head is next swung over in a
position and it squeezes the mold. The flask is then lifted from the
pattern by stripping pins 6.

Stripping plate molding machine: In this the stripping plate 4

arranged between the flask 2 and pattern plate 3. The stripping plate has
a recess whose contours equal those of the pattern 1. When the mold is
ready the pattern is withdrawn from the mold downwards through the
stripping plate, which supports the mold when the pattern is removed.

Turn-over molding machine: This is used for large size,

high molds, having parts which might easily break away. The
flask 2 rests on the pattern plate 3 during the molding
operation. Then the flask together with the work table 5 is
rotated 180° and pins 6 lift the table 5 together with the
pattern 1 out of the mold.

23
 MELTING FURNACES

Cupola Furnace

A cupola furnace basically consists of a

cylindrical steel shell with both its top and bottom
being open. The inner walls of the shell are lined
with heat resisting materials such as the fire brick.
The bottom opening is closed by a cast iron drop
bottom door supported by a metal prop. This door
swings out after the melting when the metal prop
support is removed.

After closing the bottom door, a sloping

sand bed is prepared for giving the necessary heat
resistant bottom for the molten metal and the fuel.
Just above the sand bed is the metal tapping hole
through which the molten metal is taken out and
poured into the ladle. A spout called the tapping
spout is provided for guiding the molten metal out.
Above the tapping hole and opposite to it is a hole
with a spout for removing the slag generated
during the melting. It is called the slag hole.

Above the slag hole is the wind box which

surrounds the cupola shell and supplies air at a
given pressure and quantity. Air comes to the
wind box through the air blast pipe from the air
blower. Air enters into the cupola furnace through
the tuyeres which extend through the steel shell
and the refractory lining. The number of tuyeres
and their spacing along the circumference of the
shell varies with the size of the cupola furnace.

A cupola furnace is provided with a

charging platform or floor and a charging door for
feeding the charges. The charge consists of pig-
iron, scrap iron, coke and fluxes. At its top, the
cupola furnace has a metal shield or a spark
arrester. It arrests the spark or burning particles
from going outside while allowing the hot gases to
escape out.

24
Zones of the Cupola funace:-

A. Well: It extends up to the bottom of the tuyeres from the sand bed. It is a sort of well of molten
iron. Molten iron collects in this zone before tapping.

B. Combustion Zone ‘or’ Oxidizing zone:- (Super heating zone) . This zone starts from the tuyeres
and extends upto 15-30 cms above the top of the tuyeres. Combustion takes place in this zone
with the aid of oxygen from the air blast. Some exhothermic reactions which occur in this zone
are:

C + O2 CO2 + Heat

Mn + O2 MnO2 + Heat

Si + O2 SiO2 + Heat

The temperature of this zone varies from 1550 – 1850° C

C. Reducing Zone:- The reducing zone starts from the top of the combustion zone and extends upto
the bottom of the first metal charge. In this zone, the endothermic reaction of reducing CO2 to
CO takes place.

CO2 + C (coke) 2 CO – Heat

This reduces the heat in this zone and the temperature of the zone is around 1200°C.

D. Melting Zone:- Melting zone starts with the first layer of the metal charge and extends upto 90
cms or less. The metal charge melts in this zone and moves down the well. The temperature of
this zone is around 1600 and the following reaction which adds to up the carbon content of metal
takes place.

3Fe + 2CO Fe3 C + CO2

E. Pre-heating zone:- Preheating zone starts from the top of the melting zone and extends upto the
charging door. The charge in this zone is preheated by the hot gases such as CO2, CO and N2.
Moving upwards from the combustion and the reducing zone.

F. Stack Zone:- Stack zone extends from the end of the preheating zone to the end of the cupola
shell and includes the spark arrester. Hot gases from the cupola pass though the stack zone and
escape to the atmosphere through the spark arrester.

G. At the top conical cap called the spark arrest is provided to prevent the spark emerging to outside

Advantages of Cupola:-

 Simple design and easier construction

 Low initial cost as compared to other furnaces of same capacity
 Simple to operate and maintain in good condition

25
  Economy of operation and maintenance
 Less floor space requirements as compared to those of other furnaces of same capacity.
 Cupola can be continuously operated for many hours.

Limitations of Cupola:-

Since molten metal and coke come in contact with each other, certain elements like Si and Mn are lost
while others like sulphur are picked up. This changes the final analysis of molten iron.

Direct fuel-fired furnaces

A direct fuel fired furnace contains a small open hearth in which the metal charge is heated by fuel
burners located on the side of the furnace. The roof of the furnace assists the heating action by reflecting
the flame down against the charge. The typical fuel is natural gas and the combustion products either the
furnace through the stack.
At the bottom of the hearth is a tap hole to release the molten metal. Direct fuel-fired furnaces are
generally used in casting for melting non-ferrous metals such as copper based alloys and aluminium.

Crucible furnace

These furnaces melt the metal without direct contact with the
burning fuel mixture. For this reason, they are sometimes called
indirect fuel-fired furnaces.
Different types of crucible furnaces are:
 Lift-out
 Stationary
 Tilting
They all utilize a container ( crucible) like pot made out of a
suitable refractory material ( ex: clay-graphite mixture or high temperature steel alloy) to hold the charge.

In lift out crucible furnace, the crucible is placed in a furnace and heated
sufficiently to melt the charge. Oil, gas and powdered coal are typical
fuels for these furnaces. When the metal is melted, the cruible is lifted out
of the furnace and used as a pouring ladle.

The other two-types, sometimes referred to as pot furnaces have the

heating furnace and containers as one integrated unit. In the stationary pot
furnace, the furnace is stationary and the molten metal is ladled out of the
container. In the tilting –pot furnace, the entire assembly can be tilted for pouring. Crucible furnaces are
used for non-ferrous metals such as bronze, brass and alloys of zinc and aluminium. Furnace capacities
are generally limited to several hundred pounds.

Electric Arc Furnace

An electric arc furnace is a system that heats charged

material by means of an electric arc struck between carbon
electrodes and the metal bar. Temperatures inside an electric
arc furnace can rise to approximately 2000°C.

26
Arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one ton capacity used in foundries for
producing cast iron products to about 400 tonnes units used for secondary steel making.

Electric arc furnaces may be categorized as direct arc or indirect arc. Both types of units are suited for
melting of high melting point alloys such as steel. They may be lined with acid or basic refractory
depending type of steel to be melted.

Induction Furnace

Induction heating is a heating method. The heating by

the induction method occurs when an electrically
conductive material is placed in a varying magnetic
field. Induction heating is a rapid form of heating in
which a current is induced directly into the part being
heated. Induction heating is a non-contact form of
heating.

The heating system in an induction furnace includes:

1. Induction heating power supply,

2. Induction heating coil,
3. Water-cooling source, which cools the coil
and several internal components inside the
power supply.

The induction heating power supply sends alternating current through the induction coil, which generates
a magnetic field. Induction furnaces work on the principle of a transformer. An alternative
electromagnetic field induces eddy currents in the metal which converts the electric energy to heat
without any physical contact between the induction coil and the work piece. A schematic diagram of
induction furnace is shown. The furnace contains a crucible surrounded by a water cooled copper coil.
The coil is called primary coil to which a high frequency current is supplied. By induction secondary
currents, called eddy currents are produced in the crucible. High temperature can be obtained by this
method. Induction furnaces are of two types: cored furnace and coreless furnace. Cored furnaces are used
almost exclusively as holding furnaces. In cored furnace the electromagnetic field heats the metal
between two coils. Coreless furnaces heat the metal via an external primary coil.

Advantages of Induction Furnace

 Induction heating is a clean form of heating

 High rate of melting or high melting efficiency
 Alloyed steels can be melted without any loss of alloying elements
 Controllable and localized heating

Disadvantages of Induction Furnace

 High capital cost of the equipment

 High operating cost

27
 SPECIAL CASTING PROCESSES

SHELL-MOLDING

- The mould is formed from a mixture of fine sand (100-150 mesh) and a thermosetting resin
binder that is placed against a heated metal pattern, preferably made of grey cast iron.

- When the mixture is heated in this manner,

the resin cures, causing the sand grains to adhere to
each other forming sturdy shell that conforms exactly
to the dimensions and shape of the pattern and
constitutes half of a mould.

- After the shell has been cured and stripped

from the pattern, any cores required are set, the two
halves of the mould are secured together, placed in a
flask and backup material added; then the mould is
ready for pouring.
- In actual practice, the metal pattern is heated to about 200 to 300º C, the melting point of resin.
Then after a silicon parting agent is sprayed on the surface, the resin and sand mixture is deposited on the
pattern by blowing or dumping.
- The resin starts melting and, in a few seconds, forms together with the sand a uniform and resin-
soaked layer of about 4 to 12 mm in thickness, depending on the heating period.
- The pattern is then turned over to allow the unbounded sand to be removed, leaving the shell on
the pattern. The shell is then stripped mechanically and once more heated for 3 to 5 minutes in a special
oven to cure the plastic material. The curing takes place at temperatures of up to about 420º C, depending
on the type of resin used.
- In this way, stable shell moulds are obtained which are made in two sections. Both sections are
matched and joined by guides to obtain the casting mould. Finally, they are placed in a metal case, and
surrounded by about 37 mm of steel shot, sand and other backup material to support them during pouring.
The gates, sprues and risers are usually a part of the mould.
Advantages :

1. More productivity
2. Saving of material
3. Thin sections can be cast
4. Machining of castings is reduced
5. Tooling costs are reduced
6. Close dimensional tolerance and better surface finish can be obtained.
7. Floor space and sand quantity are reduced.
8. Shells can be stored and transported easily.
9. Unskilled labour can be employed.
10. Process can be used for all cast metals.

28
 Limitations :

1. High pattern cost.

2. High resin cost.
3. High equipment cost.
4. Uneconomical for small runs.
5. Maximum casting size and weight are limited.

INVESTMENT MOULD CASTING

It consists mainly of two stages which are illustrated in fig. First, a master pattern is made
of wood or metal around which a mould is formed. It does not consist of mould sand but of
gelatine or an alloy of low melting point which is poured over the master pattern. This master
mould consists of the usual two sections and thus can be opened. It is used for making the “lost
pattern”.

Figure Investment moulding in stages

The master mould is then filled with liquid wax, with a thermoplastic material liquefied by
heating or with mercury. The heated materials become solid when they are cooled to normal
room temperature. If mercury is used, the master mould must be cooled down to about-60º C
(freezing up) to become solid.

The second pattern produced in this way is used for preparing the casting mould properly. The
expandable wax pattern is coated with slurry consisting of silica flour and small amounts of
kaolin and graphite mixed with water. This process is referred to as the “investment” of the
pattern.

29
However, the pattern is then used to make up moulds similar to those used in the conventional
moulding process, but the pattern within the mould is not taken out of the mould which is not
opened after this moulding process. This is the reason why a high precision is achieved in
casting.

The finished mould is dried in air for 2 to 3 hours and then baked in an oven for about 2 hours to
melt out the wax. At a temperature of 100º to 120º C, the wax melts and runs through a hole in
the bottom plate in to a tray, thus providing a cavity of high dimensional accuracy for the casting
process. After this the mould is sintered at about 1000ºC to improve its resistivity. Finally, it is
cooled down to a temperature between 900º and 700ºC for casting.

It is possible to combine several hundred lost patterns of small workpieces into what is called a
“bunch of patterns” by one common gate, make one combined mould, and cast them in one
common process.

Investment castings produced by this process have a good surface finish and are exact
reproduction of the master pattern. This is used for casting turbine plates, parts of motor-cars,
sewing machines, typewriters, and calculating machines, as well as for various instruments.

Advantages:
1. Smooth surface can be produced with close tolerances
2. High dimensional accuracy
3. Complicated shape can be produced
4. Machining operation can be eliminated.

Disadvantages
1. Process is relatively slow
2. Use of cores makes the process more difficult
3. The process is relatively expensive than other process
4. Pattern is expendable
5. Size limitation of the components part to be cast- majority of cast products is below 05kg.

Plaster Mould Casting

In plaster mold casting, a plaster, usually gypsum or calcium sulfate, is mixed with talc, sand, asbestos,
and sodium silicate and water to form a slurry. This slurry is sprayed on the polished surfaces of the
pattern halves (usually brass). The slurry sets in less than 15 minutes to form the mold. The mold halves
are extracted carefully from the pattern, and then dried in an oven.

The mold halves are carefully assembled, along with the cores. The molten metal is poured in the molds.
After the metals cools down, the plaster is broken and the cores washed out.

30
Parts cast are usually small to medium size, ranging in weight from 30 g (1 oz) to 7 kg (15 lb). The
section thickness can be as small as 0.6 mm (0.025 in) and tolerances are 0.2 % linear. The draft
allowance is 0.5-1.0 degree. The surface finish is 1.25 µm to 3 µm (50 µin to 125 µin) rms.

Low temperature melting materials such as aluminum, copper, magnesium and zinc can be cast using this
process. This process is used to make quick prototype parts as well as limited production parts.

Advantages:

1. Warping and distortion of thin sections can be avoided since plaster has no chilling tendency due
to low rate of heat conductivity.
2. A high degree of dimensional accuracy and surface finish is obtained and machining cost is
therefore eliminated.
3. Highly suitable for reproduction of fine form and detail as are necessary for ornamental casting,
statues, jewellery, etc.

Disadvantages:

1. Low permeability of plaster of paris.

2. Suitable only for nonferrous castings as plaster of paris destroys at 1200ºC.

CERAMIC MOULDING

Similar to plaster mold casting, the pattern used in ceramic mold casting is made of plaster, plastic,
wood, metal or rubber. A slurry of ceramic is poured over the pattern. It hardens rapidly to the
consistency of rubber. This can be peeled of the pattern, reassembled as a mold. The volatiles are
removed using a flame torch or in a low temperature oven. It is then baked in a furnace at about 1000 °C
(1832 °F) yielding a ceramic mold, capable of high temperature pours. Additionally, the pour can take
place while the mold is until hot.

Tolerances can be held to 0.4 %, surface finishes can be better than 2 - 4 µm (.075 - .15 µin). Add 0.3 mm
(.012 in) for parting line tolerances. Wall thickness can be as small as 1.25 mm (.050 in), and the weights
can range from 60 g (2oz) to a ton. Draft allowance of 1° is recommended.

This process is expensive, but can eliminate secondary machining operations. Typical parts made from
this process include impellers made from stainless steel, bronze, complex cutting tools, plastic mold
tooling.

Advantages:
1. Highest precision and accuracy obtained
2. Suitable of all types of cast metals including titanium and uranium.
3. Castings do not normally need risers, venting or chilling a cooling is very slow.

Disadvantages:
1. Impractical to control dimensional accuracy
2. Process is expensive.

31
 CARBON-DI – OXIDE (CO2) MOULDING

Basically, CO2molding is the hardening process for molds and cores. If CO2 is passed through a sand mix
containing sodium silicate, the sand becomes strongly bonded by silica gel immediately. The chemical
reaction is as follows:

Na2+(x) SiO2+xH2O+CO2 Na2CO3+SiO2+(x)H2O

Where x is 2,3,4,or 5.
Strength of the sand rises with the grain fineness
measured upto 80mesh size. After that it decreases and
reaches zero with 120 mesh size.

However that strength of the fine sand can be increased

by CO2 method by hardening. The sand is thoroughly
mixed with 3-5% of sodium silicate liquid base binder for
3-4 minutes. Other additives such as coal powder, wood
flour, sea coal, and dextrin may be added to obtain
certain specific properties. The suitable sand mixture can
be packed around the pattern in the flask or in the core
box.

After the packing is complete, CO2 gas is forced into the

mould at a pressure of 1.45kgf/cm2 (142KN/m2) for a
specified time. The reaction takes place and the compressive strength of sand mixture reaches maximum
value when a critical amount of gas is passed.

CO2 requirement can be calculated by the amount of sodium silicate. For every 1 kg of sodium silicate,
0.5-0.75 kg of gas is required. Over-gassing is wasteful and may deteriorate the sand. It will be effective
only when the gases present in the poured holes is completely evacuated by CO2 The flow rate of CO2 gas
determines the depth of penetration.

After this the hardness is further increased by placing the mould in free atmosphere for a short while.
Sometimes it is heated to around 200°C to creased hardness. The patterns commonly used are made of
wood, metal or plastic.
Advantages
1. Eliminates baking ovens and core driers
2. Moulds and cores can be used immediately and therefore productivity is more.
3. Floor requirement is less.
4. Greater dimensional accuracy
5. Suitable for heavy and rush orders
6. Semi-skilled labour can be used.

Limitation
1. Sand cannot be resused
2. More expensive
3. Life is short
4. Poor collapsibility
5. Shake out properties are poor.
32
 DIE CASTING

Die-casting is similar to permanent mold casting except that the metal is injected into the mold under high
pressure of 10-210Mpa (1,450-30,500) psi . This results in a more uniform part, generally good surface
finish and good dimensional accuracy, as good as 0.2 % of casting dimension. For many parts, post-
machining can be totally eliminated, or very light machining may be required to bring dimensions to size.

Die-casting can be done using a cold chamber or hot chamber process.

In a cold chamber process, the molten metal is ladled into the cold chamber for each shot. There is less
time exposure of the melt to the plunger walls or the plunger. This is particularly useful for metals such as
Aluminum, and Copper (and its alloys) that alloy easily with Iron at the higher temperatures.

In a hot chamber process the pressure chamber is connected to the die cavity is immersed permanently in
the molten metal. The inlet port of the pressurizing cylinder is uncovered as the plunger moves to the
open (unpressurized) position. This allows a new charge of molten metal to fill the cavity and thus can fill
the cavity faster than the cold chamber process. The hot chamber process is used for metals of low
melting point and high fluidity such as tin, zinc, and lead that tend not to alloy easily with steel at their
melt temperatures.

Die-casting processes may be divided into the following types:

1. Gravity die-casting
2. Low pressure die-casting
3. High pressure die-casting
a. Hot chamber die casting
b. Cold chamber die casting
4. Centrifugal casting
a. True centrifugal casting
b. Semi-centrifugal casting
c. Centrifuge casting
5. Continuous casting

Gravity Die Casting

Metal is poured directly into the mold by hand. The

casting is removed as soon as the metal has solidified.
The hot, relatively soft castings that could easily distort
are stacked on racks to cool. The mold is then blown
clean.

In gravity die-casting, the two parts of the die are split

along a joint line passing through the die cavity. The
running, feeding and venting systems are provided in the
same plane. Dies are provided with various arrangements such as pin locators, clamping devices and
ejection systems for casting removal. To prevent the casting from sticking to the mold, graphite is coated
to reduce the casting’s tendency to stick to the mold. The mold is held at a temperature of 260° C.
33
Mechanical properties are improved by chilling effect of the metal mold. This ensures even flow of metal
within the mold cavity. The gravity type is limited to basically non-ferrous alloys namely, aluminium,
copper or magnesium. Iron and steel can also be cast using graphite molds.

Advantages:
1. Higher production rate
2. Closer dimensional tolerances
3. Good surface finish
4. Tensile strength and ductility are considerably higher than sand castings
5. Less floor space required
6. Minimum total cost for high volume

Disadvantages
1. Non economical in small runs
2. Initial cost is high
3. Suitable only for fluid alloys owing to high freezing rates obtained in metal molds.

Low Pressure Die-Casting

In this process, first, a metal die is positioned above

a sealed furnace containing molten metal. A
refractory-lined riser extends from the bottom of the
die into the molten metal. Low pressure air (15-
100kPa, 2-15 psi) is then introduced into the
furnace. This makes the molten metal rise up to the
tube and enter the die cavity with low turbulence.
After the metal has solidified, the air pressure is
released so that the molten metal in the riser tube to
fall back into the furnace. After subsequent cooling,
the die is opened and the casting extracted.

High quality castings of aluminium alloys, along with magnesium and other low melting point
alloys are usually produced through the process. Castings of aluminium in the weight range of
2-150 kg are commonly done.

High Pressure Die Casting

Here, the liquid metal is injected with high speed and high pressure into the metal mold. The basic
equipment consists of two vertical platens. The bolsters are placed on these platens and this holds the die
halves. Out of the two platens, one is fixed and the other movable.This helps the die to open and close. A
specific amount of metal is poured into the shot sleeve and afterwards introduced into the mold cavity.
This is done using a hydraulically-driven piston. After the metal has solidified, the die is opened and the
casting eventually removed.

Types of High Pressure Die Casting:

 Hot Chamber Process

 Cold Chamber Process
34
Both the processes are described below. The only difference between the two processes is the method
being used to inject molten metal into the die.

Hot Chamber Process

The hot-chamber process is applicable only for zinc and other low melting point alloys that does not
affect and erode metal pots cylinders and plungers. The basic components of a hot-chamber die-casting
machine and die are illustrated below:

Figure Die casting machines

(a) Hot chamber die-casting (b) Cold chamber die-casting

The molten metal for casting is placed in the holding furnace at the required temperature adjacent
to(sometimes as part of the machine itself) the machine. The injection mechanism is placed within the
holding furnace and most of its part is in constant touch with the molten metal. When pressure is
transmitted by the injection piston, the metal is forced through the gooseneck into the die. On the return
stroke, the metal is drawn towards the gooseneck for the next shot.

This process ensures minimum contact between air and the metal to be injected. The tendency for
entrainment of air in the metal during injection is also minimized. This process is limited to metals, which
melt below 800° F (427° C). The hot chamber machine is used for zinc die-casting, but may also cast tin
and lead. The hot chamber machine operates at high speeds. It is possible for a machine to make 500
shots per hour on small castings.

Cold Chamber Die-Casting The difference of this process with

the hot-chamber process is that the injection system is not
submerged in molten metal. On the contrary, metal gets transferred
by ladle, manually or automatically, to the shot sleeve. The metal is
pushed into the die by a hydraulically operated plunger. This
process minimises the contact time between the injector
components and the molten metal, which extends the life of the
components. However the entrainment of air into the metal
generally associated with high-speed injection can cause gas
35
porosity in the castings. In the cold chamber machine, injection pressures over 10,000 psi or 70,000 KPa
is obtainable. Generally steel castings along with aluminium and copper based alloys are produced by this
method

Advantages:
1. Higher production rate
2. Closer dimensional tolerance
3. Good surface finish
4. Less floor space required
5. Minimum unit cost
Limitations:
1. Not economical in small runs
2. High initial cost
3. Restricted size of casting.

CENTRIFUGAL CASTING

Centrifugal casting as a category includes

Centrifugal Casting, Semi-Centrifugal
Casting and Centrifuging.

Centrifugal Casting: In centrifugal casting,

a permanent mold is rotated about its axis at
high speeds (300 to 3000 rpm) as the molten
metal is poured. The molten metal is
centrifugally thrown towards the inside mold
wall, where it solidifies after cooling. The
casting is usually a fine grain casting with a
very fine-grained outer diameter, which is
resistant to atmospheric corrosion, a typical
situation with pipes. The inside diameter has
more impurities and inclusions, which can be machined away. The mold can be rotated about a vertical,
horizontal or an inclined axis or about its horizontal and vertical axes simultaneously. The length and
outside diameter are fixed by the mold cavity dimensions while the inside diameter is determined by the
amount of molten metal poured into the mold.

Only cylindrical shapes can be produced with Semi centrifugal

this process. Size limits are upto 3 m (10
feet) diameter and 15 m (50 feet) length. casting
Wall thickness can be 2.5 mm to 125 mm
(0.1 - 5.0 in). The tolerances that can be held
on the OD can be as good as 2.5 mm (0.1 in)
and on the ID can be 3.8 mm (0.15 in). The
surface finish ranges from 2.5 mm to 12.5
mm (0.1 - 0.5 in) rms.Typical materials that
36
can be cast with this process are iron, steel, stainless steels, and alloys of aluminum, copper and nickel.
Two materials can be cast by introducing a second material during the process. Typical parts made by this
process are pipes, boilers, pressure vessels, flywheels, cylinder liners and other parts that are axi-
symmetric.

Semi-Centrifugal Casting: The molds used can be permanent or expendable, can be stacked as
necessary. The rotational speeds are lower than those used in centrifugal casting. The center axis of the
part has inclusion defects as well as porosity and thus is suitable only for parts where this can be
machined away. This process is used for making wheels, nozzles and similar parts where the axis of the
part is removed by subsequent machining.

Centrifuging: Centrifuging is used for forcing metal from a central axis of the equipment into individual
mold cavities that are placed on the circumference. This provides a means of increasing the filling
pressure within each mold and allows for reproduction of intricate details. This method is often used for
the pouring of investment casting pattern.

Advantages:
1. Formation of hollow interiors in cylinders without cores.
2. Less material required for gate.
3. Fine grained structure at the outer surface of the casting free of gas and shrinkage cavities and
porosity.
Disadvantages:
1. More segregation of alloy components during pouring under the forces of rotation
2. Contamination of internal surfaces with non-metallic inclusions.
3. Inaccurate internal diameter.

Comparison of various types of casting process

Process Advantages Disadvantages Examples

Sand Wide range of metals, poor finish, wide engine blocks,
sizes, shapes, low cost tolerance cylinder heads
Shell mold better accuracy, finish, limited part size connecting rods,
higher production rate gear housings
Expendable Wide range of metals, patterns have low cylinder heads, brake
pattern sizes, shapes strength components
Plaster mold complex shapes, good non-ferrous metals, prototypes of
surface finish low production rate mechanical parts
Ceramic mold complex shapes, high small sizes impellers, injection
accuracy, good finish mold tooling
Investment complex shapes, small parts, jewellery
excellent finish expensive
Permanent mold good finish, low Costly mold, gears, gear housings
porosity, high simpler shapes
production rate only
Die Excellent dimensional costly dies, small precision gears,
accuracy, high parts, camera bodies, car
production rate non-ferrous metals wheels
Centrifugal Large cylindrical Expensive, limited pipes, boilers,
parts, good quality shapes flywheels
37
 Continuous Casting

Continuous casting, also called strand

casting, is the process whereby molten
metal is solidified into a "semifinished"
billet, bloom, or slab for subsequent
rolling in the finishing mills. Prior to
the introduction of continuous casting
in the 1950s, steel was poured into
stationary molds to form ingots. Since
then, "continuous casting" has evolved
to achieve improved yield, quality,
productivity and cost efficiency. It
allows lower-cost production of metal
sections with better quality, due to the
inherently lower costs of continuous,
standardised production of a product, as
well as providing increased control over
the process through automation. This
process is used most frequently to cast
steel (in terms of tonnage cast).
Aluminium and copper are also
continuously cast.

Molten metal is poured steadily from

the top of the tower into a long mold
and cooled by water. The passage of
steel through the mold is so controlled
that the metal engages from the other end in the shape of products of a primary rolling mill. The main task
is to devise a mold that will withstand the heat and fasten the solidifying steel into desired shape without
obstructing its steady flow. Copper is normally used with efficient cooling system.

Advantages Limitations
1. High rate of production 1. Not economical in small runs
2. Closer dimensional accuracy 2. High initial cost
3. Good surface finish
4. Less cost of production

38
 SAND CASTING DEFECTS

A properly designed casting, a properly prepared mould and correctly melted metal should result
in a defect free casting. However, if proper control is not exercised in the foundry, a variety of defects
may result in the casting. Defective castings, even at advanced foundries, account for 2 to 5% and
sometimes from 10 to 25% of the number of produced castings.

Classification of Defects:

Classification may be made by grouping the defects under certain broad types of origins, such as those
caused due to improper

 Patterns and molding box equipment (mismatch or mold shift, improper wall thickness, etc)
 materials used for molding and core making
 I sand mixing and distribution
 Molding, core making and gating
 Drying and core baking
 Closing of molds
 Molten metal
 Heat treatment , And other reasons being Warpage, during fettling etc.

Some of the common defects discussed below are:

1. Blow Holes: Blow holes are smooth, round holes appearing in the form of a cluster of a large
number of small holes below the surface of a casting. These are entrapped bubbles of gases with
smooth walls. Blow holes are caused by excessive moisture in the sand, or when permeability of
sand is low, sand grains are too fine, sand is reamed too hard, or when venting is insufficient.
Blowhole is a kind of cavities defect, which is also divided into pinhole and
subsurface blowhole. Pinhole is very tiny hole. Subsurface blowhole only
can be seen after machining. To prevent blow holes, the moisture content in
sand must be well adjusted, and of proper grain size should be used,
ramming should not be too hard and venting should be adequate.

2. Misrun or short run: These defects occur due to incomplete cavity filling. The reasons could be
inadequate metal supply, too low mold or melt temperature, improperly designed gates or length
to thickness ration of the casting is too large.

39
3. Cold Shut: It is an interface within the casting that is formed when two metal streams meet
without complete fusion. The causes are same as for misrun.

4. Mismatch: Mismatch is a shift of the individual parts of

a casting with respect to each other. This may occur due
to mold shift or core shift. The causes can be an
improper assembly of the two halves of the mold,
wearing of pin bushes and pins and dimensional
discrepancy between the core prints of the pattern and
core prints of the core.

5. Fin: A thin projection of a metal, not intended as a part of the casting is called the fin. Fins
usually occur at the parting of the mold or core sections. Molds and cores incorrectly assembled
will cause fins. Insufficient weighting of the molds or improper clamping of flasks may also
produce fins.

6. Metal Penetration and Rough Surface: This defect appears as an uneven and rough external
surface of the casting. The metal penetration between the sand grains occurs due to low strength,
large grain size, high permeability and soft ramming of the sand.

7. Drop (Crush): Drop or crush in a mold is an irregularly shaped

projection on the cope surface of a casting. This defect is caused by the
break away of a pair of mold sand as a result of weak packing of the
mold. Low strength of the molding sand, malfunctioning of the mold
equipment, strong jolts and strikes of flask when assembling the mold.
The loose sand that falls into the cavity will also cause a dirty casting
surface, either on the top or bottom surface of the casting, depending
on the relative densities of sand.

8. Run Out: Run out is the defect of metal leaking out of the mold during pouring. This defect
occurs due to faulty molding and faulty flask equipment.

9. Cut or wash: 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.

10. Shrinkage Cavity: It is a depression or an internal void in a casting that

results from the volume contraction that occurs during solidification.

40
11. Hard spots: This defect occurs only with certain metals such as grey CI with insufficient silicon.
Such metals may become hardened by the chilling effect of molding sand, which results in
machining difficulties.
12. Sponginess or Honeycombing: It is an external defect, consisting of a
number of small cavities in close proximity, which usually come through
and are apparent in the surface. Caused by ‘dirt’ and ‘inclusions’ held
mechanically in suspension in the molten metal and is due to imperfect
skimming of slag in the ladle and incorrect gating design. The impurities
being lighter than the metal, rise to the upper part of the casting,
often accompanied by bubbles of gas if the venting in not proper.

13. Tat-Tail, Buckle and Scab: A rat tail, buckle, and

scab all originate in the same way and differ mainly in
degree. They are caused by uncontrolled expansion of
the sand. If the condition is not too bad, a rat tail is
formed. The surface of the sand buckles up in an
irregular line that makes the casting look as though a rat has dragged his tail over it. If sand
expansion is even greater, the defect is called a buckle. If it is still worse so that molten metal can
get behind the buckled sand, it is a scab.

14. Swell: • A swell is an enlargement or bulging of the casting surface resulting from liquid metal
pressure. It occurs due to poor ramming of the mould or not properly reinforcing deep moulds.
Swells can be avoided by proper ramming of the sand and providing adequate support to the
mould.

15. Hot Tear: They are internal and external cracks having ragged edges
occuring immediately after the metal has solidified. Hot rears may be
produced if the casting is poorly designed and abrupt sectional changes
takes place, no proper fillets and corner radii are provided, and chills ar
wrongly placed, incorrect pouring temperatures and improper placing
of gates and risers.

41
 INSPECTION AND TESTING OF CASTINGS

The aims of inspection and testing of castings are to prevent defective castings being supplied from the
foundry and to reduce the percentage of inevitable processing defects.
The various inspection and testing procedures are

1. Visual Inspection: By naked eye, identify defects such as misrun, cracks, warping, etc.
2. Dimensional Inspection: Dimensions are checked by measuring tools.
3. Metallurgical Control: Chemical composition, mechanical and other properties are determined
in the laboratory
4. Pressure Testing: Water or air pressure test to identify leakage in vessels, cylinders or joints.
5. Radio-Graphical Testing: Internal defects in a casting such as cracks, voids, cavities and
porosity, etc as well as surface cracks can be revealed by radio-graphic inspection using X-rays
and γ-rays.

In X-ray testing, short wave length rays from an X-ray tube are passed through the casting and
recorded . It the casting has an internal defect, the density of the materials at that spot will be less
as compared to the surroundings. This area will allow more penetration of the rays. This will
result in the appearance of a dark shadow on the X-ray film reproducing the contour of the defect.
The power source used for X-ray tube is a high voltage source: 200KV for casting thickness upto
50mm and one million volts for a thickness from 50 to 180mm.

γ-ray testing is used for checking heavy-walled castings since these rays are more penetrating and
less scattering as compared to X-rays. γ-rays radiate from radium or its salts contained in a
capsule.

6. Magnetic Testing: In this method, the casting to be tested is magnetized and then placed between
the poles of an electro-magnet or in the magnetic field of a solenoid coil. The energized coil is
now moved along the casting. If the coil comes across a defect on its way, the magnetic flux
changes its direction and induces an emf in the coil turns, the value of which shows up on the
galvanometer. This method can detect cracks on the surface or slightly below the surface of a
casting. Thus, it supplements the radio-graphical methods, which ordinarily cannot detect small
cracks. However, the method can be applied to castings made from ferro-magnetic metals.

7. Magnetic Particle Testing: This method of inspection is a procedure used to determine the
presence of defects at or near the surface of ferro-magentic castings.

8. Eddy Current Inspection: In this method, the material of the casting need not be ferro-magnetic.
The test includes a probe which is supplied with high frequency current. It induces an electric
field in the casting. The field changes in the presence of surface or near surface defects. These
changes show up in the instrumentation.

42
 9. Liquid-Penetration Inspection: This method can reveal surface defects only but can be used for
any other material. The surface of the casting is thoroughly cleaned and dried. Then the liquid
penetrant is applied as sprays or by immersion. The penetrant liquid contains either a material
which will fluoresce under black light or a dye that can be visually detected. The liquid penetrant
will be readilty drawn into extremely thin cracks. The surface is cleaned and dried. Then, a
powder material called developer is sprayed on the surface. The penetrant trapped in defects
bleeds out due to blotting action and delineate defects during development. The extent of the
discontinuity in the casting surface will be proportional to the amount of penetrant bleeding out.
If a florescent penetrant is used, defects show up as a glowing yellow green dots or lines against a
dark background. In dye penetrant, defects are revealed as red dots or lines against a white
background.

10. Ultrasonic Testing: This test is based on the fact that a beam of ultrasonic waves (frequency
20000Hz) passes through a solid (dense) material with little loss but is partially reflected from
surfaces. Therefore this method can detect voids, cracks and porosity within a casting.
The ultrasonic waves are produced by the application of reverse piezo-electric effect. That is, if
an electric potential is applied across the flat ends of a crystal (quartz crystal), it will either
contract or elongate in the normal direction.

The crystal is held against a smooth surface of the casting with the help of a coupling fluid. A
high frequency AC (I million Cycles per second) is impressed across the faces of the crystal with
the help of an oscillator. The second waves produced travel through the casting. These will get
reflected from the other end of the casting and the signals are measured with a CRO.
If the casting has some flaws within it, some of the sound waves will be reflected back and will
return to the instrument earlier. The location of the defects from the testing surface may be
readily obtained by measuring the relative position of the flaw ‘pip’ between two ‘pips’
representing the metal thickness.

The tests for determining mechanical properties of the casting are called as “Destructive Testing” since
the casting that undergo these tests become unserviceable. All other tests discussed above are called as
“Non-Destructive Testing”, since the casting after the test can be used in the usual way, if found suitable.

43
 Manufacturing Technology-I
Unit-I

Two Marks Questions

1. State any four properties of molding sand.

2. List the different types of patterns used in modern foundries
3. What are chaplets?
4. What is meant by core prints?
5. Differentiate the terms mold and core.
6. Which type of furnaces are suitable for melting ferrous materials and why?
7. Write a note on chilled casting
8. Differentiate between semi centrifugal casting and centrifuge.
9. Define casting?
10. When do you make core (or) what is function of core in moulding sand?
11. Mention the specific advantages of carbon di oxide process?
12. Write the composition of good moulding sand?
13. What are the reasons for the casting defects of cold shuts and misrun?
14. Name four different casting defects.
15. How casting defects are identified?
16. Explain the core making process?

Sixteen Marks Questions

1. What are the pattern allowances? Explain briefly each.

2. Discuss the properties of moulding sand
3. Explain the CO2 process of core making state its advantages and applications.
4. State the different type of mould. Write a short note on „Green sand mould‟ and shell moulding
5. Write a neat sketch of a cupola, Explain its operate.
6. Explain with a simple sketch how metal is melted in a Electric arc furnace.
7. What are the different types of furnace used in foundry? Describe in detail with neat sketches any
one of them.
8. Explain briefly the various moulding methods used in foundries.
9. Enumerate the continuous casting defects and suggest suitable remedies.
10. Explain the various non –destructive inspection methods of cast products.

44
 UNIT II - JOINING PROCESSES
Fusion welding processes – Types of Gas welding – Equipments used – Flame
characteristics – Filler and Flux materials - Arc welding equipments - Electrodes – Coating and
specifications – Principles of Resistance welding – Spot/butt – Seam – Projection welding –
Percusion welding – GS metal arc welding – Flux cored – Submerged arc welding – Electro slag
welding – TIG welding – Principle and application of special welding processes – Plasma arc
welding – Thermit welding – Electron beam welding – Friction welding – Diffusion welding –
Weld defects – Brazing – Soldering process – Methods and process capabilities – Filler materials
and fluxes – Types of Adhesive bonding

WELDING

Welding is a process of joining two similar metals by the application of heat with or without the
application of Pressure and with or without the addition of filler metal. The process involves
melting and subsequent solidification of the material forming a continuity of strong homogeneous
material and composition of and characteristics of the two parts which are joined together. The
assemblage of parts is called a weldment.

Weldability: It is the capacity of material being welded into inseparable joints having specified
properties such as weld strength, proper structure, etc. Wedability depends on one or more of five
major factors: 1. Melting point . 2. Thermal conductivity. 3. Thermal expansion. 4. surface
condition and 5. Change in microstructure.

TYPES OF WELDING PROCESSES

There are two groups of welding processes according to the state of the base material during the
welding process:

 Fusion welding or Non pressure welding (Liquid-state welding)

 Pressure welding or plastic welding (Solid-state welding)

In the Fusion welding, the material at the joint is heated to a molten state and allowed to
solidify. Since no pressure is applied in this process, it is also known as Non pressure welding.
Addition of filler material may be required for fusion welding. This includes Gas welding, Arc
welding, Thermit welding, etc.

In the pressure welding, the pieces of metal to be joined are heated to a plastic state and then
forced together by external pressure. In this welding, two parts are jointed together under pressure
or a combination of pressure and heat. If heat is applied, the contact temperature is below the
melting point of the base metal. No filler material is required in pressure welding.

Ex: Resistance welding – Butt welding, Spot welding, Seam welding, Projection welding and
percussion welding falls under this category.

1
 WELDING PROCESSES
Gas welding Resistance welding
1. Oxy-acetylene 1. Butt
2. Oxy- hydrogen 2. Spot
3. Air-acetylene 3. Seam
4. Projection
5. Percussion
Arc welding Solid State welding
1. Carbon Arc 1. Friction
2. Metal Arc 2. Ultrasonic
3. Gas Metal Arc (MIG) 3. Diffusion
4. Gas Tungsten Arc (TIG) 4. Explosive
5. Atomic-hydrogen Arc
6. Plasma Arc
7. Submerged Arc
8. Flux-Cored Arc
9. Electro-Slag
Newer welding Related processes
1. Electron beam 1. Oxy acetylene cutting
2. Laser beam 2. Arc Cutting
3. Brazing
4. Soldering
Thermit welding

Weld Preparation

Cleaning of Metal

For proper fusing of metal at a joint interface, the interface should be cleaned thoroughly and be
free from dirt, oil and grease. These can be removed by using
 Organic solvents like acetone and carbon tetrachloride-
 Wire brushing and emery
 Acid pickling.
While using acid and organic solvents, the surface should be cleaned before welding. Otherwise
poisonous gases will be released.

2
GAS WELDING
Principle:

Gas welding is a type of fusion, non-pressure welding. In this, the require heat to melt the
metal parts is supplied by a high temperature flame obtained by a mixture of two gases.
The gases are mixed in proper proportions in a welding blow pipe called welding torch.

Gas welding is done by burning a combustible gas with air or oxygen in a concentrated flame of
high temperature. The purpose of the flame is to heat and melt the parent metal and filler rod of a
joint. The mixture of oxygen and acetylene gases is extensively used for welding purposes.

Most common processes use acetylene (C2H2) as a fuel. Other fuels such as hydrogen, propane,
butane and natural gas are used for specific applications but not much useful because the heat is
low and neutral flame is obtained. The flame is directed by a welding torch. A filler metal is
sometimes added, which is available as rod or wire with or without flux.

Oxy-Acetylene Welding

Oxy-Acetylene gas welding is accomplished by melting the edges or surface to be joined

by gas flame and allowing the molten metal to flow together, thus forming a solid continuous
joint upon cooling. The temperature of the oxy-acetylene flame is 3200ºC.

The process is suitable for plates having thickness of 2 to 50 mm. For materials thicker
than 15mm, additional filler metal is added to the weld in the form of welding rod. The
composition of the filler rod is usually the same or nearly the same as that of the part being
welded. To remove the impurities and oxides present on the surface of metal to be joined and to
obtain a satisfactory bond, a flux is always employed during the welding except for mild steel
which has more manganese and silicon that act as deoxidizing agents.

Filler rod or Welding rod:

Filler rod is used in gas welding to supply additional metal to make the joint. It is melted
by the heat of the gas flame and is deposited over the base metals. Filler metal is added to the
weld for joining metal plates of thickness more than 15mm.

3
 Filler rods are generally made of low carbon steels. Alloying elements such as nickel or
chromium or manganese can be added to the filler rod to increase the strength of the joint. The
diameter of the filler rod varies from 0.3 to 12 mm. the diameter of the rod to be used depends
upon the thickness of the workpieces.

Flux:
A flux is used during welding to prevent oxidation and to remove impurities. The molten
metal of the weld comes in contact with gases. Hence oxidation takes place and metallic oxides
are formed. The flux should have a melting point lower than the parent metal and filler metal. It
readily reacts with metallic oxides so that the oxides are completely dissolved by the time the
molten pool solidifies. So formed slag forms a blanket to protect the metal from atmospheric
oxidation.

GAS WELDING EQUIPMENT :

Gas Cylinders:
Oxygen and acetylene gasses are stored under high pressure in separate cylinder. The
oxygen cylinder is generally painted black while acetylene cylinder is painted maroon for
easy identification. Pressures of oxygen and acetylene are respectively15,000 kN/mm2
and 1600 kN/mm2.

Pressure Regulators:
Each cylinder is provided with a regulator to regulate the proportion of the two gases and
to control the working pressures of the gases. The function of the pressure regulators are
to reduce the cylinder pressure to the required working pressure and to regulate the flow
of gas (gas volumetric rate) regardless of the pressure variations of the source. The
required pressure for gas welding depends on the thickness of the plates to be welded.
For plates of thickness 1 to 25 mm- O2 and C2H2 varies from 0.15 to 0.70 kgf/cm2
For plates over 25 mm- O2 and C2H2 is around 0.98KN kgf/m2

4
Pressure Gauges:
There are two pressure gauges on each regulator. One pressure gauge shows the cylinder
pressure and the other one shows the working pressure for welding.

Welding Torch:
This is a device in which oxygen and acetylene are mixed in the desired volume and the
mixture is ignited at the end of its tip. The two control valves on the welding torch are
used to control the quantity of oxygen and acetylene to adjust the flame.

Hoses:
The hoses used for the oxygen and acetylene cylinders are green and red in colour
respectively.

Safety Devices:
Goggles and leather gloves are must in gas welding. The goggles protect the eyes of the
operator from heat and ultra-violet rays while welding. Leather gloves protect the hands
from burning and injuries.

FLAME CHARACTERISTICS:

The correct adjustment of the flame is important for doing work. The burning occurs in two
stages, namely, Primary stage and Secondary stage.

In the primary stage (primary combustion), equal volumes of O2 and C2H2 are ejected from the
torch to burn in the atmosphere (2C2H2+2O2). When these equal volumes of gases go through the

5
combustion, the inner zone is created, where the temperature reaches in between 3050ºC to
3450ºC. The reaction in this zone is

C2H2+O2 2CO +H2 +Heat.

The secondary combustion process is in the outer envelop in which the flame attains a
temperature of 2100ºC near the inner cone and around 1250ºC at the end point of the flame. The
secondary combustion equation is

4CO+2H2+3O2 4CO2 +2H2O+Heat.

The temperature developed in the flame as a result of these reactions can reach 3200ºC to 3300ºC.

TYPES OF GAS FLAMES:

The heat liberated by the combustion depends upon the gas mixture. There are three possible
types of mixtures.

1. Excess of acetylene- Carburizing flame

2. Equal mixture- Neutral flame
3. Excess of oxygen- Oxidizing flame

Neutral flame: Has two definite zones: 1. a

sharp brilliant cone extending a short distance
from the tip of the torch, and 2. an outer cone
or envelop only faintly luminous and of a
bluish color. The first one develops heat and
the second one protects the molten metal from
oxidation, because the oxygen in the
surrounding atmosphere is consumed by the
gases from the flame. The flame is widely used
for welding steel, stainless steel, cast iron,
copper, aluminum, etc.

Oxidizing Flame: In this flame there is excess of

oxygen. This flame has two zones: 1. the smaller
inner cone which has a purplish tinge and 2. the
outer cone or envelop. In this case, the inner cone is
not sharply defined as that of neutral or carburizing
flame. This flame is necessary for welding brass. In
steel this will result in large grain size, increased
brittleness with lower strength and elongation.

6
Carburizing flame: It is obtained by
supplying excess acetylene to the mixture. The
flae has three zones- 1. the sharply define inner
zone., 2. an intermediate zone of whitish color,
and 3. the bluish outer zone. The length of the
intermediate zone is and indication of the
proportion of excess acetylene in the flame.
When welding steel, this will tend to gives the
steel in the weld a higher carbon content that the
parent metal, resulting in a hard and brittle weld.

Oxy-hydrogen Welding

Oxy-hydrogen welding is a gas welding process using a using a combustion mixture of Hydrogen
(H2) and oxygen (O2) for producing gas welding flame. Oxy-hydrogen flame has a temperature of
about 4500°F (2500°C). Combustion reaction is as follows:
2H2 +O2 =2H2O
Oxy-hydrogen welding is used for joining metals with low melting points like aluminum, magnesium
etc.

ARC WELDING

Introduction
Arc welding is the fusion of two pieces of metal by an
electric arc between the pieces being joined – the work
pieces – and an electrode that is guided along the joint
between the pieces. The electrode is either a rod that
simply carries current between the tip and the work, or a
rod or wire that melts and supplies filler metal to the joint.

The basic arc welding circuit is an alternating current (AC)

or direct current (DC) power source connected by a “work”
cable to the work piece and by a “hot” cable to an
electrode. When the electrode is positioned close to the
work piece, an arc is created across the gap between the
metal and the hot cable electrode. An ionized column of gas develops to complete the circuit.

7
Basic Welding Circuit

The arc produces a temperature of about 3600°C at the tip

and melts part of the metal being welded and part of the
electrode. This produces a pool of molten metal that cools
and solidifies behind the electrode as it is moved along the
joint.

There are two types of electrodes. Consumable electrode tips

melt, and molten metal droplets detach and mix into the weld
pool. Non-consumable electrodes do not melt. Instead, filler
metal is melted into the joint from a separate rod or wire. The
strength of the weld is reduced when metals at high
temperatures react with oxygen and nitrogen in the air to
form oxides and nitrides. Most arc welding processes
minimize contact between the molten metal and the air with a
shield of gas, vapour or slag. Granular flux, for example,
adds deoxidizers that create a shield to protect the molten
pool, thus improving the weld.

Polarity

Polarity is the direction of the current flow in a

circuit, as shown in figure. Polarity becomes an
important factor in DC welding operation as current
flows in one direction only. It is not a problem in
AC welding. When using DC welding, we can weld
either with straight polarity or reverse polarity.
Polarity affects the amount of heat going into the
base metal. By changing polarity, we can direct the
amount of heat to where it is needed. In straight
polarity,

You can recognize the proper polarity for a given

electrode by the sharp, crackling sound of the arc. The
wrong polarity causes the arc to emit a hissing sound,
and the welding bead is difficult to control.

8
 Straight Reverse
The electrode is negative and the work The electrode is positive and the work-piece negative; the
piece positive; the electrons flow from electrons flow from the work piece to the electrode and the
the electrode to the work piece. heat is concentrated on the electrode.
Majority of the heat is directed
toward the workpiece.
In some welding situations, it is In overhead welding it is necessary to rapidly freeze the filler
desirable to have more heat on the metal so the force of gravity will not cause it to fall. When you
workpiece because of its size of the use REVERSE POLARITY, less heat is concentrated at the
workpiece and the need for more heat work piece. This allows the filler metal to cool faster,
to melt the base metal than the giving it greater holding power. Cast-iron arc welding is
electrode; therefore, when making another good example of the need to keep the workpiece cool;
large heavy deposits STRAIGHT reverse polarity permits the deposits from the electrode to
POLARITY is used. be applied rapidly while preventing overheating in the base
metal

In general, straight polarity is used for Reverse polarity is used in the welding of nonferrous metals,
all mild steel, bare, or lightly coated such as aluminum, bronze, Monel, and nickel. Reverse polarity
electrodes. is also used with some types of electrodes for making vertical
and overhead welds.

Electrode Angle:

The angle at which the electrode is held greatly affects the

shape of the weld bead which is very important in fillet and
deep groove welding. The electrode angle consists of two
positions: work angle
and travel angle.
Work angle is the angle
from the horizontal
measured at right angles to the direction of welding. Travel
angle is the angle in the direction of welding and may
vary from 5 to 30 degrees, depending on the welder’s
choice and conditions .Work angle is especially important
in multiple-pass fillet welding. Normally, a small
variance of the work angle will not affect the appearance or
quality of a weld; however, when undercuts occur in the
vertical section of a fillet weld, the angle of the arc should
be lowered and the electrode directed more toward the
vertical section.

Length of the Arc:

When an arc is too long, the metal melts off the

electrode in large globules and the arc may break
frequently. This produces a wide, spattered, and
irregular deposit with insufficient fusion between the

9
base metal and the weld. When an arc is too short, it fails to generate enough heat to melt the base
metal properly, causes the electrode to stick frequently to the base metal, and produces uneven
deposits with irregular ripples. The recommended length of the arc is equal to the diameter of the
bare end of the electrode. The length of the arc depends upon the type of electrode and the type of
welding being done; therefore, for smaller diameter electrodes, a shorter arc is necessary than for
larger electrodes. In vertical or over-head position, a shorter arc is desirable because it gives
better control of the molten puddle and prevents atmospheric impurities from entering the weld.

Metal Transfer:

Dip Transfer: (Short circuiting Transfer). Arc welding is carried out using currents below 200
A and 25V. Under this condition the arc is so short that the molten globules at the electrode
(wire) tip short circuit to the work piece at rapid time intervals. The rise of the current melts the
electrode tip and it reestablishes the arc. This cycle occurs approximately 100 times per second.
This method is suitable for all positions of welding, thin
material, open butt type joint, etc.

Spray Transfer: Using high currents and voltages, i.e., 250-

500A an more than 25V, the metal is transferred across the
arc in the form of fine droplets in a spray. It is used for high
deposition rates and deeper penetration welds. Mainly used for
thick materials in the flat position only.

Types of Joints

The relative position of the parts to be welded determines the types of joint. The major
classification of weld joints are:

1. Fillet 2. Butt 3. Lap 4. Corner 5. Edge

Fillet Joint: Normally used on T-Joints. This

weld is roughly triangular in cross-section and
between two surfaces not in the same plane,
and the weld metal is substantially placed
alongside the components being joined. T-joint is used to join two plates whose surface
are at right angles to each other, such that the edge of one plate rests on the surface of
other plate.

Butt Welds: Made between two pieces of metals

usually in the same plane. It maintains continuity
between sections.

Lap Joint: It is used to joint two overlapping

plates sop that the edge of one plate is welding to
the surface of the other.

10
Corner Joint: It is used to join two plates whose included angle is 90°.

Edge Joint: It is used to joint two parallel plates and the weld is made on the edge of the
plates

Edge Preparation: If
joint preparation is done
well, it results in
reduced welding time,
quality of workmanship
and sound joint. For
small thickness- no need
to prepare the edge as
the heat can penetrate to
the entire depth of the
joint easily. For metals
with more thickness, it
is necessary to penetrate
the entire depth of
metal. It is done by cutting, grinding and machining.

Position of Welding

It is an important criterion for making a quality weld joint.

Flat position: The recommended electrode angle with work is 90°. The
angle used in the direction of travel is 10-25° for bead weld and 10-20°
for fillet weld.

Horizontal Position: The electrode angle for horizontal bead weld is 5-

25° with work and 10-25° in the direction of travel. The first run for a
single fillet weld is made with 45°. In the second pass electrode angle is
60-70°. Third and final pass is 30° with work.
11
Vertical Position: Two basic techniques are available for welding
vertically: uphill and downhill.

The uphill technique is favored in heavy sections and large fillets or

where root penetration is very important. Current is reduced slightly
below normal, the electrode tip in directed upwards into the jopint at
an angle of 10-20°.

The down-hill technique is restricted to lighter sections and joints

where penetration is not a problem (light sheet) or where excellent finish and minimum
distortion is essential. The electrode tip points approximately
30° upwards.

Overhead Position: These welds should be done in flat

position with due allowance for gravity. Obviously large pools
of metal are not manageable in this position and wide weaves
are rarely acceptable. Current slightly lower than normal are
used. These travel faster and maintains short arc length. The
electrode should be kept at right angles to the plate width,
pointing back some 10-25° on to the molten metal.

Arc Welding Consumables and Equipment:

Equipment & Operation - One reason for the wide acceptance of the SMAW process is the
simplicity of the necessary equipment. The equipment consists of the following items.

1. Welding power source

2. Electrode holder
3. Ground clamp
4. Welding cables and connectors
5. Accessory equipment (chipping hammer, wire brush)
6. Protective equipment (helmet, gloves, etc.)

Welding Power Sources - Shielded metal arc welding may utilize either alternating current (AC)
or direct current (DC), but in either case, the power source selected must be of the constant
current type. This type of power source will deliver a relatively constant amperage or welding
current regardless of arc length variations by the operator. The amperage determines the amount
of heat at the arc and since it will remain relatively constant, the weld beads produced will be
uniform in size and shape. Whether to use an AC, DC, or AC/DC power source depends on the
type of welding to be done and the electrodes used. The following factors should be considered:

Electrode Selection - Using a DC power source allows the use of a greater range of electrode
types. While most of the electrodes are designed to be used on AC or DC, some will work
properly only on DC.

Metal Thickness - DC power sources may be used for welding both heavy sections and light
gauge work. Sheet metal is more easily welded with DC because it is easier to strike and maintain
the DC arc at low currents.

12
Distance from Work - If the distance from the work to the power source is great, AC is the best
choice since the voltage drop through the cables is lower than with DC. Even though welding
cables are made of copper or aluminum (both good conductors), the resistance in the cables
becomes greater as the cable length increases. In other words, a voltage reading taken between
the electrode and the work will be somewhat lower than a reading taken at the output terminals of
the power source. This is known as voltage drop.
Welding Position - Because DC may be operated at lower welding currents, it is more suitable
for overhead and vertical welding than AC. AC can successfully be used for out-of-position work
if proper electrodes are selected.

Arc Blow - When welding with DC, magnetic fields are set up throughout the weldment. In
weldments that have varying thickness and protrusions, this magnetic field can affect the arc by
making it stray or fluctuate in direction. This condition is especially troublesome when welding in
corners. AC seldom causes this problem because of the rapidly reversing magnetic field
produced. Combination power sources that produce both AC and DC are available and provide
the versatility necessary to select the proper welding current for the application. When using a DC
power source, the question of whether to use electrode negative or positive polarity arises. Some
electrodes operate on both DC straight and reverse polarity, and others on DC negative or DC
positive polarity only. Direct current flows in one direction in an electrical circuit and the
direction of current flow and the composition of the electrode coating will have a definite effect
on the welding arc and weld bead.

Electrode Holder - The electrode holder connects to the welding cable and conducts the welding
current to the electrode. The insulated handle is used to guide the electrode over the weld joint
and feed the electrode over the weld joint and feed the electrode into the weld puddle as it is
consumed. Electrode holders are available in different sizes and are rated on their current carrying
capacity.

Ground Clamp - The ground clamp is used to connect the ground cable to the work piece. It may
be connected directly to the work or to the table or fixture upon which the work is positioned.
Being a part of the welding circuit, the ground clamp must be capable of carrying the welding
current without overheating due to electrical resistance.

Welding Cables - The electrode cable and the ground cable are important parts of the welding
circuit. They must be very flexible and have a tough heat-resistant insulation. Connections at the
electrode holder, the ground clamp, and at the power source lugs must be soldered or well
crimped to assure low electrical resistance. The cross-sectional area of the cable must be
sufficient size to carry the welding current with a minimum of voltage drop. Increasing the cable
length necessitates increasing the cable diameter to lessen resistance and voltage drop.

Coated Electrodes - Various types of coated electrodes are used in shielded metal arc welding.
Electrodes used for welding mild or carbon steels are quite different than those used for welding
the low alloys and stainless steels. Details on the specific types will be covered in subsequent
lessons.

Welding Electrodes, Coating and Specifications:

Welding electrodes are metal wires with baked on chemical coatings. The rod is used to sustain
the welding arc and to provide the filler metal required for the joint to be welded. The coating
protects the metal from damage, stabilizes the arc, and improves the weld.

13
The metal-arc welding electrodes may be grouped as bare electrodes, light coated electrodes, and
shielded arc or heavy coated electrodes. The type used depends on the specific properties required
that include: corrosion resistance, ductility, high tensile strength, the type of base metal to be
welded; and the position of the weld that is flat, horizontal, vertical, or overhead. Welding
electrodes must be kept dry. Moisture destroys the desirable characteristics of the coating and
may cause excessive spattering and lead to the formation of cracks and weakness in the welded
area.

The diameter of the wire, less the coating, determines the size of the welding rod. This is
expressed in fractions of an inch such as 3/32", 1/8", or 5/32." The smaller the diameter means it
requires less current and it deposits a smaller amount of filler metal.

The type of base metal being welded, the welding process and machine, and other conditions
determines the type of welding electrode used. For example, low carbon or "mild steel" requires a
mild steel welding rod. Welding cast iron, aluminum or brass requires different welding rods and
equipment.

The flux coating on the electrodes determines how it will act during the actual welding process.
Some of the coating burns and the burnt flux forms smoke and acts as a shield around the welding
"pool," to protect it from that air around it. Part of the flux melts and mixes with the wire and then
floats the impurities to the surface. These impurities are known as "slag." A finished weld would
be brittle and weak if not for the flux. When the welded joint is cooled, the slag can be removed.
A chipping hammer and wire brush are used to clean and examine the weld.

The American Welding Society's (AWS) classification number series has been adopted by the
welding industry. The electrode identification example below is for a steel arc-welding rod
labeled E6010:

 "E" indicates "electrode" for electric arc welding

 The first two (or three in some cases) digits (60) indicate tensile strength in thousands of
pounds per square inch
 The third (or fourth in some cases) digit (1) indicates the position of the weld. An "O"
indicates that this classification is not used; "1" is for all positions; "2" is for flat and
horizontal positions only; 3 is for flat position only
 The last two digits together (10) indicate the type of coating and the type of power supply
required, 10 organic coating and DC current with reverse polarity.

Therefore, a welding rod numbered E6010 indicates "E" an manual arc-welding electrode with
(60) a minimum strength of 60,000 psi., that can be used (1) in all positions and (10) DC reverse
polarity is required.

14
RESISTANCE WELDING

According to joule’s law a poor conductor heats up to a higher degree than a good conductor
when the same amount of amperes pass through it. When two pieces of metal are in contact, the
area where they touch has a high resistance to electric current. In resistance welding the metal
parts to be joined are heated to a plastic state over a limited area by their resistance to the flow of
electric current and mechanical pressure is used to complete the weld. When electric current is
passed across the surfaces in contact, heat (H) is generated which can be justified by the formula.

H= I2RT. Where
H= Heat generated, I= Current in amperes,
R=Resistance in ohms and T= Time of the current flow in seconds.

Basically, this formula states that the amount of heat is directly proportional to the square of the
amperes, times the resistance, times the current flow. If enough current is used for a long enough
time, the metal surfaces heat until they become molten. If two pieces are pressed together while
their surfaces are at a plastic state and allowed to cool, the pieces will fuse into one piece.

Resistance welding is based upon the above fundamental principle that when an electric current is
passed through a metal, the resistance of the metal to this electric flow heats the metal. Two
factors perform the welding operation: the resistance heating of the two pieces to be joined and
the forging pressure exerted joining the two pieces of metal. Majority of the heat is generated
where the two pieces of metal to be welded are in contact. When the temperature at this point
reaches the fusion temperature, forging pressure is applied and welding occurs.

Total resistance= Resistance of

electrodes + Electrode workpiece
contact resistance + resistance of the
parts to be welded and workpiece +
workpiece contact resistance.

The schematic representation of the

resistance welding is shown.

Advantages:
1. Very little or no skill needed
2. Higher production rate- suited for mass production
3. Economical
4. Less distortion due to heat affected area
5. Dissimilar metals can be welded
6. Fast joining of large castings and forgings
7. Excellent way to add fasteners to products

Limitations:
1. Relatively expensive equipment- requires high volume of production
2. High, short duration current loads
3. Plates of limited thickness can only be welded

Application:
 Commonly used for sheet metals made of carbon steel, stainless steel and alumunium.

15
Types of Electric Resistance Welding

1. Resistance Spot Welding

2. Resistance Seam Welding
3. Projection Welding
4. Percussion Welding
5. Flash Butt Welding

Resistance Spot Welding

Electrodes used in spot welding are made up of low resistance, hard copper alloy. The electrodes
are capable of transmitting heat that is generated at the contact points. Electrodes are either water
cooled or oil cooled. The electrodes should have high degree of hardness and the ability to
maintain their shape even at high temperatures. Electrode points should be kept clear of scales,
dust and other impurities at all times. The electrode diameter should be equal to the fusion zone
of the weld spot.

Electrodes for Spot Welding

Three types of basic designs of electrodes tips are used, namely; Pointed, Domed and Flat.

 Pointed electrodes (Truncated) are most

widely used electrodes and used for ferrous
metals. The angle of the point should be in the
range of 120-140°.

 Domed electrodes are designed to withstand

heavy currents and more mechanical force.
They are mostly used for non-ferrous metals.
Usually radius of cone is 50-100mm.

 Flat electrodes are used for spot welding deformation is not wanted. Usually one flat
electrode is combined with one domed electrode.

Process of Spot Welding

The Process consists of lapping two pieces of metal and then clamping them between two
electrodes. Current is passed between the electrodes and a small area is heated. The temperature
of this weld zone is around 816-927°C. After the metal has been heated to plastic state, forging
pressure is exerted on the pieces being joined. The current stops but the electrodes continue to
hold the metal to allow the spot to solidify. Two pieces of the metal are now fused together by
spot weld or weld nugget.

The stages of resistance spot

welding cycle are:

Squeezing stage: The

electrodes are clamped on to
the pieces to be welded. The
time required for this is called
the squeezing time

16
Heating stage: The weld area is brought to the welding temperature by passing high ampere
current through electrodes. The time required is called weld time. The machine controls the
welding time but it can also be set.

Forging stage: After the metal has reached fusion point, the current is shutoff and the electrodes
apply additional pressure to forge the weld area.

Holding stage: The pressure applied during the forging stage, is maintained until the weld is
cooled and allowed to solidify. Then the next cycle begins to form.

Advantages:
1. Fast welding rate
2. More versatility
3. Quick Setup time
4. Low unit cost per weld
5. Less energy waste
6. No skilled operators needed
Limitations:
1. High power consumption
2. High initial investment
3. Hard alloys cannot f\be spot welded
4. 1-5mm limiting thickness

Resistance Seam Welding

Resistance seam welding is similar

to spot welding process. The only
difference is the electrodes are in
the shape of wheels and can be
rotated.

There are basically 4 types of seam

welding machines, namely,
Circular, Longitudinal, Universal
and Portable. In the first three types, the face of the wheel is perpendicular, parallel,
perpendicular and parallel to the column respectively. In the final one, the work is clamped to a
fixture and the portable welding machine head is moved over the seam. Since the current
continuously passes through the electrodes, flowing refrigerant fluids cool the electrodes.

Basically, three types of weld can be formed in seam welding by supplying current: Conventional
(Overlap), intermittent (Tack) and continuous. Intermittent current produces spot welding,
continuous produces gas and liquid leak proof lap joint.

17
Other variants of the resistance seam welding is the
induction seam welding. In this high frequency
alternating current in the range of 10,000-500,000
Hz and the rapid application of an upsetting force
after heating is substantially completed. The
electrodes are designed in such a way that they hold
the pipe and apply the pressure effectively.
Extremely thin sections (0.1mm) cab be welded
since high frequency current flows over the surface
of the work-piece by means of sliding contacts at
the edge of the joint. This process is ideally suited
for making pipes, tubing and structural shapes.

Advantages:
1. Used to produce highly efficient water
and gas tight joints
2. Same machines can be used for
intermittent spot welding called roll
welding
Limitations:
1. Restricted to metals that have low
hardenability rating
2. Redistricted to welding thin materials
3. Possibility of shunting current
4. Excessive heat in welding requires cooling of electrodes.

Resistance Projection Welding

This is a variation of resistance spot welding. Basically, a projection is placed on one of the
materials to be welded. This projection is then brought into contact with the second material.

Projections are the small deformations that will be

made in the pieces of the metal to be welded.
These projections are made to touch another piece to
be welded. The purpose of the projection is to
localize the heat at a specific location of the joint.
The projection design determines the current
density. Projections in sheet metal are made by
embossing while projections in solid metal pieces
are made either by forging or machining.

The electrodes used for projection welding are flat

electrodes, which are slightly larger than the electrodes used for spot welding.

The requirements to be met in a sheet material are listed below:

 Rigid enough to bear the initial current force
 Should have sufficient mass to raise the spot or weld nugget in the plane surface to weld
temperature.

18
  Collapses without extruding between parts
 Surface should be intimate contact after welding
 Easy to form, so that the punch and die require little maintenance
 Cause minimal distortion

The welding sequence is similar to

resistance spot welding. The welding
electrodes are used to apply both force
and current across the configuration. The
point of contact constricts current flow
(point f high resistance) and heating
occurs locally at that point. As the
materials heats, it becomes soft, and the
projection collapses under the force
applied by the welding electrode. Due to
the amount of plastic flow involved,
melting is not always necessary to form a
sound joint. The sequence of events during the formation of projection weld is shown.

Advantages:
1. Projection welding is not limited to sheets. Any joint whose contact area is small
compared to thickness can be welded (e.g., Wires).
2. Ease of obtaining satisfactory heat balance for welding difficult combinations.
3. Increased output per machine as many welds can be made simultaneously.
4. Longer electrode life.
5. Weld may be placed more closely together.

Limitations:
1. Surface preparation is difficult in large surfaces.
2. Restricted to thin materials

19
GAS METAL ARC WELDING (GMAW OR MIG)

GMAW or MIG welding uses source of heat as

an arc formed between a consumable metal
electrode and the work piece in the presence of a
gaseous shield of inert gas such as argon, helium
or an argon-helium mixture or active gases like
CO2 and O2 for preventing contamination..

In this process, the wire is fed continuously from

a reel through a gun to constant surface which
imparts a current upon the wire. A fixed
relationship exists between the rate of wire burn-
off and the welding current so that the
welding machine at a given feed rate will
produce necessary current to maintain he
arc. The welding machine is a DC constant
voltage, with both straight and reverse
polarities available.

When the gun is switched on, gas, wire

feed and the power source are on
simultaneously, the welding operation
starts. The wire feeder pulls he wire
electrode from a spool and pushes it
through the gun at required speed. As the
wire passes through the gun, it picks up
electric current from the copper contact
tube, which is electrically connected to the
power source, and makes an arc with the
work piece, The arc is protected from the
oxidation and contamination by the
gaseous shield formed by he shielding gas through the nozzle.

Advantages:
1. Welding can be done in all positions since only gases are used for shielding.
2. Higher welding speed due to continuous length of electrode.
3. Monitoring and controlling of arc is easier.
4. Use of smaller diameter wire for a given welding current, increases the current density
leading to higher deposition rate.
5. Less distortion due to high welding speed.
6. Cleaning is easy due to absence of slag formation.

Limitations:
1. Costlier and more complex equipment
2. Less adaptable to weld in difficult to reach areas since welding gun should be close to
weld area.
3. GMAW weld joints are more susceptible to weld cracking because of the uncontrolled
rate of cooling.

20
Applications:
1. Used for welding of carbon steels, low and high alloy steels, nickel alloys, stainless
steels, aluminium, titanium and zirconium alloys.
2. All welding positions applicable from about 1 mm thickness to thick-walled sections.

GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (GTAW or TIG)

It is an arc welding process that

uses as arc between a tungsten
non-consumable electrode and
the work piece. The equipment
consists of the power supply, the
welding torch and connecting
cables. The torch utilizes a non-
consumable electrode usually
alloyed with oxides such as
thorium or cerium to improve the
electrode performance. An
adjustable collet is used to
accommodate the electrodes with
the torch. The torch also includes
the shielding gas nozzle through
which the shielding gas flows to
cool the electrode and to shield
the weld puddle or pool from oxygen.

TIG welding process is included in the

figure. This process uses a non-
consumable tungsten electrode held in
a torch. Shielding gas is fed through
the torch to protect the electrode,
molten weld pool and solidifying weld
metal from contamination from the
atmosphere. The electric arc is
produced by the passage of current
through the conductive, ionized
shielding gas. The arc is established
between the electrode tip and the
work. Heat is generated by the arc,
which melts the base metal. Once the
arc and weld pool are established, the
torch is moved along the joint and the
arc progressively melts the facing
surfaces. Filler wire, if needed is
usually added to the leading edge of the weld pool to fill the joint.

Advantages:
1. Weld can be done at all positions.
2. This process is well adapted for welding thin metal – 0.2mm.

21
 3. Increased welding speed.
4. Minimized distortion.
5. Quality of weld is improved.

Limitations:
1. to avoid overheating of the nozzle, cooling arrangement is needed.
2. High cost associated with gas and electrode.
3. Tungsten quality may impair the strength and corrosion resistance of the weld.

Applications:
1. Adaptable to both manual and automatic operation
2. Can be used to produce continuous welds, intermittent and spot welds.
3. Aluminium, Magnesium, Stainless steel, Copper, Alloy Steel etc., can be welded.
4. It is mainly used in aerospace and nuclear industries.

SHIELDED METAL ARC WELDING

Shielded Metal Arc Welding

(SMAW) is an arc welding
process that uses a consumable
electrode consisting of a filler
metal rod coated with chemicals
that provide flux and shielding.
The process is illustrated in the
figure:

The coated welding stick (SMAW

is sometimes called stick welding)
is typically 200 to 450 mm long and 1.5 to 9.5 mm in diameter. The heat of the welding process
melts the coating to provide a protective atmosphere and slag for the welding operation.

During operation the bare metal end of the welding stick is clamped in an electrode holder
connected to the power source. The holder has an insulated handle so that it can be held and
manipulated by a human welder. Currents typically used in SMAW range between 30 and 300 A
at voltages from I5 to 45 V depending on the metals being welded, electrode type and length and
depth of weld penetration required.

Shielded metal arc welding is usually performed manually. Common applications include
construction, pipelines, machinery structures, shipbuilding, fabrication job shops, and repair
work. It is preferred over oxyfuel welding for thicker sections above 5 mm because of its higher
power density. The equipment is portable and low cost, making SMAW highly versatile and
probably the most widely used of the AW welding processes. Base metals include steels, stainless
steels, cast irons, and certain nonferrous alloys.

Advantages
1. Job of any configuration can be welded.
2. Quality and strength of the weld can be controlled equivalent to other manual methods
using consumable electrodes
3. Can be done either in AC or DC.
4. Least expensive compared to other welding processes.
5. Highly versatile, can be done in any position, indoor or outdoors.

22
Limitations

1. Low metal deposition rate and efficiency.

2. Fixed length of electrode leads to lot of wastage
3. Special precautions have to be taken to prevent moisture pickup.

Applications

1. Ship building and construction industry for Fabrication girders, beams and columns
2. Portable so useful for repair and maintenance of equipment, machinery and pipe welding.

FLUX CORED ARC WELDING

Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), also

known simply as flux-cored welding, is a
form of arc welding that joins metals by
heating them with an arc between a
continuously-fed, consumable, tubular
electrode wire and the work
pieces. Flux present in the electrode’s
core acts as a shielding agent, eliminating
the need for shielding gases (though they
are used in some cases).

Flux-cored arc welding is generally considered an automatic or semiautomatic process because of

the need for a continuously-fed electrode containing flux and a power supply (usually constant
voltage).

The first type of flux-cored arc welding electrode is self-shielding or sometimes branded as Inner
Shield wire and does not use shielding gases because the flux acts as a shielding agent, making
them unnecessary. This makes it a portable welding technique just like SMAW.

The second type is dual-shield and makes use of externally-provided shielding gases. This
method is more popular when the metals to be joined are either very thick or out of position, but it
is not suitable for environments in which wind could interfere with the shielding gases and lead to
greater build-up of slag.

Both these types of electrodes produce a slag over the weld the must be cleaned after the weld is
finished.

Advantages

 Use of consumable electrodes makes flux-cored arc welding ideal for many positions.
 Welding may take place outside if shielding gases are not used.
 The highest deposition rate of all the manual welding processes.
 Less pre-cleaning of metals is required than with some other methods.
 Low operator skill is required.

23
Disadvantages

 Incomplete fusion of base metals may occur.

 Melted contact tips may result without a steady hand.
 Equipment failures may lead to irregular wire feeding or porosity (if gases are not
released correctly).
 Method is not suitable for welding metals that need to be painted
 Some electrodes are only designed for flat and horizontal welding.
 Porosity in the weld or worm holes.

SUBMERGED ARC WELDING (SAW)

Submerged arc welding (SAW) is

an arc welding process that uses a
continuous, consumable bare wire
electrode. The arc shielding is
provided by a cover of granular
flux. The electrode wire is fed
automatically from a coil into the
arc. The flux is introduced into the
joint slightly ahead of the weld arc
by gravity from a hopper, as shown
in the figure.

The blanket of granular flux completely submerges the arc welding operation, preventing sparks,
spatter, and radiation that are so hazardous in other arc welding processes. The portion of the flux
closest to the arc is melted, mixing with the molten weld metal to remove impurities and then
solidifying on top of the weld joint to form a glasslike slag. The slag and infused flux granules on
top provide good protection from the atmosphere and good thermal insulation for the weld area.
This results in relatively slow cooling and a high-quality weld joint. The infused flux remaining
after welding can be recovered and reused. The solid slag covering the weld must be chipped
away usually by manual means.

This process is widely used for automated welding of structural shapes, longitudinal and
circumferential seams for large-diameter pipes, tanks, and pressure vessels. Because of the
gravity feed of the granular flux, the parts must always be in a horizontal orientation.

Advantages:
1. As a result of unique protection by the flux, the weld is exceptionally smooth.
2. Can be used in exposed areas with relatively high winds, where flux shield protects the
weld.
3. High rate of weld deposition and with V-joint preparation, less material can be used to fill
the gap.
4. Welding speed is more.
5. Less skill is required.
6. Shielding is not required to protect the operator, although protection is recommended.

Limitations:
1. Arc starting is very difficult.

24
 2. Flux is subjected to contamination that may cause weld porosity.
3. Only flat position welding is possible.
4. Slag removal is difficult after metal thicknesses less than 4.5mm.
5. Aluminium alloys, magnesium alloys and titanium cannot b welded because of non-
availability of flux.

Applications:
1. Can be used in heavy steel plate fabrication such as pressure vessels, structures, machine
building etc;
2. Used for deposit build up and abrasison resistant coating as steel structures that are
subjected to wear.

Electroslag Welding

In electroslag process, the electric arc is used initially for a brief moment to heat and melt the flux
and to convert it into slag. The molten slag
then chokes and extinguishes the arc, but the
current continues to pass between the
electrode and the work via the molten
conductive slag. The resistance offered by the
molten slag to the electric current provides the
heat necessary to keep the process going.
Enough heat is generated to maintain the
internal
temperature
of the bath
at approximately 1900°C and the surface temperature at
approximately1650°C. The weld is done vertically and it
moves upwards

The consumable wire electrode used may be solid or flux

coated but most of all the shielding is provided by an argon
and CO2 gas mixture injected into the gap. The welding wire is
pulled from its source and fed down a steel tube to the molten
puddle. The tube serves to guide the wire between the two
plates, so that, neither the wire nor the tube touches the plates
to be joined.
Water cooled copper shoes contain the molten weld puddle on either side of the gap between the
two pieces of parent metal.

Advantages:
1. Welding energy density is much higher and more concentrated.
2. Solidification pattern is faster
3. The length and thickness of the joint that can be welded in limited by auxiliary
equipment only
4. High deposition rate
5. Relatively low cost

25
Disadvantages:
1. Under abnormal conditions, the weld may contain defects like slag inclusion,
porosity and cracks
2. Improper fitting of copper shoes lead to undercut in the weld
3. Cooling arrangement is required
4. Not suitable for welding complex structures

Applications:
1. Welding of low carbon steels, medium carbon steels and to a lesser extent of high
strength structural steel.
2. High strength alloy steels such as stainless steel and nickel alloys
3. Plates ranging from 19 to 460 mm in the vertical direction and large steel
castings.

SPECIAL WELDING PROCESSES

PLASMA ARC WELDING

Plasma is high-temperature ionized (its

atoms loose electrons) gas and occurs in
any electric arc between two electrodes.

Plasma arc welding uses electrodes and

ionized gases to generate an extremely hot
plasma jet aimed at the weld area. The
higher energy concentration is useful for
deeper and narrower welds and for
increased welding speed. If the arc is
constrained by an orifice, the proportion of
ionized gas increases and plasma-arc
welding is created, which causes an intense
source of heat primarily due to multiple
collisions of the electrons within the
particles, and provides greater arc stability.
In normal arc welding, plasma jet has low
velocity and diffuses over a wide area,
which results in loss of power and lower zonal
temperatures.

The non-consumable tungsten electrode within a

water cooled nozzle is enveloped by gas. The gas
is forced past an electric arc through a constricted
opening at the end of the water cooled nozzle. As
the gas passes through the arc, it is dispersed. This
releases more energy and raised the temperature of
the nozzle. Temperatures have been reported to be
10,000 to 30,000ºC.

26
The main function of the plasma gas is shielding the body of he torch from the extreme heat of
the cathode. Any gas or mixture of gases that does not attack the tungsten or the copper cathode
can be used; argon and argon mixtures are normally used. Usually the same gas is used of orifice
as well as shielding.
Advantages:
1. Greater concentration of energy
2. Improved arc stability, especially at low currents.
3. Higher heat content
4. Low sensitivity to variation of arc length
5. No tungsten contamination

Disadvantages
1. Higher cost of equipment
2. Short life of constricting nozzle and orifice bodey
3. Skilled welder required

Applications
1. Continuous and intermittent welds
2. Adaptable to joining carbon steel, alloy steels, heat resisting alloys, refractory metals etc.

ELECTRON BEAM WELDING

Electron beam machining is a fusion

process for joining metals, which uses a
highly focused beam of electrons in
vacuum as a heat source. As an electron is a
minute particle with a radius of 2.82x10-42
mm and amass of 9.109x10-28g, it cannot
travel any significant distance in air or other
gases.

EBW gun typically comprises of a high-

voltage power source, cathode, electron
accelerating anode, beam focusing system,
vacuum chamber or enclosure and a weld
viewing system. The cathode for EBW gun
is mostly made form the metals, which are
reasonably workable and have fairly low
thermionic or work function. Tungsten is
normally used.

The electrons leave the cathode in all directions with a range of initial velocities. The randomly
emitted electrons from the filament are given direction and speed, by a cup-shaped electrode
called grid cup surrounding the emitter and accurately placed in the anode at a designed distance.
They are magnetically focused into a spot with a power density of the order of 30,000W/mm2.
The electron beam is thus able to establish a ‘keyhole’ delivering heat, deep into the material
being welded as shown. This produces a narrow near parallel fusion zone and the edges will be
welded in a single pass for material thickness from 0.1mm to 200mm.

27
Advantages:

1. Low thermal input

2. High aspect ratio
3. Pure weld is possible
4. Deep penetration
5. Welds high conductivity metals

Limitations:
1. High joint preparation
2. Expensive
3. Non-productive pump down time
4. X-ray shielding required

Applications:
1. Involving high precision and high production rate such as aerospace, nuclear and
electronics industries

THERMIT WELDING

Thermit welding is a casting cum welding process in which a mixture of aluminium powder and
metal oxide, called thermit, is ignited to produce the required quantity of molten metal by an
exothermic reaction. This molten metal is poured at the desired place which results in a weld joint
on solidification. The thermo-chemical reaction tales place on the ignition of thermit is based on
the following reaction

Metal oxide+ ALuminium (posder) --- Metal+ Aluminium oxide+heat

3Fe3O4 + 8Al 9Fe + 4Al2O3 + heat

The temperature reached is of the order of 3000ºC, the enormous heat liberated melts both the
iron an aluminuim oxide to a fluid state. Non reacting constituents like steel scrap is added to
control the temperatures and should not be lowered about 2100ºC as Al2O3 solidified at about
2010ºC.
There are two types of thermit welding
1. Plastic or pressure thermit welding
2. Non-pressure thermit welding

28
The plastic or pressure type thermit welding is used mainly for butt welding of thick vaults, pipes
and rails. In this, weld pressure is used instead of fusion to join the metal pieces. The process uses
thermit reaction as a heat source. The workpieces are clamped by cast iron molds and are forced
together when the desired temperature is achieved.

In non-pressure welding, the workpieces

are lined up, leaving a space between the
ends that are to be welded. Wax is placed
between the joint. The whole frame is
suspended in a mold and then the molten
metal is poured. The first step in preparing
the non-pressure thermit welding is the
cleaning of the joint. All loose oxides and
scales must be removed. When the metal
has been ckeaned and spaced properly
yellow wax must be prepared to make a
pattern. The wax is placed in a container
and heated to plastic state. The wax is hen
shaped around the parts to be welded. A
molding box is then placed around the
portion toe be welded and molding
material is rammed into the box. A pre-
heating opening must be provided and is
usually placed at the lowest portion of the
wax mold to melt the wax. A gate for pouring molten metal into the mold and a riser to feed
metal are provided when required. Vent holes are also provide for gases to escape.

Applications:

Used for welding very heavy thick plates, large sections such as locomotive rails, hsip hulls and
large broken castings.

FRICTION WELDING

29
The heat required for this process is obtained by the friction between the ends of the two parts to
be joined where one part rotated at a high-speed of around 12,000rpm and the other part is axially
aligned with the second one and pressed tightly against it.

The machine for the friction welding is similar to centre lathe. The friction welding equipment
consist of driven head, clamping arrangement, rotating and upsetting mechanisms, controls and
braking mechanism.

Three major variables in friction welding are rotational speed, axial pressure and heating time.
Rotational speed provides necessary relative velocity for the faying surfaces. High rotational
speed is useful for welding but axial pressure and heating time are to be carefully considered to
avoid overheating of the weld zone. The applied axial pressure controls the temperature gradient
in the weld zone, power required for machine and axial shortening of the work piece. Heating
time is controlled depending upon whether, a fixed reset time is allowed for heating or the extent
of the axial upset is to be within the specified limits.

There are many types of friction welding

1. Rotary drive
2. Friction taper stitch
3. Radial friction
4. Friction stir welding etc
Advantages:
1. Simplicity in operation
2. Low power requirements
3. Easy to automate and used in mass production
4. Surface impurities and oxides are thrown off during welding
5. Dissimilar metals can be joined
6. No edge preparation required
7. No shielding gas or filler metal needed

Limitations
1. Applied to small pieces
2. Perfect alignment needed
3. Limited joint configuration
4. Flash removal
5. Difficult to inspect

Applications
1. Widely used in aerospace and automobile industries

Diffusion Welding

This process uses heat and pressure to

join the metals by solid-state
diffusion. The temperature is less than
half the melting temperature of the
metal to be welded. The process
involves applying pressure for a
period of few minutes to many hours
depending on the diffusion bond
welding required.

30
Heating is not essential for this process. However, if the temperature of the workpiece is
increased , it will reduce the diffusion rate sufficiently, in turn the time element to make the bond
can be cut to a matter of hours to minutes. The oxides on the surfaces dissipate over a period of
time as in all solid state bonding. Because of the pressure, the dissipation rate greatly increases
with the addition of heat.

There are three basic techniques in diffusion bonding:

1. Gas pressure – The workpieces to be joined are placed together intact in the inert gas
atmosphere inside a heating system at a temperature of about 515ºC. this technique is
only used for non-ferrous metals and it cannot be used for steel and its alloys because o f
the high temperature and pressure requirement.
2. Vacuum fusion: process carried out in vacuum. Mechanical or hydraulic force is used to
make the intimate contact between the workpieces and so the process can be used on
steel.
3. Eutectic fusion: Dissimilar metal foil of thickness 0.005-0.025mm is used between the
components to be joined. Lowest temperature can be used to form the eutectic between
the surfaces to be joined.
Applications
It can join metal to metal, metal to ceramics and metal to metal with intermediate bonding
material, ripping of heavy cutting tools with carbide tips or hard alloys, joining of vacuum tube
components. In aerospace, it is used for fabricating titanium components.

SOLDERING
Soldering is a method of uniting two or more pieces of metal by means of a fusible alloy or metal,
called solder, applied in the molten state. Soldering is divided into two : Soft an Hard

Soft soldering is used extensively in sheet metal work for joining parts that are not exposed to the
action of high temperatures and are not subjected to excessive loads and forces. It is employed
for joining wires and small parts.The solder mostly composed of lead and tin, has a melting point
of 150 to 350ºC. A small amount of antimony may be added to improve quality and strength. A
suitable flux is always used in soft soldering. Its function is to prevent oxidation of the surfaces
to be soldered or to dissolve oxides that settle on the metal surfaces during the heating process. If
the gap between the sheet metal pieces to be joined is controlled to about 0.08mm, the solder is
drawn into the joint by capillary action, to give a uniform filling. Butt Joints are rarely made by
soldering. A blow torch or soldering iron constitutes the equipment for heating the base metals
and melting the solder and the flux.

Hot solder employs solders which melt at higher temperatures and are stronger than those used in
soft soldering. Silver soldering is a hard soldering method, and silver alloyed with tin is used as
solder. The temperatures of the various hard solders may vary from about 600 to 900 ºC. The
fluxes are mostly in paste form and are applied to the joint with a brush before heating.

The different compositions of solder for different purposes are as follows:

Soft solder Lead 37%, tin 63%

Medium Solder Lead 50%, tin 50%
Plumber’s solder Lead 70%, tin 30%
Electrician’s solder Lead 58%, tin 42%
Applications:
Soldering is used to make air tight joints. It is used extensively in the electronics industry.

31
BRAZING

Brazing is essentially similar to Soldering. The

principal difference is he ue of a harder filler
material, commercially known as spelter, which
fuses at some temperature above red heat, but
below the melting temperature of the parts to be
joined.

A brazed joint is formed by the filler metal

melting and flowing via a capillary effect into the
pours of the closely fitted surfaces of the joint to
form an alloy of the metals upon solidification.

The key to successfully achieving a good brazed

connection is surface preparation. The presence of
contaminants or oxides prevents the filler metal
from coming into contact with one of the surfaces
to be brazed. In the case of minor oxidation, the pours of the surfaces to be brazed will be sealed
by the oxide. This prevents the capillary action and, ultimately, the brazing from occurring.
Hence, the initial cleanliness of the surfaces to be brazed is extremely important, but it is equally
important that the cleanliness of these surfaces be maintained during the brazing process.

Base Metal Filler Meatal Brazing temperature

Aluminium and its alloys Aluminium-silicon 570-620
Magnesium alloys Magnesium –aluminium 580-625
Copper and its alloys Copper-Phosphorous 700-925
Ferrous and non-ferrous Ag and Cu alloys, Copper 620-1150
(except Al, Mg) phosphorous
Fe, Ni, Co base alloys Gold 900-1100
Stainless steel, Ni, Co alloys Nickel –Silver 925-1200

Brazing Methods
1. Torch brazing
2. Furnace brazing
3. Resistance brazing
4. Vacuum furnace brazing
5. Induction brazing
6. Dip brazing

Advantages:
1. Flexibility in use of least expensive protective atmosphere possible
2. Close temperature control and uniformity at all stages of brazing cycle
3. No flux is required because of the prepared protective atmosphere
4. High production rate
5. Efficient and economical

Limitations:
1. High temperature is required which exceeds average brazing temperatures that effect the
life of the brazed components

32
 2. Grain coarsening – required heat treatment
3. High initial cost
4. Possibility of explosion

Application:
1. Used in making common steel components such as mechanized parts, light stampings,
deep drawn sheet metal parts, small forgings and some castings.

ADHESIVE BONDING

Adhesive bonding is the process of joining

materials by placing adhesive materials by
placing adhesive materials called
adherents between joining surfaces as
shown in the figure. Like soldering and
brazing, metallurgical bond does not take
place though the surfaces may be heated
but not melted.

The adhesive molecules are attracted by neighboring molecules as well as the metal atoms or
foreign matters on the joining surfaces when the adhesive material is placed between the joining
surfaces. If the surface energy of the joining surfaces is less than the adherent energy then the
adhesive will not wet it.

The mechanical strength of the

adhesive bonding depends on joint
configuration, dimensions, nature
of the adhesive and thickness
between the surfaces to be joined.
The joints of adhesive bonding are
stronger in shear or tension and
weaker in cleavage or peel, so the design of the joints should
avoid cleavage or peel.

Figure alongside shows some of the

acceptable adhesive bond joints.

Adhesives can be grouped into

structural and non-structural adhesive.
In metal bonding, only structural
adhesives are used because of its high
load carrying characteristics.
Structural adhesives are classified into
thermoplastics and thermosetting
plastics.

The process of making adhesive

bonding is:
1. Preparing the surface
2. Application of adhesives

33
 3. Assembly
4. Curing the joint

Advantages:
1. Bonding of dissimilar materials at low processing temperatures of 65-175ºC
2. Thin gauge material can be bonded effectively
3. It provides thermal and electrical insulations
4. Smooth surface appearance
5. Uniform stress distribution

Limitations:
1. Do not support high peel loads
2. Need for elaborate jigs and fixtures resulting in high cost for equipment tooling
3. Adhesives deteriorate at faster rate under conditions of humidity and termperature
4. Joint are not as strong
5. Adhesives must be compatible with materials being joined
6. Service temperatures are limited
7. Cleanliness and surface preparation important
8. Curing times can impose a limit on production rates
9. Inspection of the bonded joint is limited

Applications:
1. Adhesive bonding accounts for only 2% of metal-to-metal bonding
2. Comprises of over 50% of total assemblies of a modern aero plane
3. Fabrication of railway coaches, automobiles, boats, refrigerators ,storage tanks and
microwave reflectors.

WELDING DEFECTS

The good profiles of welding is given below as reference.

Incomplete Penetration: Weld metal fails to rach or fuse completely with the root aces or
joint. This may occur between weld and weld metals or between successive weld beads in multi-
pass welds. .A butt weld or fillet weld where the weld metal does not penetrate to the root results
in insufficient throat thickness, which in turn causes reduced joint strength.

34
 Causes: Remedies
 Improper current  Temporary or permanent
 Incorrect size of electrode backing
 Poor joint preparation  Depositing first pass with
 Excessive welding speed high current
 Usage of correct size electode
 Improving joint preparation

Undercut: It occurs in the toe of the weld in the base metal as

shown. It is a sharp narrow groove along the toe of the weld and is
due to the scouring action of the arc removing the metal and not
replacing it with weld metal. It is usually considered as the worst
defect. It reduces cross sectional area and strength, and provides a
notch in the heat affected zone, which acts as a stress raiser.
Causes: Remedies:
 Excessive welding  Proper welding current should be used according to size of the
current electrode, welding position and method.
 High speed of arc travel  Travel speed should be such that the deposited weld metal
 Excessive arc length completely fills all melted out portion of the base metal.
 Wrong electrode  Proper electrode angle should be used
angle  The arc length should be as short as possible
 Undercut area may be filled with metal

Overlap: It is the protrusion that occurs at the weld metal beyond the toe or root of the weld. It
may act as stress raiser in dynamic loaded structures.

Causes: Remedies:
 Incorrect electrode angle  Correct size electrode should be
 Welding away from ground used
end  Proper angle and handling of the
 Incorrect size of electrode electrode
 High current coupled with  Proper current with suitable
low speed speed should be used
 Overlapping may be removed
by grinding and chipping
Slag Inclusion: Non-metallic particles of comparatively large size entrapped in the weld metal
are termed as slag inclusions. Linear slag inclusions along the axis if the weld are sometimes
called “wagon tracks”. Slag inclusions not only reduce cross-sectional area strength of the joint
but may also serve as an initiation point for serious cracking, particularly in the hard steels.
Causes: Remedies:
 Imperfect cleaning of the  Proper cleaning of slag thoroughly
slag between the deposition between successive weld passes.
of successive passes  Use of proper welding
 Wide manipulation of consumables and keep joint
electrode surfaces an bare filter wires clean
 Use of too large electrode  Slag can be kept behind the arc by
 Erratic progression of shortening the arc, increasing the
electrode travel travel speed and electrode angle.

35
Lack of Fusion:Weld metal lies adjacent to unfused base material or previous runs without
admixturei.e., the two sections are not welded together. This is opposite situation to undercut,
where too much metal flows within the joint area..
Causes: Remedies:
 Presence of dirt, oxide,  Keep joint surfaces clean before
scale, slag and other non- welding
metallic particles  Deslag each weld pass
 Improper deslagging before throughly
overlapping pass is
deposited.
Porosity: The presenc of a group of gas pores scattered along the entire length of the weld bead
caused by entrapment of gas during solidification is termed as porosity.
Causes: Remedies:
 Chemically imperfect  Pre-heating of electrodes
welding consumables  Proper composition of base
 Faulty composition of base metal and electrodes
metal or electrode (sulphur,
 Preheating and proper
phosphorous)
 Excessive current and
cleaning of work metal
improper arc length  Using sufficient deoxidizers
 Quick freezing of weld  Striking the arc 20mm ahead
deposit of starting point
Deoxiders not sufficient  Reduced travel speed

Weld Crack: It is a discontinuity caused by the tearing of the metal

while in plastic condition or by fracturing of the metal when it is cold.
Two types of crack or hot and cold crack.
Hot crack most likely occurs at the root pass weld bead above 540ºC
generally just after the weld starts to solidify because of the small cross
section of the weld bead compared with the mass of the material
welded.It is initiated in heavy fillet weld when it is subjected to localised stresses.
Cold crack occurs at the heat affected zone at near ambient temperature due to rapid cooling. Its
occurance may be delayed for as long as several days as stresses within the weldment relieve
themselves.
Causes: Remedies:
 Localized stress, contraction  Avoid use of inter-metallic
or shrinkage compounds and carbides
 Inter-metallic compounds  Allow uniform cooling
and complex carbides  Pre-heating the joint area
having lower melting point  Proper design of joint to avoid
 Rapid cooling localized stresses
 Higher heat input during
welding
 Surrounding surfaces should be
thoroughly cleaned

36
 ME 2201 : MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY - I
UNIT III - BULK DEFORMATION PROCESSES
Hot working and cold working of metals – Forging processes – Open, impression and
closed die forging – Characteristics of the process – Types of Forging Machines - Typical
forging operations - Rolling of metals – Types of Rolling mills - Flat strip rolling - Shape
rolling operations – Defects in rolled parts - Principle of rod and wire drawing - Tube
drawing - Principles of Extrusion - Types of Extrusion - Hot and cold extrusion -
Equipments used

HOT WORKING AND COLD WORKING OF METALS

Bulk Deformation or Metal forming processes are broadly classified into two categories:

 Hot Working
 Cold working

The metal working processes that are carried out above recrystallisation temperature are
Hot working processes whereas those below are Cold working processes.

When atoms reach a certain high energy level under the action of heat of and the force new
crystals start forming. This is termed as Recrystallisation.

Hot working does not mean that the working of a metal is at elevated temperature. Lead
and tin have a recrystallisation temperature below the room temperature, and hence
working of these metals at room temperature is always hot working. But steel has
recrystallisation temperature in the range of 600-700 o C, hence working temperature
below that temperature is still Cold working.

Hot Working
Advantages:

 No Strain hardening takes place since working is carried out above recrystallisation
temperature.
 Material should have high ductility at high temperature. Brittle materials can also be
hot worked easily.
 Shear stress will decrease when temperature increases and hence force required to
achieve the necessary deformation is very less compared to cold working.
 Better mechanical properties will be achieved by controlling the temperature.

Limitations:

 At high working temperature scaling will be formed on the surface of the

material which leads to loss of materials and poor surface finish.
 Due to thermal expansion of metals, dimensional accuracy is difficult to
achieve.
 It is very difficult to handle and maintain hot metals.

1
Cold working

Advantages:

 High dimensional accuracy.

 Surface defects are removed.
 Thin gauge sheets are produced.
 Since cold working done at room temperature or low temperature no
oxidation and scaling of the work piece occurs.

COMPARISON OF HOT WORKING WITH COLD WORKING

The comparison of hot working with cold working is given in Table

2
FORGING

Forging is one of the bulk deformation processes in which compressive force is applied to
manipulate the metal in such a way that the required final shape is obtained.Forging
normally a hot working operation though cold forging is also used at times.The forging
operation can create parts that are stronger than those manufactured by any other methods
of production.
In forging, the grains remain unbroken ( refer figures given below) and assume the
contour of the part. Here it is easy to see that the grains, not only remain unbroken, but
have formed a tough, fibrous structure conforming to the outline of the part.

(a) Casting (b) Machined (c) Forged

Grains flow in Crankshaft in three different manufacturing methods

Forgings are always used where reliability and human safety are critical.They are
commonly used components like assembled items in air planes, automobiles, tractors,
ships, oil rigs, engines, misssiles and all critical equipments.

Cold-working Processes Classifications of Squeezing Processes

 Squeezing  Rolling
 Bending  Swaging or Cold forging
 Shearing  Staking
 Drawing  Sizing
 Special forming processes  Coining
 Burnishing
 Cold rolling
 Knurling
 Riveting
 Thread Rolling
Classifications of Drawing Processes Classifications of Shearing Processes
 Blank Drawing  Punching
 Tube Drawing  Blanking
 Wire Drawing  Cutting off
 Embossing  Trimming
 Metal Spinning  Perforating
 Stretch forming  Notching
Classifications of Bending Processes  Slitting
 Angle bending  Lancing
 Roll forming  Shaving
 Plate bending
 Seaming
 Curling
3
 Classifications of Special forming
Processes
 Explosive forming
 Electro hydraulic forming
 Magnetic forming
 Impact extrusion
 Shot peening

FORGING OPERATIONS

Upsetting

It is the process of increasing the cross-sectional area of the bar at the expense of its height.
When a bar is compressed by the open dies the material is squeezed and upsetting takes
place. Figure given shows the upsetting.

Punching

Punching is the process of producing holes in workpiece as shown in figure below.

Normally, the hole produced is cylindrical. Punching can be done by placing the workpiece
over a hole in the anvil or over a cylindrical die of required size or over a correct size in a
swage block. The hot punch is placed on the workpiece and hammered.

Fullering

In this operation, the cross-section area of workpiece is reduced and lengthened for further
operation like drawing like drawing down or setting down.

4
Drawing Down
It is the processes of increasing the length of the bar. When the length increases, either the
thickness or width decreases or both. The metal is heated to a required temperature, held
with tongs and placed between two fillers over the anvil.The bottom fuller is positioned in
a square hole (Hardie hole) in the anvil. The top fuller is placed over the job directly above
the fuller using a sledge hammer.

Drawing Down
Bending
Bending is an important operation in forging. It is done frequently. The bend may be sharp
cornered or circular. The sharp bend is made hammering the metal over the edge of the
anvil. Circular bends may be made by using the beak of anvil.

Bending
Setting Down
It is the operation of reducing the thickness of the work piece in a small area as shown in
Figure.

Setting Down
5
Welding

It is a process of joining two metal pieces by applying pressure after heating them to a
higher temperature is known as forge welding .Wrought iron and mild steel are most suited
for forge welding.

Welding
Cutting

This process is used to cut the large pieces into small pieces for further operations. Cutting
can be done by using either cold or hot chisel.

Cutting
Blocking
Blocking is an intermediate operation before finishing.

Trimming
It is the operation of removing flash material from the forged components.

Ironing
Sometimes, it is desirable to produce drawn parts with considerable variation in thickness
of metal. The drawing process used to accomplish this is known as Ironing.

6
FORGING PROCESSES
Forging can be classified as:

1. Smith forging or open-die forging or upset forging

* Hand Forging
* Power Forging
 Hammer Forging
 Press Forging
2. Impression Forging or Closed Die Forging
* Drop Forging
* Press Forging
* Machine Forging
* Seamless Rolled ring Forging
* Cold Forging

OPEN DIE FORGING

When a solid work piece is placed between two flat dies to accomplish the change in
shape it is called Open –Die Forging.

There is no external restriction of for the material to flow. Hence high amount of
deformation is not possible.

Shaft forging (a) Starting Stock held by manipulator

(b) Open-die forging (c) Progressive forging (d) Lathe turning to near net shape

7
This process progressively works the starting stock into the desired shape, most
commonly between flat –faced dies.

Open die forging comprises of many process variations, permitting an extremely broad
range of shapes and sizes are to be produced.

Open-Die forging can produce Round, square, rectangular hexagonal bars and other basic
shapes.

Hollow Sleeve Type Forging

Ring Forging
(a) Preform mounted on Saddle/Mandrel
(b)Metal displacement reduces perform wall thickness to increase diameter
(c)Progressive reduction of wall thickness to producer ring dimensions
(d) Matching to near net shape

Hand Forging

Hand forging are made with repeated blows in an open die or an anvil when heated to the
proper temperature, where the operator manipulates the work piece. This is an old
manufacturing process and what a traditional blacksmith does.

8
 Hand Forging

Various operations are drawing down, upsetting punching, bending setting down and
welding. Hand forging is used for making simple shapes such as chains, hooks, shackles, and
agriculture equipment and tools.

Applications
Open-die processes can produce:

1. Step shafts, solid shafts (spindles or rotors) whose diameter increases or decreases at
multiple locations along the longitudinal axis.
2. Hollow cylindrical shapes, usually with length much greater than the diameter of the part
Length, wall thickness, internal and outer diameter can be varied as needed.
3. Ring-like parts can resemble washers or approach hollow cylinders in shape, depending
on the height/wall thickness ratio.
4. Contour-formed metal shells like pressure vessels, which may incorporate extruded
nozzles and other design features.

IMPRESSION DIE FORGING OR CLOSED DIE FORGING

 When a solid work piece is placed between two shaped dies, two dies are brought
together and the work piece undergoes plastic deformation until it enlarges sides touches
the side wall of die.

 Then a small amount of material begins to flow outside the die impression forming flash
that is gradually thinned.

Closed Die Forging

9
 The flash cools quickly and presents increased resistance to deformation and helps to
build up pressure increased resistance to deformation.

 It also builds up pressure inside the bulk of the work piece that aids material flow into
unfilled cavities in the die.

 Most Engineering metals and alloys can be forged like carbon and alloys, tool steel,
stainless steel, alumminium and copper alloys.

Applications

1. Part geometry’s range from some of the easiest to forge simple spherical shapes, block-
like rectangular solids, and disc-like configurations to the most intricate components with
thin and long sections that incorporate thin webs and relatively high vertical projections
like ribs and bosses.

2. Although many parts are generally symmetrical, others incorporate all sorts of design
elements (flanges, protrusions, holes, cavities, pockets, etc.) that combine to make the
forging very non-symmetrical.

3. In addition, parts can be bent or curved in one or several planes, whether they are
basically longitudinal, equidimensional or flat.

Machine Forging

The chief difference between hand forging and machine forging is that in the latter
technique various types of machine powered hammers or presses are used instead of hand
sledges. The power hammer can be mechanical or pneumatic type. The stroke of the
hammer varies from 350 mm to 1000 mm and corresponding speeds range form 200 to 800
blows per minute. These machines enable the operator to strike heavy blows with great
rapidity and thus to produce forgings of large size and high quality as swiftly as required by
modern production-line methods. Another advantage of machine forging is that the heavier
the blows struck during forging, the greater the improvement in the quality of metallic
structure.

10
 Machine Forging or Upsetting

Fine grain size in the forging, which is particularly desirable for maximum impact
resistance, is obtained by working the entire piece. With large, hand-forged metal, only the
surface is deformed, whereas the machine hammer or press will deform the metal
throughout the entire piece.

Drop Forging

 Drop forging is the most common forging procedure that is in use.

 It gets its name from the fact that the upper half of the die drops onto the lower half.
 This process involves several steps.
 The first two steps are called fullerring and edging. Here cross-sectional area of the
metal is reduced in some areas and gathering in other areas.

Steps in Drop Forging

11
 The third step is blocking and the shape of the part is not pronounced. This may take
several drops in the blocking cavity of the die.

 In step three flash, begins to appear, this is a thin fin (0.04 mm) of metal that is
squeezed between the dies.

 The fourth step is finishing operation which gives the final shape of the required part is
completed.

 The final step is called trimming operation where holes are cleared and the flash is
trimmed from the forging.

Press Forging

Press forging is a process similar to kneading, where a slow-continuous pressure is applied

to the area to be forged. The pressure will extend deep into the material and can be
completed either cold or hot. A cold press forging is used on a thin, annealed material, and
a hot press forging is done on large work such as armor plating, locomotives and heavy
machinery. In this type, only one blow is given as compared with number of blows in drop
forging.

In press forging number of stages are used and only in last stage die cavity is used to get
finished forging. Dies may have less draft, and the forging comes nearer to the desired
sizes. Press forging are shaped at each impression with a single smooth stroke and they
stick to the die impression more rigidly. Unless some provision is made, the escape of air
and excess die lubricant may be difficult. Thus, press-forging dies require a mechanical
means for ejecting the forging.

Press forging are generally more accurate dimensionally than drop forging. The cost of the
process is three to four times than that in drop forging but with press forging, unskilled
labour can be used and production rate is higher. The working conditions with the press are
better as there is no noise and vibrations.

Cold Forging

Forging is mostly done by hot work, at temperature up to 1370° C.A variation of

impression die forging is cold forging. Cold forging encompasses –Bending, cold working
cold heading, coining, extrusions and more to yield a diverse range of part shapes. The
temperature of metals being from room temperature to warm working temperature.

Seamless Rolled Ring Forging

 The ring rolling process typically begins with upsetting of the starting stock on flat dies
at its plastic deforming temperature.

 A punch forcing into the hot upset stock causing metal to be displaced radially.

12
 Upsetting and Piercing

Preform Ring Rolling Operation

 A sequence of operation shearing serves to remove the small punch- out.

 After that it is kept in a rolling mill between Inner Diameter (ID) and Outer Diameter
(OD) of the work piece.
 This squeezes it against the Outer Diameter roll imparts rotary action and achieved final
part.

FORGING MACHINES

Hammers
In hammer forging, forming of components is carried out by the large number of blows
applied in rapid succession. Forging hammer is a heavy ram with upper die, attached to its
bottom. The lower die is attached is stationary and supported by an anvil or machine base
frame.
Types of Hammers
 Gravity Drop Hammer
 Power Drop Hammers
Mechanical Hammers
 Helve Hammer
 Lever Spring Hammer
 Pneumatic Hammer
 Air or Steam Hammer

13
Gravity Drop Hammer or Forge Hammer

It consists of a heavy ram containing upper part of die attached to the lower part of the
board. The ram moves up and down inside the guide ways. The lower part attached to the
anvil. In roll lift hammers, two rollers rotate in opposite direction, which drives the board
up. When the roller are released the ram containing the upper die moves die down and
gives a heavy blow on the workpiece. This cycle is repeated until final required shape is
obtained.

Gravity Drop Hammer

Helve Hammer
These are high speed hammers used for general engineering work, where there is a frequent
change in size of the stock. It has wooden helve pivoted at one end with an eccentric.
Range of hammers are 5-200 Kg.Number of blows /minute-175- 400.

Helve Hammer

Leaf Spring Hammer

Hammer has a constant lift and with varying strokes. Number of strokes increases with
increase in operation speed. Ram is driven by rocking lever and other end attached to
vertical rod. Leaf spring is pivoted at middle with the machine frame. Capacity of hammer
is 30 to 250 Kg.Number of strokes /minute -40 to 200.

14
 Leaf Spring Hammer

Pneumatic Hammer

Hammer works by Air pressure. There are two cylinders one is ram cylinder and another is
compressor cylinder. Capacity of the hammer is 50 to 1000 Kg. Number of blows/min
ranges from 70 to 190.

Pneumatic Hammer

Air or Steam Hammer

There is no inbuilt air or steam

compressor in this hammer. Seperate high
pressure air or steam supply is required.
Single or double acting is used to raise
the ram in place of the board and rollers.
Single acting is used for Light weight
work.

15
Forging Presses
Various types of mechanical presses are

€ Fly screw press € Eccentric press € Toggle press € Knuckle press € Crank press

Fly screw press

 A top of the frame a nut is provided and
vertical screw can goes through the nut .
 A vertical shaft carries a wheel which can be
rotated through the handle given.
 The ram carries by bottom side of shaft and the
ram is provided with a guide in the frame
during sliding up and down.

Fly Screw Press

Eccentric press

 The driving shaft carries an integral eccentric

with it .One end of the rod is connected to the
ram and other end is connected to eccentric
housing.

Eccentric Press

Toggle press

 A toggle drive is used to drive the outer sides of a double action press Knuckle
press

Toggle press

16
Crank press
An electric motor is used to drive a pulley, which is connected to the flywheel through a V-
belt. The flywheel is stopped by an auxiliary brake and pneumatic clutch is also used as an
overloading safety device. The flywheel is connected to crankshaft through gears.

Crank press
Knuckle press
In this type of press, knuckle joint mechanism is used. One end of the upper link is attached
to the frame and the end is attached to a horizontal link and lower link at the centre. The
lower link is attached to the ram. The horizontal link is driven by a crank shaft which pulls
the other links to a vertical position, in turn results in a short powerful movement of the
ram.

Knuckle press

Hydraulic Forging Press

In the hydraulic drive, the ram is attached to a piston
through a rod. The piston moves up and down in hydraulic
cylinder. The oil at high pressure is pumped to press with
the aid of an accumulator and distributor through the top
side of the piston. The ram moves downwards. At the end of
the stroke, the oil is pumped through bottom side of the
piston. The ram then moves upwards. This type of press is
used when heavy pressure is required on the ram. Hydraulic
presses provide long strokes than mechanical presses and it
is used for heavy duty jobs. The capacity of the hydraulic
press is generally 100 tonnes.

Hydraulic Forging Press

17
Forging Defects

Many forging defects from the starting material, including surface seams, out of tolerance
cross-sections

Cold Shut
Cold shut is caused by a poor die design or some times by incorrect positioning of the work
piece in the cavity. The sharp corner at “A” causes the metal to flow

Cold Shut because of Poor Design

Flash –Line cracks
Flash –line crack is developed due to sudden reduction in thickness during forging is large
Crack can develop after forging and also during heat treatment.

Flash –Line cracks

Internal Cracks

This type of crack can during upsetting of a round or a cylinder, as a result of

circumferential stress. Cracks can be eliminated by proper designing of dies.

Internal Cracks
Concave are used to reduce bulging during upsetting and development circumferential
tensile stress.

18
ROLLING

Rolling is a deformation process in which the thickness of the work piece is reduced by
compressive forces exerted by two opposing rolls. Rolling is categorized into two types,
Hot rolling and Cold rolling. In hot rolling, the metal is heated to just below its melting
point before being fed into the rollers. It is very useful for brittle materials like Cast iron,
the hot rolled steel cools down with finer grains in the crystalline micro-structure, and is
stronger and less brittle, e,g. wrought iron. A structural change which occurs in the
direction of rolling and the velocity of material at exit is higher than that at the entry. After
crossing the stress zone, grains starts refining in the case of hot rolling. In cold rolling,
grains retain the shape acquired by them during rolling.

Rolling process and Deformation of grains in Rolling

Rolling Operations

Main use rolling is in plants where the metal is made like steel- making plants, liquid iron
is formed in a blast furnace by reducing the iron oxide. thus further processing of the
liquid metal, including conversion from iron to steel, it is cast into raw stock shapes by a
process called continuous casting. Large pieces of steel (several tonnes each) `with typical
cross-sections including Bloom (square section 6x6 inches or larger) Slab (rectangular
cross- section 10 x 1.5 inches ), Round bars (circular cross-section ), or Beams ( I-
sections).

TYPES OF ROLLING MILLS

A rolling mill consists of one or more roll stands, motor drive, reduction gears, and
flywheel and coupling gears between units. The roll stand is the main part of the mill,
where the rolling process is performed. It basically consists of housings in which bearings
are fitted, which are used for mounting the rolls. Depending upon the profile of the rolled
product, the body of the roll may be either flat for rolling sheets (plates or strips) or
grooved for making structural members (channel, I-beam, rail).

Rolling mills are classified according to the number and arrangement of rolls in a stand.
They are classified as:
19
(A) Hot rolling of metals (Two-high rolling mill, Three-high rolling mill)
(B) Cold rolling of metals (Four high rolling mill, Cluster rolling mill)

(1) Two-high rolling mill: It is basically of two types i.e., non-reversing and reversing
rolling mill. The two high non-reversing rolling stand arrangements is the most common
arrangement. In this the rolls always move in only one direction, while in a two-high
reversing rolling.

(2) Three-high rolling mill: It is used for rolling of two continuous passes in a rolling
sequence without reversing the drives. After all the metal has passed through the bottom
roll set, the end of the metal is entered into the other set of the rolls for the next pass. For
this purpose, a table-tilting arrangement is required to bring the metal to the level with the
rolls. Such type of arrangement is used for making plates or sections.

(3) Four-high rolling mill: It is generally a two-high rolling mill, but with small sized
rolls. The other two rolls are the backup rolls for providing the necessary rigidity to the
small rolls. It is used for both hot and cold rolling of wide plates and sheets.

(4) Cluster rolling mill: It uses backup rolls to support the smaller work rolls. In this type
of mill, the roll in contact with the work can be as small as 1/4 in. in diameter. Foil is
always rolled on cluster mills since the small thickness requires small-diameter rolls.

Roll Passes

The final rolled products such as plates, flats, sheets, rounds and sections are obtained in
a number of passes starting from billet or slabs. For rolling the flat product, plain
cylindrical rolls are used but for sections, grooved rolls are used. The type of grooving
done is decided by the final section desired.

20
The roll pass sequence can be broadly classified into three types:

1. Breakdown passes: These are used for reducing the cross-sectional area nearer to what
is desired. These would be the first to be present in the sequence.
2. Roughing passes: In these passes also, the cross-section gets reduced, but along with it,
the shape of the rolled material comes nearer to the final shape.
3. Finishing passes: These are the final passes which give the required shape of pass
follows a leader pass.
The principal breakdown pass sequence is:
(i) Box pass series
(ii) Diamond square series
(iii) Oval square series

Flat Strip Rolling

Flat strip rolling uses a series of rolls to gradually change the shape of the metal. The fast
moving continuous strip passes between the rolls, the cross-sectional shape changed to the
desired form. The form is limitless in variations.

Cold forming of flat strips

Shape Rolling Operations

Apart from flat rolling operation, various shapes can also be produced by shape rolling.
Straight and long structural shapes such as solid bars with various cross-sections, channels,
I-beams and railroad rails are rolled by passing the stock through a set of specially designed
rolls.

Ring Rolling
In this process, a thick ring is expanded into larger diameter with a reduced cross-section.
Ring is placed between two rolls, one of which is driven and its thickness is reduced by
bringing the rollers closer together as they rotate. The volume of the ring remains constant
during deformation; the reduction in thickness is compensated by an increases in its
diameter.

21
 Ring Rolling
Advantages
 Favourable grain flow
 No wastage of materials
 Close dimensional tolerances
 High productivity rate

Applications
 Large rings for Rockets and Turbines.
 Gear wheel rims, and Ball bearing braces.
 Flanges and Reinforcing rings for pipes

Thread Rolling

One of the important use of rolling is to make screws and bolts. The threads of the screws
are made by rolling a cylindrical stock between two dies that form the thread-shapes on the
stock. A single rolling machine of this type can produce a minimum of ten screws per
second. The thread rolling process is a cold forming process by which straight or taper
threads are formed on the rod by either flat reciprocating dies or rotating cylindrical dies

Advantages

 Production rate is high. No wastages or burr formation. Surface finish is high.

Applications of Rolling

Rolling is used to produce components having constant cross-section throughout its length.
The whole range of rolled products can be divided into the following types:
(a) Structural shapes or sections: This includes sections like round, square,
hexagonal bars, channels, H and I beams and special sections like rail section.
(b) Plates and sheets: These are produced of varying thickness
(c) (c) Special purpose rolled products: These include rings, balls, wheels and ribbed tubes.

22
 Two types of thread –rolling processes
(a) Dual –roller dies (b) Reciprocating flat dies

Tube Piercing or Seamless Tubing

Process of making a hot pierced tube, consists of passing a hot rolled billet between two bi-
conical rollers over a plug held on a support bar, often referred as mandrel. The bi-conical
rolls serve to spin the round heated billet and force it forward. The piercing action is
actually started before placing it between the rolls, by drilling, punching or piercing. their
axes are inclined at a feed angle to permit forward and rotary motion of the billet. The
squeezing and bulging of the billet open up a seam in its center pass makes a rather thick-
walled tube which is again passed over plug and through grooved rolls in a two-high roll
mill where the thickness is decreased and the length is increased. While it is still up to a
temperature, it is passed on to a reeling machine which has two rolls similar to the piercing
rolls, but with flat surfaces.

Tube Piercing or Seamless Tubing

23
Defects in Rolling
Zipper Cracks
Zipper cracks are usually caused by low ductility.

Barreling
Barreling is caused by interfaces, which records the free flow of the material.

Edge cracks
Edge cracks are occurs in plates and slabs because of either limited ductility of metal or
uneven deformation especially at the edges.

Alligatoring
Alligatoring is a complex phenomenon that results from inhomogeneous deformation of
the material during rolling or from defects in the original cast ingot, such as piping. The
work piece splits along a horizontal plane on exit from the rolls.

Rolling Defects

Roll Deflection Roll Crowing

24
ROD, WIRE AND TUBE DRAWING

To manufacture long slender products (wire, tube), material is drawn through a die. The
material is deformed by compression, but the deformation force is supplied by pulling on
the deformed end of the wire or rod. This is termed ‘indirect compression’. Most drawing is
done cold. Wire drawing is an operation to produce wire of various sizes within certain
specific tolerances. The process involves reducing the diameter of rods or wires by passing
them through a series of wire drawing dies with each successive die having smaller bore
diameter than the one preceding it. The drawing force must not exceed the strength of the
drawn wire. Typically this means that the maximum reduction (as area, not diameter)
attainable is less than 50%. In practice reduction is usually limited to 20-30% to avoid
frequent breakage. The final wire size is reached as the wire passes through the last die in
the series.

Schematic diagram of drawing process

Rod drawing

The principle behind in drawing of bar rod and wire are one and the same, though the
equipments used are different for different sized products. Rods and tubes cannot be
produced on drawing benches. A long draw bench is used drawing rod in straight lengths. It
consists of a die, a gripper and lever for pulling the rod and a chain used to transmit the
power to drive the cold drawing trolley. Before the rod is drawn, its surfaces must be
cleaned. The Non-ferrous alloys, the surface resulting from the previous hot rolling or
extrusion processes is adequate in this respect. Pointing rod is required for easy insertion
and holding in the gripper jaws.

Draw Bench

25
Wire drawing
To manufacture long slender products (wire, tube), material is drawn through a die. The
material is deformed by compression, but the deformation force is supplied by pulling on
the deformed end of the wire or rod. This is termed ‘indirect compression’. Most drawing is
done cold. Wire drawing is an operation to produce wire of various sizes within certain
specific tolerances. The process involves reducing the diameter of rods or wires by passing
them through a series of wire drawing dies with each successive die having smaller bore
diameter than the one preceding it. The drawing force must not exceed the strength of the
drawn wire. Typically this means that the maximum reduction (as area, not diameter)
attainable is less than 50%. In practice reduction is usually limited to 20-30% to avoid
frequent breakage. The final wire size is reached as the wire passes through the last die in
the series.

Wire Drawing

Wire Drawing Die

Defects in Wire Drawing

Defects occur in wire drawing because of ploughing by hard particles and local breakdown
of the lubricating film. Some common defects are:
1. Bulge formation: This occurs in front of the die due to low reduction and high die
angle.

26
2. Internal cracks (Centre burst or centre-cracking): The tendency of cracking
increases with increasing die angle, with decreasing reduction per pass, with friction and
with the presence of inclusions in the material.
3. Seams: These appear as longitudinal scratches or folds in the material. Such defects can
open up during subsequent forming operations by upsetting, heading, thread rolling or
bending of the rod or wire.
4. Surface defects: Various types of surface defects can also result due to improper
selection of process parameters and lubrication.

Tube drawing
Tube drawing normally makes tubes to size from hollow ‘tube shells’ produced by
extrusion. They are then cold drawn to size by a succession of passes, with inter stage
anneals as required and supplied neither in straight lengths or coil. shows a typical tube
drawing process with a floating mandrel.

Tube Drawing

The common methods of tube drawing are: Tube sinking, Tube drawing with a plug or stationary
mandrel and Tube drawing with a moving mandrel.

1. Tube sinking: This method is generally not preferred since no support is provided on the
inner surface of the tube and as a result wall thickness may slightly increase.

27
Tube drawing with a plug: In this method tubes of greater dimensional accuracy are
obtained because of the proper support provided both at the inner and outer surfaces of the
tube. The plug used may be of cylindrical or conical shape and is of either fixed or floating
type. In a fixed plug, friction is more as compared to a floating plug. For the same
reduction in area, the drawing load will be less with floating plug than with a fixed plug.

Tube drawing with a moving mandrel: This method is similar to that of a plug drawing
except the difference that in this case a movable mandrel is used. Because of the movable
mandrel, friction is minimized but the mandrel has to be removed by rolling, hence there is
a slight increase in the diameter of tube. This results in reduction of dimensional tolerances.

Defects

Internal defects in the rod and wire include cracks due to seam or pipe in the hot rolled
starting material and a defect known as cupping. Cupping is the rupturing of the centre of
the wire when it is subjected to tensile force is identified by necking during drawing or by
cup and cone type fracture when wire is broken.
Surface discoloration and ground in oxide result from improper cleaning of hot rolled bar
and the rod.

28
EXTRUSION
Extrusion differs from drawing in that the metal is pushed, rather than pulled under tension.
Extrusion processes can be carried on hot or cold.

Cold extrusion: Cold extrusion is the process done at room temperature or slightly
elevated temperatures. This process can be used for most materials subject to designing
robust enough tooling that can withstand the stresses created by extrusion. Cold extrusion
can be used with any material that possesses adequate cold work ability–e.g., lead, tin,
aluminum alloys, copper, titanium, molybdenum, vanadium, steel. Typical parts which are
cold extruded are collapsible tubes, aluminum cans, cylinders, gear blanks.

The advantages of cold extrusion are:

1. No oxidation takes place.
2. Good mechanical properties due to severe cold working as long as the temperature
created are below the recrystallization temperature.
3. Good surface finish with the use of proper lubricants.

Hot extrusion: Hot extrusion is basically a hot working process. It is done at fairly high
temperatures, approximately 50 to 75% of the melting point of the metal. The pressures can
range from 35-700 MPa. Due to the high temperatures and pressures and its detrimental
effect on the die life as well as other components, good lubrication is necessary.

The principal variables, which influence the force required to cause extrusion, are:
(1) The type of extrusion
(2) The extrusion ratio
(3) The working temperature
(4) The speed of deformation, and
(5) The frictional conditions at the die and container wall.

Typical parts produced by hot extrusion are trim parts used in automotive and construction
applications, window frame members, railings, aircraft structural parts.

Types of Extrusion

Extrusion process is classified as

1. Direct or forward extrusion

2. Indirect or backward extrusion
3.Other extrusion processes
 Tube extrusion
 Hydrostatic extrusion
 Impact extrusion
 Cold extrusion forging
 Side extrusion

29
 Typical cross-section in extrusion

Direct or Forward Extrusion

In this method, the heated metal billet is placed in to the die chamber and the pressure is
applied through ram. The metal is extruded through die opening in the forward direction,
i.e. the same as that of the ram. In forward extrusion, the problem of friction is prevalent
because of the relative motion between the heated metal billet and the cylinder walls. To
reduce such friction, lubricants are to be commonly used. At lower temperatures, a mixture
of oil and graphite is generally used. The problem of lubrication gets compounded at the
higher operating temperatures. Molten glass is generally used for extruding steels.

30
 Direct or Forward Extrusion

Indirect or Backward Hot Extrusion

In indirect extrusion, the billet remains stationary while the die moves into the billet by the
hollow ram (or punch), through which the backward extrusion takes place. Since, there is
no friction force between the billet and the container wall, therefore, less force is required
by this method. However this process is not widely used because of the difficulty occurred
in providing support for the extruded part.

Backward Extrusion

Tube extrusion
This process is an extension of direct extrusion process where additional mandrel is needed to
restrict flow of metal for production of seamless tubes. Alumminium based toothpaste and
medicated tubes are produced using this process.

31
 Hollow products extruded with (a) Fixed (b) Piercing mandrels and
(c) Bridge or spider type dies

Hydrostatic extrusion
In this process, the chamber is filled with a fluid that transmits the pressure to the billet,
which is then extruded through the die. There is no friction along the walls of the container.
Because the billet is subjected to uniform hydrostatic pressure, it does not upset to fill the
bore of the container as it would in conventional extrusion. This means that the billet may
have a large length to diameter ratio (even coils of wires can be extruded) or it may have an
irregular cross section. Because of the pressurized fluid, lubrication is very effective, and
the extruded product has good surface finish and dimensional accuracy. Sin e friction is
nearly absent, it is possible to use dies with very low semi-cone angle which greatly
minimizes the redundant deformation. The only limitation with this process is the practical
limit of fluid pressure that may be used because of the constraint involving the strength of
the container and the requirement that the fluid does not solidify at high pressure.

Hydrostatic extrusion

Impact Extrusion
It is a form of indirect extrusion and is particularly suitable for hollow shapes. It is usually
performed on a high-speed mechanical press. The punch descends at a high speed and
strikes the blank, extruding it upwards.. The thickness of the extruded tubular section is a
function of the clearance between the punch and the die cavity. Although the process is

32
performed cold, considerable heating results from the high-speed deformation. Impact
extrusion is restricted to softer metals such as lead, tin, aluminum and copper.

Impact Extrusion

Cold extrusion forging

Cold extrusion forging is a combination of forging and extrusion. It is similar to impact

extrusion, but different in that its side walls are much thicker and their height is smaller.
In this method both die and punch is used. A blank is placed inside the die and pressure is
applied by the punch to extrude the metal along the punch walls.

.
Cold extrusion forging
Side extrusion
In this side extrusion, the movement of the material is the direction perpendicular to that of
ram motion. It can be a solid or a hollow side extrusion. In solid extrusion, a solid body of
any protrusion of any profile is extruded. For hollow side extrusion, a tool opening is
formed by the combination of a split die and a mandrel determines the hollow protrusion
profile of the extruded component. The force used is high Non – ferrous metals and highly
plastic metals like lead.

33
 Side Extrusion
Extrusion defects

Piping

Piping is due to surface materials drawn into the centre as shown in figure. Severe surface
material’s serration, called the fir-tree defect, results from momentary sticking of extrusion
in the die area.

Piping

Shape Error

Shape error occurs because of the different extrusion speeds at different points of the
vertical section of the componenet.It can be avoided by providing uniform speed
throughout the vertical section.

Shape Error
34
Internal Cracking

It is due to improper die angle, extrusion ratio and friction.Chervon cracking occurs due to
hydrostatic tension(outer layer in compression and inner layer in tension, if entire part is
not plastic)It can be eliminated by reducing the friction

Internal Cracking

Advantages of Extrusion

 The tooling cost is low, as well as the cost due to material

 Intricate cross sectional shapes, hollow shapes and shapes with undercuts can be
produced.
 The hardness and the yield strength of the material are increased.
 In most applications, no further machining.

Limitations of Extrusion

 High tolerances are difficult to achieve.

 The process is limited to ductile materials.
 Extruded products might suffer from surface cracking. It might occur when the
surface
 Temperature rise significantly due to high extrusion temperature, friction, or
extrusion speed.

35
 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY - I
UNIT-IV SHEET METAL PROCESSES

Sheet metal characteristics – Typical shearing operations – Bending – Drawing operations – Stretch
forming operations –– Formability of sheet metal – Test methods – Working principle and application of
special forming processes – Hydro forming – Rubber pad forming – Metal spinning – Introduction to
Explosive forming – Magnetic pulse forming – Peen forming – Super plastic forming.

Introduction

Sheet metal work is generally regarded as the working of metal from 16 gauge to 30 gauge, with hand
tools and simple machines into various forms of cutting, forming into shapes and joining. In most of the
cases the manufacturing of sheet metal components is a cold working process because, the metal, when
heated, has a lower resistance to deformation.

Common examples of sheet metal applications are canisters, guards, covers, hoppers, pipes, hoods, boxes,
etc. Parts made of sheet metal have many attractive qualities such as good accuracy of dimensions,
adequate strength, light weight and a broad range of possible dimensions. Knowledge of geometry,
mensuration, and properties of metal is most essential since nearly all patterns come from the
development of the surfaces of a number of geometrical models such as cylinder, prism, cones and
pyramids.

Deformation in sheet metal occurs mainly due to tension. During a sheet metal operation, plastic flow of
metal to finished size takes place. Thus a sheet metal should posses the following characteristics.

1. Plasticity
2. Malleability
3. Good bending properties
4. Stretchability
5. Good shearing characteristics
6. Formability

Materials used for sheet metal working :

Galvanised Iron Aluminium

Statinless Steel Tin Plate
Copper Lead

Coated Materials and their applications :

1. Tin plate : Used on Steel food cans-tin is non-toxic and corrosion resistant
2. Galvanized sheet metal : Zinc gives excellent corrosion resistance
3. Terme Plate : Lead coating is used on steel to prevent corrosion of petrol tanks.
4. Aluminium : Used on steel exhaust pipes to reduce corrosion
5. Paint and Polymers : Used on many metals-part decorative and part corrosion resistance

1
Common Operations done on sheet metal
Sheet metal operations can be divided into five groups as follows :

Cutting
Shearing Piercing Blanking Shaving Lancing
Perforating Nibbling Notching Trimming Slotting

Bending
Supported and Unsupported Press brake forming Roll Bending & Bending & Tube
bending Roll Forming Bending
Flanging Dimpling Hemming or curling Roll Forming Twisting

Deep Drawing
Pure bending Ironing Hydro forming

High Velocity Forming

Explosive Forming Magnetic Pulse forming Electro Hydraulic Forming

Other Forming Operations

Squeezing Stretch Forming Spinning Peen forming Super Plastic Forming

TYPICAL SHEARING OPERATIONS

Cutting Operations

Shearing is the mechanical cutting of materials without the formation of chips or the use of burning or
melting. The process involves cutting of flat material forms such as sheets and plates using two cutting
blades.

The group of sheet metal forming processes that involve cutting or shearing the sheet metal by subjecting
it to shear stress between punch and die, or between the blades of a shear could be categorized into many
processes such as punching, piercing, slitting, etc.
Operations that make up press work are varied, but ate broadly classified as shearing, bending and
drawing. Press working tools are called punches and dies. The punch of the assembly is attached to the
ram of the press and is forced into die cavity. The die has the opening to receive the punch.

Die I used in shearing typically have small clearances between the punch (moving part) and the die (non-
moving backing). If the gap is too great, the parts will have rough edges and excess shear force will be
required. Clearances that are too small lead to pre-mature wear.
2
Shearing, Piercing and Blanking Operations

Shearing

Shearing is a general description for most sheet metal

cutting, but in a specific case, it is cut along a straight line
completely across a strip, sheet or bar. As a punch descends
on the metal, the pressure first causes a plastic deformation to
take place. The metal is highly stressed adjacent to punch and
a die edges, and fractures start on both sides of the sheet as the
deformation continues. When the ultimate tensile strength of
the material is reached, the fracture progresses and if the
clearance is correct and both edges of equal sharpness, the
fractures meet at the centre of the sheet.

Mechanics of Shearing

During the shearing process, three phases could be distinguished as shown above.

Phase 1: Due to the action of the cutting force F, the stress on the material is lower than the yield stress.
This phase is that of elastic deformation. In order to prevent the movement of material during the cutting
operation, the material is held by the material holder at force Fd.

Phase 2: The stress on the material is higher than the yield stress but lower than the Ultimate Tensile
Stress. The phase is that of plastic deformation.\

Phase 3: In this phase, the stress on the material is equal to the shearing stress. The material begins to part
not at the beginning edge but at the appearance of the first crack or breakage in the material. Fracture of
the material occurs in this phase. As the applied exceeds the shear strength, the material tears or ruptures
through the remainder of the thickness.

3
Because of the normal non-homogeneiti4es in a metal and the possibility of non-uniform clearance
between the shear blades, the final shearing does not occur in a uniform manner. Fracture and tearing
begins at the weakest point and proceeds progressively and intermittently to the next weakest location.l
The results are usually rough and ragged edge.

Proper clearance between punch an die, or the shearing blades would result in sufficiently smooth edge
condition which may be used without further finishing operation.

Blanking and Punching

Cuts an entire piece from sheet metal, but there is stock entirely around the contour of the part in the work
piece sheet metal. The usable part is called the blank. The remaining is part is often called the skeleton or
the waste. If the operation is to cut a hole, and the material in the hole is a waste, then the operation is
called piercing or punching.The basic tool of blanking and punching are die and punch.

There are three phases of this process.

1. Elastic 2. Plastic 3. Fracture

4
Elastic Phase: In this phase, the material gets compressed across and slightly deformed between the
punch and die. The deformation in the metal does not exceed elastic limit.

Plastic Phase: Further progress of the punch causes plastic deformation at the rim, between the cutting
edges of the punch and the die. At the end, the material shear strength will be reached but the material
resists fracture.

Fracture Phase: The strain in the material reaches the fracture limit and micro cracks appear, propagate
and becomes macro crack, followed by separation of the parts of the workpiece. The crack in the material
starts at cutting edge of the punch on the upper side and cutting edge on the die at lower side of the
material.

Shearing Dies:

Compound Dies: Several operations in the

same strip may be performed in one stroke
with a compound die in one station. These
operations are usually limited to relatively
simple shearing because they are somewhat
slow, and dies are more expensive than
those of individual shearing operations.
Washers produced simultaneously by
blanking and piercing operations.
Economical in mass production.

Combination Die: It differs from compound die in this, cutting operation is combined with bending or
drawing (forming) operations. The die ring which is mounted on the die shoe, is counter-bored at the
bottom to allow the flange of a pad to travel
up and down. This pad is held flush with the
face of the die by a spring. A drawing punch
of required shape is fastened to the die shoe.
The blanking punch is secured to the punch
holder. A spring stripper strips eh skeleton
from the blanking punch. A knockout
extending through the centre opening. In
operation, the blank holding ring descends
as the part is blanked, then the drawing
punch contacts and forces the blank into the
drawing die which is made in the blanking
punch.

5
Progressive Dies: A progressive or a follow on die has a series of stations. At each station, an operation
is performed on a workpiece during a stroke of the press. Between stroke, the piece of the metal strip is
transferred to the next station. A finished work-piece is made at each stroke of the press. Parts requiring
multiple operations, such as punching, blanking and notching are made at high production rates in
progressive dies. The sheet metal is fed through a coil strip, and a different operation is performed in
different stations.

Transfer Dies: In this setup, sheet metal undergoes different operations in different stations, which are
arranged along a straight line or a circular path. After each operation the sheet metal transferred to the
next station for an additional operation.

6
Other Sheet metal cutting operations:

Shaving: It is a finishing or sizing

operation during which a slight amount of
material (about 10%) of the material
thickness is removed or shaved from the
blanked or pierced edges in order to obtain
edges which are smooth, square and within
closer dimensional tolerances.

Slitting: Slitting is the length wise cutting

of coil or sheet stock into narrower widths.
Slitting is a shearing operation used to cut
wide coils of materials into several coils of
narrow width as the material passes
lengthwise through circular blades.

Lancing: Lancing makes a cut part way

through a blank. Lancing is a combined
shearing and bending operation where a
portion of the periphery of a hole is cut into
the workpiece and the remainder is bent to
the desired shape. No material is removed
from the workpiece.

Perforating: Perforating is the cutting of a

small and evenly spaced grouping of holes.
It is a punching process in which a desired
pattern of holes is cut into the workpiece by
means of multiple punches and dies.

Nibbling: Nibbling is a shearing process

that utilizes a series of overlapping cuts to
make complex shapes from sheet metal. In
nibbling, a machine called a nibbler moves
a straight punch up and down rapidly into
a die.
7
Notching: It is a cutting operation from the
side of a strip or sheet or blank. It is a
shearing operation by which metal scrap is
removed from the outside edge of a
workpiece by multiple shear blades set at
right angles to each other.

Trimming: It is a cutting operation

performed on a formed part to remove
excess metal and establish size. The term
has the same basic meaning as in forging.
Removing the top portion of a vessel.

Slotting: Punching operation that cuts out

an elongated or rectangular hole.

BENDING

Bending is the metal working process by which a straight length is transformed into a curved length. It is
a very common forming process for changing sheet and plate into channels, drums, tanks etc. During the
bending operation, the outer surface of the material is in tension and the inside surface is in compression..
The strain in the bent materials increases with decreasing radius of curvature. The stretching of the bend
causes the neutral axis of the section to move towards the inner surface. In most cases the distance of the
neutral axis is 03 t to 0.5 t where ‘t’ is the thickness of the part.

8
Types of Bending Operations:

i. Supported Bending: Any bending where a pad usually spring loaded, is included as support
for the formed part. Ex: Finishing stage of U and V bending
ii. Unsupported Bending: Similar to the process of stretching, where a flat piece of metal,
retained in die, stretches along with the application of tool pressure. Ex: Both U and V die
bending are considered as unsupported bending processes at their beginning stages.

V-Die Bending:

During V-die bending, the punch slides down, coming first to a contact with
the unsupported sheet metal. By progressing further down, it forces the
material to follow along, until finally bottoming on the V-shape of the die.

At the begin ing, the process is unsupported, but as the operational cycle
nears its end, the bent up part becomes totally supported while retained
within the space between the punch and die. Eventhough the most inaccurate
of all bending processes, it is widely used because the tooling is simple and
may be used for more than one flange and for more than one part.

U-Die Bending

In this process, the process begins with a sheet metal positioned over a U-
shaped opening or an insert of such a shape. As the punch progresses, it
contact the sheet material first and pulls it along. On further progress, forcing
it into a U-shaped opening.

U-Die Bending with a Spring Pad

A spring loaded pressure pad is added to the U-Die bending. The blank,
when pulled by the punch into the die opening, is firmly supported by the
pressure pad already at the beginning of the forming operation. In this way,
the punch cannot stretch the material , leaving the bottom of the part flat.
When the punch metal pad sandwich finally bottoms, the formed part
remains the same, with no bulging or distortion of any kind.

Press Brake Forming

Sheets that are 7m or longer, and their relatively narrow pieces, are usually bent in a press brake. This
machine utilizes long dies in a mechanical or hydraulic press and is suitable for small production runs.
The tooling is simple and is adaptable to a variety of shapes. Die materials for press brakes may range
from hardwood to carbides.
9
Roll Bending

A continuous form of three –point bending is roll bending, where plates,

sheets and rolled shapes can be bent to a desired curvature on forming rolls.
These machines usually have three rolls in the form of a pyramid with two
lower rolls being driven and the position of the upper roll being adjustable by
a frame on each end, one of the supports can often be swung clear to permit
the removal of closed shapes from the rolls.

Bending in a Four Slide Machine

Bending of relatively short pieces can

also be done on machines. These
machines are available in a variety of
designs an the lateral movements of the
dies are controlled and synchronized
with the vertical die movement to form
the part to desired shapes.

Beading

In beading, the periphery of the sheet

metal is bent into the cavity of a die.
The bead imparts stiffness to the part
by increasing the movement of that
section, It improves the appearance of
the part and eliminates exposed sharp
edges.

Flanging

It is the process of bending the edges of the sheet metal, usually to 90º. There are two types-

Shrink Flanging-Flange is subjected to compressive hoop stress which, if excessive, can cause the flange
edges to wrinkle. The wrinkling tendency increases with the decrease in radius of curvature.

10
Stretch Flanging: The flanging edges are subjected to tensile stresses which, if excessive, can lead to
cracking at the periphery.

Dimpling

In this operation, first a hole is punched, and then it is expanded into a flange. Flanges may be produced
by piercing with a shaped punch. When the bend angle is less than 90º, as in fittings with conical heads,
the process is called flaring.

Hemming or Curling

In a hemming process the edge of the sheet is folded over itself. Hemming increases stiffness of the part,
improves its appearance and eliminates sharp edges.

Roll Forming

This process is used for forming continuous lengths o sheet

metal, and for larger production runs it is also called
contour roll forming or cold roll forming. The metal strip is
bent in stages by passing it through a series of rolls. The
parts are then usually sheared and stacked continuously.

Twisting

It is the process of straining flat strips of metal around a

longitudinal axis.

11
Tube Bending

It is widely used process in aerospace, automotive and various other industries. Tube bending is generally
a cold working process but depending on the material it may be performed as hot working. When tube is
bent, two things happen to the metal. The outside wall is reduced in
thickness due to stretching and the inside wall becomes thicker due to
compressing. The material is actually formed about the centerline of the
tube. The material that forms the outside of the bend has to travel further
and is, therefore, stretched, the inside of the bend has less distance to
travel and is compressed. An important aspect of making good bends is
lubrication,. Lubrication comes in several different forms such as oil,
grease, and paste. The kind of lubrication used depend on the material of
the tune to be bent.

DRAWING

Drawing operation is the process of formation of flat pieces of material into hallow shape by means of a
punch which causes the blank to flow into a die-cavity. The depth of the draw may be shallow, moderate
or deep. If the depth of the formed cup is upto half of its diameter, the process is called ‘shallow
drawing’. If the depth of the formed cup exceeds the diameter, it is termed as ‘Deep Drawing’. Parts of
various geometries and sizes are made by drawing operation, two extreme examples being bottle caps and
automobile panels.

As the drawing progresses, as the punch forces the blank into the die cavity, the blank diameter decreases
and causes the blank to become thicker at its outer portions. This is due to the circumferential
compressive stresses to which the material element in the outer portions is subjected. If the stress
becomes excessive, the outer portions of the blank (flange) will have the tendency to buckle or wrinkle.
To avoid this, pressure pads or blank holder is provided. The holding down pressure is obtained by means
of springs, rubber pad, compressed air cylinder or the auxiliary ram on a double action press.

The portion of the blank between the die wall and the punch surface is subjected to nearly pure tension
and tends to stretch and become thinner. The portion of the formed cup, which wraps around the punch
radius is under tension in the presence of bending. This part becomes the thinnest portion of the cup. This
action is termed as ‘necking’ and in the presence of unsatisfactory drawing operation, is usually the first
place to fracture.

There are two types of deep drawing processes

i. Pure Drawing ii. Ironing

Pure Drawing

Pure drawing is the process done without reducing the

thickness of the workpiece material. It is a cold forming
process in which a flat blank of sheet metal is shaped by
the action of a punch, forcing the metal into a die cavity.
12
An important aspect of drawing is determining the extent of stretching and the extent of pure drawing is
taking place. Either with a high blank holder force or with the use of draw beads, the blank can be
prevented from flowing freely into the die cavity. The deformation of the sheet metal takes place mainly
under the punch, and the sheet begins to stretch, eventually resulting in necking an tearing.

Significant independent variables in deep drawing are:

1. Properties of the sheet metal

2. The ratio of blank diameter to the punch diameter
3. The thickness of the sheet
4. The clearance between the punch and the die
5. The corner radii of the punch and the die
6. The blank holder force
7. Friction and lubrication at the punch, die and workpiece interfaces
8. The speed of the punch.

Ironing

Deep drawing with a reduction in thickness of the workpiece

material is called ironing. If the thickness of the sheet as it
enters of the die cavity is more than the clearance between the
punch and die, the thickness will have to be reduced. This effect
is known as ironing. Ironing produces a cup with constant wall
thickness. The smaller the clearance, the greater the amount of
ironing. The ironed cup will be longer than the cup produced
with a larger clearance.

Edge Bending

In edge bending, a flat punch forces the stock against the vertical face of the die. The bend axis is parallel
to the edge of the die and the stock is subjected to cantilever loading . To prevent the movement of the
stock during bending, it is held down by a pressure pad before the punch contacts it.

STRETCH FORMING

Stretch forming is a very accurate and precise method for forming metal shapes, economically. The level
of precision is so high that even intricate multi-components and snap-together curtain wall components
can be formed without loss of section properties or original design section.

Stretch forming capabilities include portions of circles, ellipses, parabolas and arched shapes. These
shapes can be formed with straight leg sections at one or both ends of the curve. This eliminates several
conventional fabrication steps and welding.

13
Like rubber-press forming, stretch forming uses only the male die or form block. Sheet metal is stretched
to the yield point in tension, and then wrapped over and around the form block.

This process involves stretch forming a metal piece

over a male stretch form block (STFB) using a
pneumatic or hydraulic stretch press. Stretch forming is
widely used in producing automotive body panels.
Unlike deep drawing, the sheet is gripped by a blank
holder to prevent it from being drawn into the die. It is
important that the sheet can deform by elongation and
uniform thinning.

The variety of shapes and cross-sections that can be

stretch formed are almost unlimited. Window systems,
skylights, store fronts, signs, flashings, curtain walls,
walkway enclosures and hand railings can be accurately
and precisely formed to the desired profiles.

Close and consistent tolerances, no surface marring, no distortion and no surface misalignment of
complex profiles are important benefits in stretch forming.

Four methods of stretch forming are:

1. Stretch draw forming

2. Stretch wrapping
3. Compression forming
4. Radial draw forming

Features :

1. Large parts with shallow contours

2. Suitable for low-quantity production
3. High labour costs
4. High tooling and equipment costs

Advantages :

1. Compared to other forming methods spring-back is either greatly reduced or completely

eliminated, since direct bending stresses are never introduced. All of the plastic deformation is
tensile extension in the direction of pulling.
2. Low tooling cost as male dies or form blocks may be of wood, masonite, zinc alloys or cast iron.

14
SPECIAL FORMING PROCESSES

High Energy Rate Forming

These methods have been developed to form parts made of, new temperature-resistant, high strength
metals, that require processing in short production runs and that, often, could not be formed by
conventional methods. These methods can be grouped under two categories.

1. High Energy Rate Forming Processes (HERF)

These methods are so called because the energy (mainly chemical energy in explosive materials and
electric/magnetic energy) needed for processing the material is released in a very short time, usually in
milli-seconds or micro-seconds. The important processes in this category are: Explosive Forming (using
chemical energy in explosive materials), Electric spark forming or Electro-hydraulic forming, and
Electro-magnetic forming (using electric energy).

2. High Velocity Forming Processes (HVF)

In these processes, the metal is deformed by using high velocities (movement of ram/die). Since kinetic
energy is proportional to velocity square, high energy (mechanical) can be delivered to the metal in these
methods with relatively small weights (of ram and die). This reduces the cost and size of the machine.
Also, due to very high accelerations, high velocities can be obtained by using short strokes of the ram,
which makes it possible to increase production rate. In these methods, the energy stored in air/gas (at high
pressure) or the stored chemical energy of a hydrocarbon (petrol or diesel) is used to move the ram/die.

The difference between HERF and HVF is that whereas in the former, the energy store in some medium
is used directly to deform the metal, in HVF, it is converted into mechanical energy which imparts high
velocities to ram/die.

A common feature of the above methods is a high rate of strain (conventional forming and forging takes
place at relatively low velocities and strain rates). With increased rate of forming, the formability of most
metals is improved. Also, spring-back is minimal in these methods. Although these methods are mostly
applied to forming of sheet and plate products , often of very large size, these can be applied to certain-
die forgings.

EXPLOSIVE FORMING

In explosive forming, the chemical energy stored in the explosives is used to process the material. A
charge, detonated either above or within a pressure transmitting medium generates very high pressures,
which can be used to form parts of large size. The pressure (shock waves) developed will depend upon
the compressibility of the energy transmitting medium. Water, being less compressible than air is a better
medium. There are two basic systems of explosive forming.
a) Confined System b) Unconfined System

15
Confined System:

This system is basically used for small and tubular

parts for flaring and bulging operations. This
system is not used much due to the following
reasons

1. Being closed-die operation, there is a

greater hazard of die failure due to high
pressure generated
2. Die erosion is a big problem

In this system the die, in two or more pieces, is used which completely encloses the work piece. When
the explosive is detonated, a shock wave is produced in the energy transmitting medium, which forces the
workpiece into the die. Vacuum should be created in between the die and the workpiece, otherwise, the
trapped air will be subjected to virtually adiabatic compression, resulting in very high temperatures which
can burn or melt the workpiece of the die. The trapped air will also prevent the complete forming of the
part.

Unconfined System:

This system is used for forming large parts from very thin sheet metal upto large ship plates about 25mm
thick. This method has been used for many years in ship building. The work piece or blank is clamped to
the die and the entire die-work assembly is lowered into a swimming pool. An explosive is detonated
above or within the water. The shock waves are produced in the body of water (energy transmitting
medium) which in turn forces the workpiece into the die. Vacuum should be drawn in between the
workpiece and the die.
The important process variables are:
 Type and amount of explosive
 Distance between explosive and
workpiece
 Type of energy transmitting medium
 Work piece

Use of water as energy transmitting medium has

the following advantages:
1. Since air is very much more compressible
than water, the shock pressure produced
are very much lower
2. With water, the noise level of explosion
is reduced
3. Possibility of damage to the workpiece
from particles of explosives and detonator is greatly reduced.
16
Basically two types of explosives are used:

i. Low pressure explosives or firing explosives, such as smokeless powder and black powder. With
low pressure explosives, known as cartridge system, the expanding gas is confined and pressure
may be build upto 700MPa.
ii. High pressure explosives or detonating explosives. The most widely used detonating materials are
dynamite, amatol, TNT (Tri-nitrotoluene), RDX etc.

ELECTRO HYDRAULIC FORMING

The effect produced by explosive forming can also be obtained by discharging stored electrical energy in
a bank of condensers, across electrodes submerged in an electrolyte (usually water). This is the principle
of operation of electro-hydraulic forming, also known as electro-spark forming.

The stored electrical energy can be discharged either through a wire or across a gap. A potential
difference of about 50KV can jump a gap of about 25mm. When this discharge takes place under water,
the arc (spark) produced converts water into steam. This generates high pressures which are utilized for
forming the work piece. Again, if a potential difference of 30KV is discharged through a wire of 1 mm
diameter, in water, the centre of the wire will instantaneously be raised to above 5100ºC. The wire melts
and vaporizes resulting in very high pressures and formation of water bubbles. The flow of current is
temporarily disrupted by the formation of water vapour. As the water bubbles expand, vapour pressure
drops and an arc is stuck between the electrodes. Due to this, high pressure shock waves are generated,
which are used to form a workpiece. In types fig a and fig b, the parts are formed freely in air

Applications:

i. Very versatile process that can be used for the forming of tubular an dished shapes
ii. Since only female die is needed, tooling costs are substantially lower
iii. Production rate is higher compared to explosive forming
iv. Only relatively small components are made.

17
ELECTRO MAGNETIC FORMING

Also called Magnetic pulse forming, is based on the fundamental principles of electrical technology Viz.,
when a current flows in a conductor, a magnetic field is set up around it. If the current and hence the
magnetic field changes, a current is induced in any other conductor placed in the magnetic field. The
direction of this induced current is such that the induced magnetic field opposes the magnetic field
producing it. The two conductors get repelled
due to the interaction of the two magnetic
fields. In electo-magnetic forming, one
conductor is a coil, through which current is
suddenly discharged, giving rise to a rapidly
changing magnetic field. The work piece is the
second conductor, in which the eddy current is
set up. The repelling forces between the coil
and the work piece is high ( to the order of
350N/mm2 for several micro seconds), and
since the coil is held rigidly in place, the work
piece is repelled and forced against a die.

The energy charge is a bank of capacitors, charged to a predetermined voltage. The electric energy is
discharged through a forming coil. By suitably designing the coil, the process is used for compression,
expansion or for forming contours from sheet metal tubes.

Electromagnetic forming has the following characteristics

1. The process is simple, clean and safe to operate

2. Operating costs are low
3. A high cycle rate can be attained and the process is suitable for automation
4. Deep drawing is not possible, because of very short duration of pressure pulse
5. Asymmetrical parts are not suitable for this method
6. Irregularities such as slots, holes and slits present problems , because the magnetic field is
disrupted.

RUBBER PAD FORMING

Rubber Pad forming or Rubber press forming is

a sheet metal forming (bending and stretching
or drawing) operation in which either the punch
or the die is a piece of constrained elastomer
(rubber or polyurethane).

The basic principle of the process is that if a

block or rubber or polyutherane is placed in a
cylinder and pressure is brought to bear upon it

18
by applying a force by a ram of a press, any such force must develop a resultant reaction on every surface
with which the elastomer comes in contact. This resultant reaction force is uses for forming sheet metal to
the required shape for forming sheet metal to the required shape using form blocks or punches or dies.

The process is becoming increasingly popular for short run production because of it economy since it
eliminates the need for the more expensive mating steel dies. The process has the following advantages

1. Tools have fever components and are made of cheap an easy to machine materials
2. One rubber pad takes the place of many different die shapes
3. The forming radius decreases progressively during forming unlike fixed conventional dies.
4. There is almost no thinning of work piece material.

METAL SPINNING

Spinning is one of the oldest methods of sheet

metal forming. Parts that have circular cross
section can be made by spinning from sheet metal.
The method involves the forming of a work piece
over a rotating form block or chuck held in a
special lathe. A smooth, hardened, rotating or
stationary tool is held by the operator and is
pressed against the blank to progressively bend
the work-piece to conform to the chuck or
mandrel. The mode of deformation of the metal
during spinning is bending and stretching, making
the process most suitable for shaping of hollow parts from ductile metals and alloys. The thickness of the
spun part is nearly the same as the thickness of the undeformed blank. The thickness of the blank is
around 6mm for soft non-ferrous metals and upto 5mm for low carbon steels.

Spinning speeds vary from 1.5m/s for small parts to 25m/sec for large-diameter parts. Spinning has been
used to produce parts more than 3.6m in diameter. Before spinning, a suitable lubricant should be applied
to the surface of the metal. Soap, beeswax,
white lead and linseed oil are commonly used.

Applications: Funnels, Reflectors,

Kitchenware, Bells, light fixtures, kettles, radar
dishes, rocket motor cases and musical
instruments.

Advantages

1. Low equipment cost

2. Low tool cost
3. Some complex parts like kettles,
pitchers can be made economically

19
Drawbacks

1. Depends to large extent on skill of operator

2. Finished products not uniform and close tolerances cannot be obtained.

Comparison of Spinning and Drawing

1. Due to low tooling and equipment cost, spinning is normally used for low volume production
2. Drawing is used for mass production
3. Labor costs are higher for manual spinning and production rates are lower.
4. For complex shapes and big sizes of components, spinning becomes more competitive.

PEEN FORMING

Shot Peening

Shot peening is mainly employed to increase the fatigue strength of work pieces subjected to impact
and/or fatigue loads. The other functions of shot peening are to prevent the cracking of work pieces in
corrosive media and to improve the oil retaining properties of the processed surfaces. The process is
based on plastic deformation o the surface layer and consist of subjecting the surface to impacts of high
jet of shots. Many overlapping indentations are made, causing localized compressive deformation of the
surface. Since bulk of the material is not affected, compressed residual stresses greatly offset any
tendency to fatigue failure. The surface also gets slightly hardened and strengthened by shot peening.

Peen forming is a sheet metal working process utilizing the method of shot peening. It is a useful process
of producing curvatures on thin metal sheets by striking shots on one side of the sheet. The main product
application is the forming of smooth and complex curvatures on air craft wing skins. When the sheet
metal is subjected to shot peening, the surface layer expands, while the bottom layer remains rigid.

SUPER PLASTIC FORMING

‘Superplasticity’ refers to large neck –free extensions before fracture, when deforming certain metals and
alloys. Extreme examples of superplastic materials are Bubble gums and molten glass which can be
drawn from melt into fibres without the fibres necking down. Common super plastic materials are: -Zn-
22Al and Ti-6Al-4V.
Advantages

1. High ductility and low flow stress which leads to lower tooling cost and forging of difficult to
work super alloys.
2. Forming of complex shapes with fine details and close tolerances
3. Savings in materials as secondary operations are eliminated
4. Little or no residual stresses in components
Draw Backs

1. Very low strain-rates, resulting in large forming times. So, best suited for batch production.
2. The component material must not be super plastic at service temperature.
20
 ME 2201 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY – I
UNIT V MANUFACTURING OF PLASTIC COMPONENTS

Types of plastics - Characteristics of the forming and shaping processes – Moulding of

Thermoplastics – Working principles and typical applications of - Injection moulding – Plunger
and screw machines – Compression moulding, Transfer moulding - Typical industrial
applications – Introduction to Blow moulding – Rotational moulding – Film blowing –
Extrusion - Thermoforming - Bonding of Thermoplastics.

PLASTICS

Plastic is term applied to compositions consisting of a mixture of high molecular compounds

(synthetic polymers) and fillers, plasticizers, stains and pigments, lubricating and other
substances. Some of the plastics can contain nothing but resin (for instance, polyethylene,
polystyrene).

Types of Plastics:

Plastics are classified on the broad basis of whether heat causes them to set (Thermosetting) or
heat causes them to soften and melt (Thermoplastics).

Thermosetting Plastics:

These plastics undergo a number of chemical changes on heating and cure to infusible and
practically insoluble articles. The chemical change is not reversible. Thermosetting plastics do
not soften on reheating and cannot be reworked. They rather become hard to completion of any
left-over polymerization reaction. Eventually, at high temperatures, the useful properties of the
plastics get destroyed. This is called degradation. The commonest thermosetting plastics are:
alkyds, expoxides, melamines, polyesters, phenolics and ureas.

Thermoplastic Plastics:

These plastics soften under heat, harden on cooling, and can be re-softened under heat. Thus,
they retain their fusibility, solubility and capability of being repeatedly shaped. The mechanical
properties of these plastics are rather sensitive to temperature and to sunlight and exposure to
temperature may cause thermal degradation. Common thermoplastic plastics are : acrylics, ploy
tetra fluoro ethylene (PTPE), polyvinyl chlorides (PVC), nylons, polyethylene, polypropylene
etc.

1
Properties of Plastics:

1. Their comparatively low density (1 to 2 g/cm2), substantial mechanical strength, higher

strength- to –weight ratio, and high anti-friction properties have enabled plastics to be
efficiently used as substitute for metals, for example, non-ferrous metals and alloys-
bronze, lead, tin, babbit etc, for making bearing.
2. Because of corrosion resistance and silent operation, plastics can sometimes replace
ferrous metals.
3. Easily manufacturable as they have low melting point.
4. Products have good surface finish and good damping capacity.
5. High heat and electric insulation capabilities permit the to be applied in electrical
engineering industries.
6. Good chemical stability, water resistance, gas and steam –proof properties enable plastics
to be used as engineering materials in automobile, tractor and ship building and other
industries.

Disadvantages:
1. Comparatively higher cost of materials
2. Inability of most plastics to withstand even moderately high temperatures

PROCESSING OF THERMOPLASTIC PLASTICS

The common forms of raw materials for processing plastics into products are :- Pellets, Powders,
Sheet, Plate, rod and tubing. Liquid plastics are used especially in the fabrication of reinforced-
plastic parts.

Thermoplastics can be processed to their final shape by moulding and extrusion processes.
However, extruding is often used as an intermediate process to be followed by other processes,
for example vacuum forming or machining.

2
INJECTION MOLDING
An important industrial method of producing articles of the thermoplastics is injection moulding.
The process is essentially as follows :
Ram type injection moulding machine

Fig. Injection Moulding Process

The molding material is loaded into a hopper from which it is transferred to a heating section by a
feeding device, where the temperature is raised to 150 -370ºC and pressure is built up. The material
melts and is forced by the injection ram at high pressure (35-140Mpa) through a nozzle and sprue into
a closed mold which forms the part.

The mold is in atleast two parts to enable easy ejection. The pressure on the plunger is
maintained during the period when the material in the mold cools and contracts. If no pressure is
applied during this period, contraction during cooling would cause depression in the parts.

Reciprocating Screw injection moulding machine

Fig. Screw injection moulding machine

3
The improvement to the ram type injection molding machine lies in the separation of the
plasticizing and filling actions. The single-screw pre-plasticizer is the most common design of
injection molding machines.

Plastic materials are fed from overhead hopper through the heated cylinder via the screw plunger
as material becomes fluid. The injection nozzle is blocked by the previous stroke, and this causes
the screw to pump itself backward through the cylinder. During this step, material is being
plasticized and accumulated for the next shot. The rotation of the screw provides the plasticizing
action by shearing and frictional effects and the axial motion of the screw provides the filling
action. The advantage of the reciprocating screw over the straight plunger device and that the
rotary shear effect of the screw melts and mixes the materials homogeneity.

Advantages:
1. High production capacity
2. Lower unit cost
3. Suitable for making parts of intricate shapes, thin walled parts, and components with
metal inserts, etc.
4. Complex parts can be produced with close tolerances
5. Practically no finishing requirements
6. Lower cleaning cost since very little excess material in the form of flash or gate
aheres.
Limitations:
1. Equipment of cylinder and die must be non-corrosive
2. Expensive tooling
3. Reliable temperature controls are necessary

EXTRUSION PROCESS

The extrusion process produces

material in an intermediate form for
subsequent reprocessing to its final
component form. The process is the
same as for metals, that is, the
expulsion of material through a die
of the required cross-section. The
cylinder of the machine (container)
is filled with prepared plastic and
extruded through a die under the
pressure of the ram. The screw and
ram type extruding machines are available.
There are two types of extruders; the melt extruder and the plasticizing extruder.
4
In the melt extruder, the materials is delivered to the extruder already melted and thus the
function of the extruder is merely to push the material to the die and through the orifice.
In the plasticizing extruder, the material is in the form of granules or particles and so the extrude
has to be compressed and worked until it melts before delivering it under pressure to the orifice.

The screw type extruding machine consists of a water cooled screw having a special thread from
to suit the material being extruded; a barrel in which the screw rotates (including a form of
heating in the case of plasticizing extruder); and an extrusion die. The material is fed through a
hopper through a port in the cylinder where the rotation of the screw imparts both axial and
rotary motion to the particles. The restricting effect of the die at the far end builds up a pressure
in the particular mass which s then worked by shearing and heated by frictional effects until it is
in a plastic state and can be extruded. Complex shapes wit constant cross-section can be extruded
with relatively inexpensive tooling. The extruded product can be coiled or cut into desired
lengths. Typical products are:- Rods, Pipes, Channels, Window Frames, Sheets, Architectural
components etc.

PROCESSING OF THERMOSETTING PLASTICS

Compression molding and Transfer molding are the most common methods of processing
thermosetting plastics. Although suitable for thermoplastics also, the main application of these
methods is to thermosets.

COMPRESSION MOLDING

Compression molding is the equivalent of closed-die-forging.

In this process, a premeasured quantity of plastics in the form
of particles or briquettes, is placed in a heated mold and
compressed at a suitable pressure and temperature. Hydraulic
pressure is usually employed tp provide the pressure (which
may range from 20 to 30 MPa or even higher upto 80MPa )
for compressing plastic compound. Other equipment, such as
friction and screw presses can also be used.

The material is brought to the molten state and is held in the

mold until the curing stage is over when polymerization is
complete. The process is slow with phenol and urea resins,
but some of the newer resins have faster curing times.
When the plastic is completely trapped between the male and
female die, it is called as ‘Positive Mold’. Closer tolerances can be held if a small flash is
allowed to extrude, usually along the male die perimeter in “Semi positive Molds. Most plastic is
lost in ‘Flash Molds” similar to used in compression die forging.
5
TRANSFER MOLDING

It is a modification of compression molding

in which the material is first placed in a
separate chamber (transfer pot), from which
it is pushed through an orifice (sprue) into the
mold cavity by the action of a punch as the
mold closes. The material to be molded is
often pre-heated by radio-frequency methods
and, where it is desired to improve toughness
and strength, reinforcing fillers may be used.

Fig. Injection Moulding

Advantages:
1. There is little pressure inside the mold cavity until it is completely filled, at which stage
the full liquid pressure is transmitted.
2. The plastic acquires uniform temperature and properties in the transfer pot prior to
transfer. The plastic is further heated by shearing through the orifice, viscosity is reduced,
and the plastic fills the intricate mold cavities.
3. It scores over normal compression molding in that cold presses can be used, since,
heating of the plastic is affected not by press itself, but by a simple heating jacket round
the transfer chamber.

BLOW MOLDING

In this process, a hot extrude tube of

plastic, called a parison, is placed
between two part open mold. The two
halves of the mold move towards each
other so that the mold closes over the
tube. The tube gets pinched off and
welded at the bottom of the closing
molds. The tube is then expended by
internal pressure, usually by hot air,
which forces the tube against the walls
of the mold, the component is cooled
and the old opens to release the
component.
Application: Plastic beverage bottles and hollow containers

6
ROTATIONAL MOLDING

Also called roto-molding which

is used to make relatively large
thin-walled parts. In rotational
molding, the product is formed
inside a closed mold that is
rotated about two mutually
perpendicular axes, major and
minor axis, as heat is applied.
The difference between the
other molding processes with
rotational molding is that only
heat is required for the mold
where as in other processes,
heat and pressure are required to
plasticize the materials.

A powdered plastic is poured into the mold and its halves are then clamped shut. The loaded
mold rotates the powder melts and is distributed on mold cavity walls by gravitational force and
not by centrifugal force. The mold is then cooled and when the plastic has hardened sufficiently,
the mold is opened and the article is removed. Thin cast aluminium molds are normally used.
The mold halves should be tight enough to prevent any moisture entering into the mold and
avoid warping. The rotational speed of the molds is 18 rpm and the temperature ranges from
260ºC to 370ºC.
7
Advantages:
1. Low initial investment
2. Varieties of shapes can be molded in the same equipment.
3. Low tooling cost
4. Excellent surface finish
5. Large hallow shapes with open end r enclosed shapes cane be produced

Limitations:
1. Low production rates
2. Relatively simple shapes can only be produced\

Applications:
Children’s chairs, Toys, Drums for food storage, phonograph cases etc.

FILM BLOWING

Plastic film can be manufactured in a variety of ways

including extrusion, calendering, blowing and casting.
Film blowing is also called blown tubular extrusion. It
produces plastic film by extruding a tube vertically
through a ring die. Then it is blown with air into a
larger diameter cylinder. The blown cylinder is air
cooled as it rises vertically, then it is flattened by
driven rolls before it reaches the winder. This process
is used to produce trash bags and packaging materials.

THERMOFORMING

Thermoforming is the shaping of hot sheets or strips of thermoplastic material into a 3D object
either by mechanical or pneumatic methods. The sheets of plastic used in the thermoforming
process are produced either by extrusion, calendering or pressing. Thickness of the sheets that
are processed ranges from 0.125mm to 3.2mm or even greater. The sheet or film is heated
between infra red natural gas and other heaters to its forming temperatures. Then, it is stretched
over or into temperature-controlled, single surface mould. Cast or machined aluminium is the
most common mold material, although epoxy and wood tooling are sometimes used for low
volume production. The sheet is held against the mold surface until it is cooled. The formed part
is then trimmed from the sheet. The sheet tri is usually re-ground, mixed with virgin plastic and
re-processed into usable sheet.

8
Thermoforming Techniques: Vacuum Forming, Pressure Forming, Twin-Sheet Forming, Drape
Forming, Free Blowing and Simple Sheet Bending.

The standard vacuum forming as shown is the simplest

thermoforming method. A piece of plastic sheet is
clamped into a frame. The plastic is heated, usually
with electric heaters, until it begins to sag. Vacuum, air
or mechanical pressure is then applied through small
holes in the mold and the plastic is rapidly pulled
tightly against the mold creating close profile
conformity. The frame is raised; the part is removed
and then trimmed in a punch press. The product
produced will vary in thickness. The material touching
he mould will be thinnest.

Advantages:
1. Varied size of components can be produced
2. High production rates
3. Low internal stresses and high physical
properties
4. Parts can be pre-decorated and laminated to get
different finishes
5. Machinery and tooling are relatively inexpensive
6. Material thicknesses and color changes are easy to make.

Application: Drinking Cup to Ship Hull, Refrigerator inner panels, lighting fixture, helmets etc.

Calendering

Calendering or rolling is used

for thin film production or for
coating plastic over a material.
The calendar consists of
several highly polished and
very rapidly rotating rolls. The
rolls may be chilled or heated
as required. Calendering is
used, in particular, when film
9
thickness specifications are tight. Films with embossed patterns may be obtained using special
calendars. A widely used application for calendering is to coat fabrics and paper with plastic
material. Plastic materials are evenly spread in the roller, then transferred to the fabric or paper
stock. Pressure is exerted between the fabrics or paper feed roll and the plastic feed rolls.

The resulting material is widely used in upholstery, tablecloths, draperies, printing press
blankets, flooring and numerous other products.

BONDING OF THERMOPLASTICS

Methods of Bonding

There are many methods available for bonding of thermoplastic, ranging from the simple
application of heat to the edges being joined to the more exotic methods of induction and
ultrasonic welding. The bonding methods can be grouped into two broad categories.

Chemical Bonding

Chemical bonding for assembly of plastic parts is an effective method of making permanent
connections. This method produces aesthetically clean looking joints with low weight and
sufficiently strong connections. This is a very effective joining method for heat sensitive plastics
which would normally deform if welded. Chemical bonding involves fixtures, substances and
safety equipments. It does not create stresses and is suited to leak-tight applications. Its main
limitation is that adhesives and solvents are flammable and preparation and cure times are long.
Testing should also make sure that the chemicals used in bonding do not deteriorate the plastics.
This effect is generally slow, often requiring long clamp times and sometimes special ovens or
curing conditions. In addition, the chemicals used may be toxic, so worker protection, ventilation
and solvent recovery can be issues for concern.

Thermal welding

Thermal welding involves melting the bond line between two parts to form a weld. This method
is a fast, economical and safe way to weld compatible plastics having similar melt temperatures.
Methods include ultrasonic welding, hot plate, spin, induction and radio frequency energy.
Special equipments are required and materials must be compatible and have similar melting
temperatures.

Chemical Bonding
Solvent Bonding

Solvent bonding or solvent welding is a process in which the surfaces of parts to be joined are
treated with a solvent. When this swells and softens the surfaces, bonding between these surfaces
10
are obtained by applying pressure to the joint with the evaporation of the solvent. Adhesives are
not used in this process for bonding. The process is commonly used with amorphous
thermoplastics. This method is limited to compatible materials that dissolve in the same solvent
or solvents. The chemical resistance of many plastics, especially crystalline resins, limits this
method.

A slurry made of solvent up to 25 % of the base resin can be used to produce a smooth filled
joint when the mating parts do not fit perfectly. Adding base resin makes the solvent easier to
use. Safety equipment and proper handling of solvent is required. The procedure for making a
solvent bond is given below:

1. The mating surfaces must be clean and grease free before bonding.
2. Parts having a single surface are simply pressed against a sponge or felt pad that has been
impregnated with solvent.
3. It may be necessary to allow a few seconds to ensure sufficient swelling.
4. The parts are then clamped together with a moderate pressure.
5. The parts are removed from the clamping equipment and must not be used for a period of
24-48 hour to ensure that full strength has been achieved.
6. Heat can be used to accelerate the overall rate of evaporation and to reduce the cycle
time.

Advantages :
1. Homogeneous distribution of mechanical loads.
2. Good aesthetics.
3. Economic assembly.
4. Low weight, no heavy screws, bolts and nuts.
5. Heat-sensitive constructions or materials.
6. Good sealing and insulating properties.

Limitations :
1. Entrapment of solvent in the joint.
2. Stress-cracking or crazing.
3. Reproducibility/process control.
4. High solvent evaporation time due to its entrapment in the polymer matrix.
5. No disassembly possible.
6. Assembly hazards such as fire or toxicity.

Adhesive Bonding

In adhesive bonding, a third substance bonds a plastic to another or to metal, rubber, ceramic,
glass, wood, etc. Adhesives frequently used with thermoplastics include epoxy, acrylic,
polyurethane, phenolic, rubber, polyester and vinyl. Cyano-acrylate adhesives are popular
because they work rapidly. The main criteria for achieving good adhesive bonding are surface
wetting and curing of the adhesive.

11
Advantages:
1. Application on various substrates like thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and metals.
2. Homogeneous distribution of mechanical loads.
3. Differences in thermal expansion of components can be compensated by using a thick
adhesive layer.
4. Good aesthetics/no special requirements to hide the bond.
5. Economic assembly.
6. Low-weight, no heavy screws, bolts and nuts.
7. Heat sensitive constructions or materials, which welding would distort, can be joined.
8. No thermal stresses introduced.
9. Good sealing and insulating properties.

Limitations:

1. Joint may not last in the long term.

2. Stress cracking or crazing of the plastic may take place.
3. Dissimilar materials can only be joined if both are compatible with the adhesive.
4. Reproducibility/process control.
5. Curing time can be highly dependent on the adhesive.
6. No disassembly possible.
7. Assembly hazards such as fire or toxicity.

THERMAL WELDING

Welding is an effective method of permanently joining plastic components. Welding works

on the principle of a phase change from solid to liquid (melt or in solution) at the interfaces to be
joined and is followed by a solidification phase. In several welding processes, some material will
be squeezed out of the weld by the pressure on the mating surfaces. The velocity of the out
flowing material has a parabolic profile over the width and increases towards the edges of the
part as a consequence of accumulating melt flowing from the centre to the edges.
In thermal welding, the flow direction of the polymer melt is perpendicular to the direction
of injection moulding. After the polymer solidifies, this unfavorable orientation remains in the
weld zone, which is the reason for the reduced strength of the weld compared to the bulk strength
of the material.

12