Introduction To Foundry Technology

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION TO FOUNDRY
TECHNOLOGY
Foundry:
Foundry or casting is the process of producing metal/alloy component
parts of desired shapes by pouring the molten metal/alloy into a
prepared mould (of that shape) and then allowing the metal/alloy to
cool and solidify.
The solidified piece of metal/alloy is known as a CASTING”.
Casting process is one of the earliest metal shaping techniques known
to human being.
 It means pouring molten metal into a refractory mold cavity and
allows it to solidify.
The solidified object is taken out from the mold either by breaking or
taking the mold apart.
The solidified object is called casting and the technique followed in
method is known as casting process.
Casting Terms:
1. Flask: A metal or wood frame, without fixed top or bottom, in which the mold
is formed.
drag - lower molding flask,
cope - upper molding flask,
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. Pouring basin: A small funnel shaped cavity at the top of the mold
into which the molten metal is poured.
5. 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.
6. Runner: The channel through which the molten metal is carried from the
sprue to the gate.
7. Riser: A column of molten metal placed in the mold to feed the castings as
it shrinks and solidifies. Also known as feed head.
• Act as a vent for gases
• Helps to confirm that the mould is completely filled
• Act as a reservoir of molten metal to feed and compensate for shrinkage
during solidification of a casting.
8. Gate: A channel through which the molten metal enters the mold cavity.
Gating System: Channels used to deliver the molten metal to the mould
cavity.
9. 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.
10.Chaplets: Chaplets are used to support the cores inside the mold
cavity to take care of its own weight.
11. Vent: Small opening in the mold to facilitate escape of air and gases.
Foundry Processes
Steps involved in making a casting:
1. Make the pattern.
2. Prepare the necessary sand mixtures for mould and core making.
3. Prepare the Mould and necessary Cores.
4. Melt the metal/alloy to be cast.
5. Pour the molten metal/alloy into mould and remove the casting from
the mould after the metal solidifies.
6. Clean and finish the casting.
7. Test and inspect the casting.
8. Remove the defects, if any.
9. Relieve the casting stresses by heat treatment.
10. Again inspect the casting.
11. The casting is ready for shipping.
WORKING PROCESSES IN FOUNDRY: The working process is
done by following steps:
Core Making
Mould making
Furnace
Pouring
Surface cleaning
Finishing
Core Shop:-A core is a device used in casting and moulding 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
moulding.
Mould making:-In the casting process a pattern is made in the shape of the
desired part.
• Simple designs can be made in a single piece or solid pattern.
• More complex designs are made in two parts, called split patterns.
• A split pattern has a top or upper section, called a cope, and a bottom or lower
section called a drag.
• Cores are used to create hollow areas in the mould that would otherwise be
impossible to achieve
Furnace:-Furnaces are used to melt the metal.
• Furnaces are refractory lined vessels that contain the material to be melted
and provide the energy to melt it.
Pouring:-In a foundry, molten metal is poured into moulds. Pouring can
be accomplished with gravity, or it may be assisted with a vacuum or
pressurized gas.
Surface cleaning:-Sand or other moulding media may adhere to the
casting.
• To remove this surface is cleaned using a blasting process.
Finishing:-The final step in the process usually involves grinding,
sanding, or machining the component in order to achieve the desired
dimensional accuracies, physical shape and surface finish .
Main components for making a sand casting mould:
1. Base sand is the type used to make the mould or core without any
binder.
Because it does not have a binder it will not bond together and is not
usable in this state.
2. Binders are added to a base sand to bond the sand particle together
(i.e. it is the glue that holds the mould together).
3. Additives are added to the moulding components to improve: surface
finish, dry strength, refractoriness.
Raw Materials for Foundry:
• Metals and alloys
• Fuels (For melting metals)
• Fluxes
Metals and alloys commonly used in Foundries:
1. FERROUS:
a. Cast irons
b. Steels
2. NON-FERROUS:
a. Copper alloys
b. Aluminum alloys
c. Magnesium alloys
d. Zinc alloys
Advantages
• Product can be cast as one piece.
• Very heavy and bulky parts can be manufactured
• Metals difficult to be shaped by other manufacturing processes may be
cast (e.g. cast iron)
• Best for mass production
• Complex shapes can be manufactured
• Versatile: Complex geometry, internal cavities, hollow sections
• Versatile: Small (~10 grams) , Very large parts (~1000 Kg)
• Economical: little wastage (Extra metal is re-used)
• Isotropic: Cast parts have same properties along all directions
Disadvantages of Casting
• Casting process is a labor intensive process
• Not possible for high melting point metals
• Dimensional accuracy, surface finish and the amount of defects
depends on the casting process
• Allowances required
 Applications of Casting:
• Transportation vehicles
• Turbine vanes
• Power generators
• Railway crossings
• Agricultural parts
• Aircraft jet engine parts
• Sanitary fittings
• Communication, Construction
• Atomic Energy applications, etc..

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CHAPTER ONE

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