GATING DESIGN

A gating system is a conduit network through which liquid metal enters a mould and flows to fill
the mold cavity where the metal can solidify to form the desired casting shape.
Main objectives of a gating system are;

Fill the mould rapidly without laps

Prevent slag, scum, dross and eroded sand from entering the casting by way of gating
system.

Reduce or prevent agitation and formation of oxides in the mould.

Prevent aspiration of air or mould gases into metal-stream

To get maximum casting yield with less grinding by proper design of in-gates and runner.

To establish the best possible temperature gradients to achieve directional solidification

and minimizing the distortion and shrinkage effect.

Evaluation of performance of placement of gates:

Ease of molding, Desirable thermal gradient, Yield, Occurrence of turbulence.
Elements of gating system:

Basin:

Make it easier for ladle operator to maintain required flow rate.

Minimize turbulence and votexing at sprue entrance.
Helps in separating dross and slag from metal before it enters runner system.

Sprue: Spherical shape through which metal enters.

Sprue base: To slow down the momentum.
Runner (cross gate): In runner, slag floats or settle down and metal flows below or above slag
respectively.
Runner Extension: Uses momentum of molten metal to separate inclusions as metal first flow
upto extention.
Ingates and gates: For non ferrous metal, gates are kept above runner as slag settles down. For
ferrous metal, gates are kept below runner as slag floats above metal.
Shape of runner and gates:

Types of gating : The gating system is named as per the method or location of molten metal
entry into casting/mold cavity.

Top gate : Top gates are usually limited to relatively small castings of simple design. The
turbulence of metal as it enters the mould cavity causes erosion, which is a major
problem in the manufacture of steel castings. Top gates are used in steel foundries only
for broad shapes of low heights.

Bottom gate : Bottom gating reduces the turbulence and erosion of the mould to a
minimum but creates unfavorable thermal gradients. Where as local hot spots results at
the gate entrance and metal appears in the riser.

Parting line gate : This particular gating is a compromise between top and bottom gating.
In this case, metal enters the mould cavity at the same level as the mould joint or parting
line. Molten metal enters through the sprue and reaches the parting surface where the
sprue is connected to the runner or gates in a direction horizontal to the casting. This type
of gate allows easy use of devices like strainer cores which can entrap any slag, dirt or
sand effectively during metal flow down the sprue.

Side/Step gate : This type of gating having advantages of bottom gating at the same time
allows the hot metal to enter directly into the riser. Metal flows through the bottom
ingates until the mould is filled to the level of the next higher ingate. At this point metal
is expected to start flowing through this ingate and through successively higher ones, as
the mould gates filled. However, in practice step gates do not function in this ideal
manner. The inertia of the metal falling through the sprue and the resulting low pressure
areas created at the entrance of the top gates [fig.3.3 (a) and fig.3.3(b)] shows better
distribution of metal but it decreases the yield of the casting. Through experimentation , it
has been observed that by slanting the ingates upward at an angle to the casting , step
gates can be made to function properly.

Whirl gate : This type of gating system is very much useful for preventing dirt from
entering the mould cavity. Particularly for clean steel castings it is very important.
Following recommendations are very important

(i)

Ratio of ingate and out-gate cross sectional area should be 1.5 : 1

(ii)

Optimum whirl gate basin diameter appears to be between three to five times
the ingate width and height about 1.5 times the ingate height.

(iii)

Performance can be improved by increasing the angular displacement 180

degree apart.

Gating Ratio: Gating ratio is the term used to describe relative cross section area of components
of gating system . it is usually defined as cross section area of bottom sprue area is to total
runner area is to total ingate area.
The gating system may be classified into two types
Pressurized gating system: In pressurized gating system gate area is lesser than sprue area.
eg. 2:2:1
Advantages:

Gating system runs full due to back pressure.

In multiple gates, flow from each gate is nearly equal.
Yield is higher and grinding cost is lesser.

Un-pressurized gating system: In pressurized gating system gate area is larger than sprue area.
eg. 1:2:3
Advantages:

There is minimum turbulence.

Lesser chance of metal oxidation inside mold.
Minimum chances of mold and core erosion.

Some common gating ratio used in the industries:

Steel

Gray

S.G. Iron

White

Aluminiu

Iron

1.15:1.1:1

1:2:9.5

1:2:1

2:8:1

1.25:1.13:

2:1:4.9

1:1.2:1

3:9:1

Iron
1:1:7

1:1.3:1.

Copper

1
1:2:1

1:4:4

1
1:2:1.5

1.4:1.2:

1.33:2.67:

1.5:1:2.

1:2:4

Brass

1:2:2

2:1.5:1

1:3:3

1:1:1

1:3:3

4:3:1

1:4:4

1:1:3

1:6:6

1.6:1.3:1

1.6:1.3:1

All those metals and alloys which has higher oxidation possibility, we apply un pressurized
gating system and vice versa
Design of gating system
Steps to be followed for the design of gating system
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Selection of gating ratio.

Approximate yield = Rough weight/Gross weight.
Calculation of optimum pouring time.
Choke area calculation.
Designing of sprue.
Pouring basin selection.

Estimation of optimum pouring time of casting : Pouring time is influenced by so many

factors like the fluidity and dross forming characteristics of metal, casting geometry/ critical wall
thickness/modulus, total weight of the casting including runners and risers and type of mold
material etc.
Effective pouring rates for all commercial casting alloys have not been published. Therefore, the
practices in a given foundry depends on the expertise available in the particular area. Some data
are available for Grey Cast iron, S.G iron, Steel, Aluminum etc.

Gray cast iron castings < 1000 kg [ According to Nielson ]

t = 0.32 (W.G)0.4 seconds
t = pouring time in seconds.
W = average wall thickness in mm.
G = Gross casting weight in Kg
t = M/E [ According to Czikel ] in seconds.
M = modulus of casting = casting volume/ casting surface area
E = constant 0.015 to 0.035
The optimum pouring time for gray iron castings is also calculated from the following empirical
formula :
t = k ( G.W)3/2

seconds

Where,
k = co-efficient dependent on weight of castings.
W = average wall thickness of castings in mm.
G = Gross casting weight in Kg .
The value of k is given in the following table :

Type

Weight (Ton)

Big castings

10-50

1.9 to 2.3

Medium castings

1 10

1.6 to 1.9

Small Castings

Less than 1

1.4 to 1.6

Pouring time can also be calculated for gray cast iron from the following empirical formulae
also:
t = K (1.41 + T/14.58) W1/2 , W < 450 Kg
t = K (1.24 + T/16.65) W1/3 , W > 450 Kg.
Where, K= Fluidity factor which depends on the carbon equivalent and the temperature of the
hot metal.

Carbon

Value of Z At different

Equivalent

Temperature , 0C
1425

1400

1370

1315

4.3

1.00

0.93

0.86

0.73

4.2

0.95

0.88

0.83

0.65

4.0

0.86

0.80

0.75

0.58

In the calculation of pouring time, the rate of filling is an important factor . Too low
pouring time means very high filling rate which results in a turbulent flow which
creates sand erosion which is not desirable. Too high pouring time means very slow
pouring rate which results in premature solidification on the walls and some metallic
oxides and impurities may solidify and get entrapped on the vertical walls of the
casting.
The flow rate can be calculated from the following empirical formula :
V = C/ t

cm/sec

Where, C = height of casting from the lowest point to the highest point in cm.
t = pouring time in seconds.
Following table gives the permissible flow rate in case of Grey iron and steel

Wall thickness

Grey iron

Steel

in mm

castings

Castings

Up to 4mm

3 - 10

4 - 10

2-3

10 40

1- 2

More than 40

0.8 - 1

0.8

After calculation the pouring time from previous two equations it is necessary to
cross check from the last equation mentioned above; whether the speed of rise of
metal in the mold at the time of pouring is lower than the permissible /
recommended limit or not. If the value V is too low we should either change the
position of the casting in the mold or make the time of pouring shorter.

S.G cast iron castings ,

t = 0.97 (G)1/2 seconds
t= K1 ( G)1/2
Where, K1 = 2.08 for W < 9.5 mm
= 2.67 for 9.5<W< 25.4 mm
= 2.96 for W> 25.4 mm
t = 0.64 * G 1/3 * (W + 10) - A simple formula widely used in different Foundries
Steel castings:
t = S (W.T)1/3 seconds.
T = minimum wall thickness in mm.
W = gross casting weight in Kg.
Value of S

Pouring temperature

Bottom

Side

Top Gating

and fluidity

Gating

Gating

Normal

1.3

1.4

1.5 1.6

Increased

1.4 1.5

1.5 1.6

1.6 1.8

Some of the foundries calculated the following empirical formulae in case of steel
t = [2.4335 0.395logw] (W)1/2 seconds

Estimation of sprue choke area : If the choke area occurs at the base of the
sprue , the proper area can be calculated by applying a formula based on the
application of Bernoullis theorem. For example , the choke area can be determined
by using the following formula :

Where, t = pouring time in seconds.

W= total liquid metal poured in kg.
= density of the metal in kg/cubic cm.
c = efficiency factor which is the function of gating system.
A = choke area in sq cm.
H = effective metal head (sprue height) in cm.

H=h

H=h

H=h

P2
2C

Efficiency factor, c:

Type of Gating System

Single runner entering

Tapered

Straight

Sprue

Sprue

0.9

0.73

0.9

0.73

0.85

0.7

riser
Two runners with multiple
ingate
Two runners with multiple
0

ingates (90 bend )

Sprue Taper Calculatuion:

C
2

Calculation of gating system

Pouring basin design

The design of the pouring basin is very important . Its main function is to reduce the momemtum
of the liquid metal so that it can enter into the sprue without any turbulence. For best results the
pouring basin should be deep enough (normally 2.5 times the chock diameter) and sprue must be
full of molten metal throughout the pouring to avoid vortex flow . Sometime delay screen or
strainer core is used to ensure constant flow of metal and it also eliminate slag and dirt. Details
of strainer core has been discussed in next chapter of this book.
Sprue base and Sprue well :
Sometimes enlarged area at the bottom of the sprue known as sprue base and sprue well which
are used to decrease the speed of the molten metal and also to prevent mould erosion .
The general rules of thumb for sprue bases are :

Diameter is roughly 2.5 times the width of the runner.

Depth is equal to the depth of the runner.

The general rules of thumb for sprue well are :

Depth of a well base is twice that of the runners.

Cross sectional area of the base is 5 times the cross sectional area of the
sprue exit [ 1/2 sq. inch sprue exit would mean you need a base with an area
of 2.5 sq. inch which would be 1.8 inch diameter (approximately)].

The bottom of the sprue base should be flat, not rounded like a bowl otherwise it will cause
turbulence in the metal.
Use of pouring basins, strainer cores and suitable dams in a gating system helps to filter out slag
and dross from the metal stream before it enters into the mold cavity. Particularly in case of light
metal alloys the difficulties are some what greater than for copper and ferrous alloys as there is
very little difference in specific gravity between the impurities and the metal. Enlargements in
the feeding system to reduce the velocity of flow or special device such as the whirl gate which
whirls the dross and slag into the centre of the riser to get the clean metal inside the casting. In
case of dross forming metals like aluminum and its alloy it has been recommended that the
runners be placed in the drag with the ingate in the cope of the mold to reduce inclusion of dross
in the mold cavity. On the other hand in case of ferrous metals the reverse situation is suggested,
with the runner in the cope and ingates in the drag.

Runner Design
One of the most important things to remember is that sharp corners must be avoided in case of
runners and gates to avoid terbulance. Any changes in direction or cross sectional area should
make use of rounded corners. Also make sure that the runners and gates are well rammed and
smooth. This will help avoid sand erosion and turbulence. Runner extension is used in some
cases to get clear metal into the mold cavity.

Normally the area of runner should be greater than the area of the choke to ensure the smooth
flow of the metal. The runners should be filled with metal before entering into the gates. For this
reason we put the runners in the drag and the gates in the cope. If you need to have a choke in the
runner to restrict flow it should be at least 6" from the first gate.
The cross sectional area of the runners should decrease as the gates come off them to keep the
same gating ratio. A good gating ratio for aluminum is 1:4:4. The 1 is for the cross sectional area
of the choke. The first 4 is the total cross sectional area of the runners (measured after the choke
but before the first gate) and the last 4 is total cross sectional area of the gates. For example, you
have a tapered sprue with an exit area of 0.5 sq. in., two runners with 2 gates of each runner. The
total runner area should be 2 sq. in so each runner would be 1 sq. in. The total gate area should
be 2 sq. in..There are 4 gates so each gate would have an area of 0.5 sq. in. The gate calculation
only works this way if there are an equal number of gates on each runner. If that is not the case
divide the area of the runner by the number of gates on that runner to get the area of each gate.
It must be kept in mind that the area of the runners should be reduced just after a gate by an
amount equal to the area of that gate. This will insure that each gate in the system will have the
same flow of metal, even if it is away farther from the sprue. The first bit of metal poured is most
likely to be contaminated by air and sand entrapment. To prevent this metal from going into the
mold cavity you should use a runner extension. That first bit of metal will flow to this dead end
and be trapped there, where it can't harm the casting. The runner extension will have the same
area as that of the last gate on that runner.
Following points are very important to remember :
1. Provide a riser pocket at the of the runner bar extension. Apart from the obvious
benefits of tapping initial dirt, it has a stabilizing effect on the metal flow.
Strongly advocated by Cambell.
2. Drill an air vent in this pocket. If the air does not go out of this pocket, it will not
do its job effectively.

3. A generous clearance regarding filter thickness allows the metal to flow over the
filter. This will allow slag rich metal to enter into the runner.
4. A taper runner bar helps when there are multiple ingates attached to it. This allows
equal metal flow through all ingates.
5. Keep ingates length as short as possible.
6. Try to keep the angle an ingate makes with the runner less than 90
Calculation of pouring and tapping temperature:

For steel :( C<1.0%)

Liq. Temp = 15390c 65x%C 12x%Si 5x%Mn 30x%p 25x%S 1.5x%Cr 4x%Ni
2x%Mo 2x%V

For steel :( C =1.0% - 2.0%)

Liq. Temp = 15390c 70x%C 12x%Si 5x%Mn 30x%p 25x%S 1.5x%Cr 4x%Ni
2x%Mo 2x%V
Pouring Temperature = Liquidus Temperature + 40 to 800C
Loss of Temperature in the spout 10 to 200C
Loss of Temperature due to transferring of liquid metal from furnace to ladle = 30 to 500C
depending on ladle capacity.
During transfer of ladle rate of heat loss
Ladle capacity ( ton)
3
5
10
More than 10

Heat loss per minutes

3 to 50C
30C
2 to 30C
1 to 20C