AEMA-2221

Materials and Processes

LAB 6
CASTING

Student names and IDs:

Fouad Noorhossain – 60102591

Class: AEMA 2221 Section: 01

Lab issue Date: 9th June, 2022

Instructor: Mr. Khaled Shami

Mechanical Engineering Technology

1. The objective of this lab is to prepare a sand mold using the given single piece
pattern.
2. Perform casting using sand mould.
3. Perform casting using a metallic mold and be able to compare the two processes
and comment about quality and the procedure.
Introduction
Casting process can be divided generally into two main categories, expendable mold and
permanent mold. In the expendable mold, the mold is destroyed in order to remove the cast part.
In the permanaet mold, the mold can be reused for many times. Using different casting molds
affect production rate, cost, and quality of the cast part.
Sand casting is one of the most widely casting methods. Sand casting can be used for nearly all
types of metals such as steel, aluminum, nickel, and titanium. In sand casting, a metal is poured
in a sand mold that has a cavity that matches the part being made and then allow the metal to
solidify and then breaking up the mold to remove the casting. Post casting processes such as
cutting the sprue and raiser and cleaning are needed. The cavity is made by packing sand around
a pattern and then removing the pattern by separating the mold into two haves. A gating and
raiser system needs to be attached to the pattern. If the part is hollow, a core must be included in
the mold.
In permanent mold casting, a metal mold constructed from two sections is used. The mold is
made from steel or cast iron. The cavity is machined into two halves to provide accurate
dimensions and good surface finish. The mold needs to preheat it before casting and coating is
applied. As the metal solidifies the part can be taken out the mold and the mold can be used for
another casting processes.
Equipment & Raw material:

1. Moulding sand
2. parting material/sand.
3. facing sand.
4. backing sand.
5. Solid pattern (wood/plastic).
6. Bottom board.
7. Drag and cope boxes.
8. 8. Rammer.
9. Strike-off bar.
10. Raiser and sprue.
11. Gate cutter.
12. Brush.
Experimental procedure:
Sand mold:
1. Place the drag on a flat surface (moulding platform).
2. Place the pattern at the center inside the drag.
3. Sprinkle a dry face sand over the pattern.
 4. Pour the sand into the drag and on the pattern.
5. Fill the rest of the drag with the back up sand and ramming it to make the sand
compacted around the pattern.
6. Any extra sand should be removed by scraped using a flat piece of wood.
7. The drag is rolled over to make the patter exposed.
8. Place the cop on the top of the drag and aligned with the help of the pins of the drag box.
9. Locate the sprue for the gating system at a small distance from the pattern.
10. The moulding sand is then poured and rammed in the cope around the sprue, pattern, and
the raiser.
11. Carefully remove the sprue and the raiser from the cup and pouring basin is cut near the
top of the sprue.
12. The cope is carefully separated from the drag and clean/ blow off any loss sand
remaining.
13. Remove the pattern.
14. Place back the cope and be sure about the alignment using the drag pins.
15. Once the molten metal is ready, skim the molten metal to remove the oxide layer and
then pour it in the mold cavity.
16. Allow the liquid metal to cool down, and remove the part.
Metallic mould:
1. Preheat the metallic mold.
2. Support the mold using refractory bricks to prevent the mold from falling during the
casting process.
3. Pour the metal inside the mould.
4. Let it cool down, open the mould, and cut the sprue.

Figure 1. Molding sand.

Figure 3. Scrapped extra sand..

Figure 5. Sand compacting using a wooden tool. Figure 6. Pouring the molten metal in the metallic
mold.

Discussions
We had two samples. One of the samples surface finishes was very rough and the accuracy of the
dimensions was poor, which was done by sand casting, because the mold was not tightly packed
and for the other sample, which was produced by metal casting, was smooth with precise
dimensions. This proved that the Die casting produces quicker and smoother surfaces than sand
casting, resulting in substantial total savings. However, we noticed that the process was relatively
simple in sand casting and the overall setup was far less expensive as compared to the die
casting. For sand casting, there were limitations that could be noticed as well like the overall
time consumed by the processes was high when we had to cast more than one metals. Also, we
were able to see and feel the metal produced and were able to say that the product had less
strength due to the rough surface and high number of pores. For the die casting, we observed
rapid solification and much much better overall finish with a stronger body. Also, the rapid
cooling process in die casting enable the grain sizes to become smaller (this is based on the
theory since we did not perform microstructural analysis) and hence, have a higher strength than
sand casting. In both casting processes, the melted metal easily travelled into extremely small
areas, enabling complex shapes to be created As a result, several extra operations, such as
cutting, forming, and welding, were minimized.
In the die casting process the instructor performed, heat treatments were done to strengthen the
microstructures of metals being casted, allowing them to be physically adjusted and improved.
The heat treatments used in this lab were quenching and tempering. Heat treatment can reduce
pores, which are one of the main reasons casts are typically weak and brittle in nature. These
pores are prone to evolve and grow under applied forces. Thus, the overall strength of the
material decreases as the time passes as a result of these pores. These pores also decrease the
thermal and electrical conductivity as in the gap/cavity created by these pores, air is able to sit. It
is also important to discuss the advantages and disadvantages in having the pouring temperature
close to the melting temperature. If the pouring temperature is substantially greater than the mold
temperature, there is less chance of the metal solidifying in the mold, and so even the
most complicated molds are able to be totally filled. Because the cross-sections of rollers,
doors and wells are less necessary for full mold filling, they are simple to construct. The key
disadvantage is that shrinking pores, cold shuts, and other flaws connected with shrinkage are
more likely.

Results

Figure 7.Final product after it was taken out from the metallic mould.
 Figure 16. Final product from sand casting

Conclusion
The casting process is mostly dependent on experimenter and his abilities to
perform. Expertise in this form of material manufacturing can only be gained with
experience, although a high degree of mastery can be achieved in a shorter amount of
time by using proper casting procedures. For a beginner, like us students, it may seem
much simpler to carelessly do the sand or die casting than to spend the effort to
prepare them perfectly. A casting technique is focused on paying close attention to the
numerous elements responsible for building the metal using the right steps and the
steps we learned in this lab were by far the most suitable to improve our casting skills.
Casting, like many other crafts, becomes faster on its own provided sufficient time
that is paid to the fundamental knowledge and skills.
By the help of the results and observations from these experiments, this lab may be used
to teach students about both type of casting methods and how they are performed, as well as the
safety precautions that students must follow before casting. This lab was conducted by the
teacher, and students concentrated on the steps taken by the instructor.
The instructor firstly discussed the sand-casting process. He explained to us that for sand
casting, two boxes (we used wooden tools) are fastened together using bolts and the pre-heated
molten metal is poured, then the metal portion is cooled and extracted from the sand.
Later we began die casting, a process in which metal is molted and then poured into a
mold formed of permanently molded metal. We cleaned and washed the mold to remove any dirt
stuck inside it and produce a better surface finish, and once it had formed, we struck it with a
hammer to make it easier for us to take it out.
This report included numerous extremely significant topics, such as faults and defects
and other elements which had direct effects on the creation and structure of the final product.
There are, in theory, many defects which are common in produced parts. For example in sand
casting, we can see defects like unfilled sections which are caused by insufficient material. Low
pouring temperature, or hot tearing which can be caused due to non-consistent cooling rate. Defects
like surface projections due to erosion of sand mold interior. A crack in the sand mold can be found
and the molds halves shifting can also be found. Misruns and cold shuts, on the other hand,
are the most typical defects in die casting. Cold dies, low metal temperature,
contaminants on the mold surface, a lack of ventilation, or too much lubrication can all
create these flaws. Gas porosity, shrinkage porosity, hot rips, and flow markings are all
potential flaws. These defects are avoidable, for example Heat transmission and fluid
movement both have an impact on the creation and control of defects in casting process. These
parameters influence defects such as porosity (due to shrinkage or gas), hot tears, and misruns
(when the molten metal in a casting hardens before the mold is entirely filled, closing off the area
of the cavity in the mold). Furthermore, the grain structure (hence properties such as strength and
toughness of a metal casting) is dependent upon the rate and direction of heat transfer. The rate
of pouring of the metal is also very important to keep in mind, both very fast and very slow pour
have their specific disadvantages. For example, for the slow rate, If a metal is poured very
slowly, it may harden before fully filling the mould cavities. As a result, the casting will be
unfinished. This problem can be solved by selecting a mould with a low heat conductivity or a
mould that is heated before pouring the metal, however both of these options result in shorter
mould life.