PRELIMINARY REPORT

METAL CASTING PRACTICE

DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGY AND MATERIALS

UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA

I. Objectives
1. To understand the gating system and riser
corresponding to the shape and dimensions
of casting products.
2. To know the sand moulding design which is
suitable to existing patterns.
3. To know how to making a core according to
the shape of the casting products.
4. To know the stages of furnace preparation.
5. To understand how to prepare a liquid metal.
6. To know how to pour the liquid metal into the
sand moulds.
7. To understand the types of casting defects
that can occur in casting product as well as
how to prevent it.
8. To know the properties of metal casting
products which is according to the chemical
composition or metal alloys.

Filling and Feeding System

Molten metal is filled into the moulding cavity from the
pouring cup through a series of filling channels which
is called filling/runner system. Feeding is the process
after filling up of liquid metal until solidification. Both
of them are crucial for getting good quality of castings.
The proper designed runner system can eliminate a
generation of casting defects such as porosities,
inclusions, etc. and feeding mechanism is mainly to
deal with shrinkage problems.

Casting Moulds
A sand casting mould usually consists of two mould
pieces, the upper section is named Cope and the
lower section is named Drag. Sand core is a
preformed sand aggregate inserted in a mould to
shape the interior or that part of a casting that cannot
be shaped by the pattern. It may have to be broken in
order to remove it afterwards. Flask is a frame,
normally made by metal or wood, as the main
structure to carry the sand and avoid looseness of
sand while assembling of the mould halves.

Figure 1 Cross section view of a sand mould assembly

amount of draft is determined by the size and

shape of the pattern. It is also known as taper
and draft angle is between 1 and 3 degrees
typically.

Figure 3 Taper on patterns for ease of

removal from the sand mold

II. Theory
Sand casting is one of the traditional casting methods
fabricating metal parts. The sand cast part is
produced by forming a mould from a sand mixture and
pouring molten liquid metal into the cavity in the
mould. A pattern, with a shape very similar to the
desired casting, is first placed in sand to make an
imprint. A gating system is incorporated and the
resultant cavity is filled with molten metal. After the
melts cool and solidify, casting can then be obtained
by broken the sand mould. Since the moulding
material of sand casting is sand, rough surface and
lack of dimensional accuracy are the intended results
and therefore post machining and surface finishing is
usually needed. Typical applications of sand casting
are machine tool bases and engine blocks.

ANDARADHI NARARYA
NPM: 1206291992

Figure 2 Schematic illustration of a typical

rised-gating system

Pattern
In casting, a pattern is an exact representation of the
item that wish to cast. It is typically made out of wood,
plastic, or metal. And it is the tool which the sand is
compressed around, to form the cavity of the mold. If
the object is hollow or has parts with holes or other
empty spaces, a core is needed to be made. The core
is inserted into the mould so that the casting can take
appropriate shape and that metal does not fill in area
that should be left empty. The core is collapsible so it
can be removed after the casting process without any
damage to the finished product. Below are some
important factors on the pattern design that must be
considered:
1. Shrinkage Factor
Shrinkage factor is an allowance intended to
compensate for the shrinkage of metal when
cooled from its molten state to solid state.
Their exact values depend on the alloy being
cast and exact casting method being used.
Following are the linear shrinkage allowances
of commonly used metal alloy;
o Cast Iron
0.8 1 %
o Steel
1.5 2 %
o Aluminum Alloy
1.2 1.4 %
o Bronze
1.2 1.4 %
o Brass
1.5 %
2. Draft
Draft is one of the most important features of
a pattern. It is what allows the pattern to be
removed from the mould without damaging
the delicate cavity formed by the pattern. The

3. Fillet
All sharp corners and edges of the pattern
must be rounded so that it can be taken out
of the sand without dislodging any sand
grains. Indeed, it is not only ease for the
mould making process but also benefit to the
casting that no stress concentration will be
left after solidification of workpiece.
4. Machining Allowance
Machining allowance is a small amount of
material which is added to the pattern in
areas where it will be machined in order to
meet exacting standards. The amount of
allowance depends on dimensional tolerance
that is achieved by the process, sub-surface
quality, part size and the type of machining.
Casting Defects
A casting defect is an irregularity in the metal casting
process that is much undesired. Some defects can be
tolerated while others can be repaired, otherwise they
must be eliminated. Defects can be as simple as
broken or loose sand, or more complicated like gas
bubbles. In any case, it doesnt look good, and it may
make the casting part useless. Seven types of casting
defects, which are developed and recognized by The
International Committee of Foundry Technical
Associations, are illustrated in the following;
1. Metallic Projections
Metallic projections consist of joint flash or
fins. They are very common defects in the
casting. It is caused by the mould somehow
separated to allow metal filled between the
halves, along the parting line. But it can be
broken off with a hammer or pliers since the
thickness of flash usually less than 3mm.

DATE
CHECKED BY
NOTE
2. Cavities
Cavities consist of rounded or rough internal
or exposed cavities such as blowholes and
pinholes. They are produced because of gas
entrapped in the metal during solidification.
3. Discontinuities
A discontinuities defect such as cracks often
scarcely visible because the casting in
general has not separated into fragments.
The fracture surfaces may be discolored
because of oxidation. The design of the
casting is such that the crack would not be
expected to result from constraints during
cooling/solidification.
4. Defective Surface
Defective surface such as flow marks. It
appears as lines which trace the flow of the
streams of liquid metal.
5. Incomplete Casting
Incomplete casting is usually caused by the
metal solidifying before it fills the cavity. It
could also be a restriction: too small a sprue,
gate, or not enough venting keeping the metal
from going in.
6. Incorrect Dimensions or Shape
It is occur due to factors such as improper
shrinkage allowance, pattern mounting error,
irregular contraction, deformed pattern or
warped casting. And the mould shift may be
caused by the mismatch of mould halves at
the parting line, not aligning the mould
correctly. Most flasks have alignment pins to
prevent this defect.

Figure 4 Examples of common defects in

castings: (a) flash, (b) porosity, (c) short casting,
(d) mould shift, (e) inclusions

PRELIMINARY REPORT
METAL CASTING PRACTICE

DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGY AND MATERIALS

UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA

III. Materials and Equipment

ANDARADHI NARARYA
NPM: 1206291992

DATE
CHECKED BY
NOTE

Weight all materials for 4 kilos in total

Position drag-half of the pattern in it

Coating the moulds and burn with LPG burner

Mix all materials by using sand muller

Sprinkle some amount of graphite powder

The mould is ready for pouring

Pour water and wait until they are mixed

Fill the drag-half with sand

Finish

Remove the mixed sand from the muller

Ram sand by using rammer

For backing sand, mix use Si with water

Continue adding and ramming sand

Continue mix water and used sand

Fill the backing sand and ramming

Mix until sufficient strength and plasticity

Continue until it is densely packed

Finish

Remove excess sand from surface

Materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Silica sand
Resin coated sand
Graphite powder
Molasses
Mennonite
Water
Aluminum ingot
Flux
Degasser
Coatings for sand molding and core

Equipment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Scale
Plastic bucket
Ramming tools
Moulders tools
Flask (cope and drag)
Graduated cylinder or measuring cup
Sand muller
Brushes
Air compressor
Hacksaw
LPG and burner
Electrical melting furnace
Induction melting furnace
Ladle
Liquid metals handling tools

IV. Procedure Flowcharts

Place second flat board upside down

Core
Start

Clamp it and overturn the whole

Prepare the core mould

Remove the first bottom board

Tight the mould with steel wire

Sprinkle some amount of graphite powder

Pour sand coated resin sand into core

Position cope-half over drag

Ram the sand until it is densely packed

Place gating system pattern vertically

Remove excess sand from surface

Fill the cope-half with sand

Bake the core at 230C for 30 minutes

Ram sand in flask by using rammer

Remove the core from the oven

Continue adding and ramming sand

Open, clean, and fix the core mould

Fill the backing sand and ramming

Coat the core and burn with LPG burner

Continue until densely packed

Finish

Remove excess sand from surface

Pattern and Gating System

Start
Draw a casting part with gating system
Calculate the volume of all components
Simulate the product by a casting simulation
Create the wood pattern of the part
Finish
Sand Moulding Preparation
Start
Prepare the equipment and pattern
Check the materials

Melting Aluminum Alloys and Pouring

Start
Weight aluminum ingot in balance
Weight flux and degasser in balance
Make sure all materials are dry and clean
Prepare the free-crack crucible
Put aluminum ingot into the pit furnace
Switch on the electrical furnace at 200C
Wait until moisture is removed
Set 700 or 750C and wait until liquify
Mix alloying metal into molten aluminum
Set furnace to superheating temperature
Check the temperature of molten metal
Turn off the furnace or set to room temperature
Do fluxing and degassing
Pour molten metal and note the temperature
Finish
V. References

Sand Mould

Remove the rods to get holes

Start
Separate cope and drag portions

Place the bottom board on the floor

Remove pattern from the mould
Place the drag-half of flask on the board
Cut the in-gates and sprinkle graphite powder

1. Metal Forming Laboratory Practice Module.

2015. Processing Metallurgy Laboratory.
Depok: Metallurgy and Materials, Universitas
Indonesia.
2. Priyono, Bambang. 2015. Metal Forming
Lecture Notes. Department of Metallurgy and
Materials, Universitas Indonesia: Depok.