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PATTERNS

INTRODUCTION
A pattern is a replica of the final product to be made by the casting process with some
modifications. It is made of either wood or metal.

The main modifications are:

i. The addition of pattern allowances
ii. The provision of core prints
iii.The elimination of fine details, to be obtained by further processing.

For all those castings where coring is required, provision is made to support the core
inside the mould cavity. One method universally followed is to provide core prints
wherever possible. The size of the core prints to be provided is to be estimated based on
specific casting.

Often it is not possible to get very fine details on the surface or very small holes by
sandcasting. In such cases, it is desirable to simplify the casting process by eliminating
those details and get them during the finishing process employed.

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PATTERN ALLOWANCES
SHRINKAGE:

All metals shrink when cooling except bismuth.

This is because of the inter atomic vibrations which are amplified by the
increase in temperature.

There is a distinction made between liquid and solid shrinkage.

Liquid shrinkage refers to the reduction of volume when the metal changes
from liquid to solid state at solidus temperature. To overcome this, risers are
provided in the moulds.

Solid shrinkage is the reduction in volume caused when the metal loses
temperature in solid state. The shrinkage allowances is provided for this
reason.

The rate of contraction with temperature is dependent on the material. Steel
contracts to higher degree as compared to aluminium. The shrinkage also
depends on metallurgical transformations taking place during solidification.

The shrinkage allowance is to be always added to the linear dimensions.

FINISH OR MACHINING ALLOWANCE:

The finish and accuracy achieved in
sand casting are generally poor.

When casting is functionally required to
be of good surface finish, it is generally
achieved by subsequent machining.

Ferrous materials have scales on the
skin, which are to be removed by
cleaning. Hence extra material has to be
provided for machining and cleaning
process. This depends on dimensions,
type of casting material and finish
required.

The type of machining allowance
provided would depend on the metal
cast, type of moulding used, the class of
accuracy required and complexity of
surface details.

The machining allowances have to be
ultimately removed by machining.
Hence the cost of providing additional
machining allowance has to be
examined before finalizing.

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DRAFT:

At the time of withdrawing the pattern from
the sand mould, the vertical faces are in
continual contact with the sand. This may
damage the mould cavity.

To reduces the damage, the vertical faces of
the pattern are always tapered from the
parting line. This provision is called draft
allowance.

Draft is always provided as extra metal over
and above the original casting dimensions.

Draft allowance varies with the complexity of
the job, but inner details of the pattern
require higher draft than outer surfaces.

The draft allowance varies for hand moulding
and machine moulding. More draft is
required for hand moulding as compared to
machine moulding.

SHAKE ALLOWANCE:

Before withdrawal from the sand mould, the pattern is wrapped all around the
vertical faces the mould cavity slightly, which facilitates its removal.

It is a negative allowance and is to be applied only to those dimensions which
are parallel to the parting plane.

Since it enlarges the final casting made, it is desirable that the original pattern
dimensions should be reduced to account for this increase.

There is no way of quantifying this allowance as it is highly dependent on the
worker and the practices involved. One way of reducing this allowance is to
increase the draft.

DISTORTION ALLOWANCE:

A metal which has just solidified is very weak and distortion prone. This is
particularly true for long flat portions, U&V sections, complicated casting having
thin and long sections connected with thick sections.

The casting process should be to make extra material provisions for reducing
the distortions.

The shape of the pattern itself be given distortions of equal amount in the
opposite direction of the likely distortion direction. This is done by trial and
error basis.

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PATTERN MATERIALS
The most common pattern material is wood. The main reason is the easy availability
and low weight. Further wood can be easily shaped and relatively cheap. The usual
varieties of wood used for pattern are pine, mahogany, teak, walnut and deodar.

The main disadvantage of wood is its absorption of moisture which results in

distortion and dimensional changes.

The plywood boards of the veneer type and particle boards are also used for making
patterns as they are available in various thickness, have higher strength and have no
need for seasoning. However they are used only in patterns which are of flat type
and have no three dimensional contours.

Metal patterns are extensively used for large scale casting production and for close
dimensional tolerances due to their durability and smooth surface finish. The
commonly used materials are cast iron, brass, aluminium and white metal.

Aluminium and white metals are most commonly used materials because they are
light (low density), can be easily worked, and are corrosion resistant. But they have
low strength and high cost. Cast iron has good machinability, high strength and low
cost while steel posses good surface finish with high strength but both are prone to
corrosion and have high density.

One of the newer pattern material is Plastics. They are used as pattern materials
because of their low weight, easier formability, smooth surfaces and durability. The
most generally used plastics are cold setting epoxy resins with suitable fillers.

They do not absorb moisture, are dimensionally stable and can be easily cleaned.
The making of a plastic pattern can be done in sand clay moulds and moulds made
of plaster of Paris.

Another new pattern material is Polyurethane foam. It is very light and can be easily
formed into any shape required. This has very low ash content and hence can be
burned inside the mould.

It can be used for light duty work for a small number of castings for the conventional
casting and for single casting in case of full mould process where the pattern is
burned inside the mould without withdrawing.

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TYPES OF PATTERN
SINGLE PIECE PATTERN:

These are the simplest and most inexpensive type of pattern. They are made of
a single piece.

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 applications in very small scale productions and in prototype
development.

This pattern is entirely in the drag. One of the surfaces is expected to be flat
which is used as the parting plane.

SPLIT OR TWO PIECE PATTERN:

This is most widely used type of pattern in intricate casting.

When the contour of the casting makes its withdrawal from the mould difficult
or when the depth of casting is too high, then the pattern is split into two
parts, so that one part is in the drag and other in the cope.

The split surface of the pattern is same as parting plane of the mould.

The two halves of the pattern should be aligned properly by making use of
dowel pins which are fitted in cope part. These pins match with the precisely
made holes in the drag half of the pattern.

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GATED PATTERN:

It is an improvement over the simple pattern where the gating and runner
system are integral with the pattern.

This would eliminate hand cutting of the runners and gates and help in
improving the productivity of a moulder.

SWEEP PATTERN:

It is used to sweep the complete casting by means of plane sweep. These are
used for generating large shapes, which are axi-symmetrical or prismatic in
nature.

This type of pattern is particularly suitable for very large castings which are
generally cast in pit moulds like bell shaped or cylindrical castings.

COPE AND DRAG PATTERN:

This is similar to split patterns. The cope and the drag halves of the patterns
along with the gating and rising systems are attached separately to the metal
or wooden plates along with alignment pins. They are called the cope and drag
patterns.

The cope and drag moulds may be produced using these patterns separately
by two moulders but they can be assembled to form complete mould.

These types of patterns are used for castings which are heavy and
inconvenient for handling and also for continuous production.

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MATCH PLATE PATTERN:

Here the cope and drag pattern along with the gating and the risering are
mounted on a single matching metal wooden plate on either side.

On one side of the match plate, cope flask is prepared and on other side drag
flask. After moulding when the match plate is removed, a complete mould with
gating is obtained by joining the cope and the drag together.

The complete pattern with the match plate is entirely made of metal
(aluminium). The pattern and the gating are either screwed to the match plate
for flat parting plane or are made integral in case of an irregular parting plane.

The gating system is already made and attached to the match plate. Several
patterns can be attached to a single match plate.

These are generally used for small castings with higher dimensional accuracy
and large production.

LOOSE PIECE PATTERN:

This type of pattern is used when the contour of the part is such that
the withdrawing the pattern from the mould is not possible.

During moulding, the obstructing part of the contour is held as a loose
piece by a wire. After moulding, first the main pattern is removed and
then the loose pieces are recovered through a gap generated by the
main pattern.

Moulding with loose pieces is highly skilled job and expensive and
therefore should be avoided if possible.

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FOLLOW BOARD PATTERN:

This type of pattern is adopted where some portions of castings are
structurally weak and if not supported properly will break under the force of
ramming.

The bottom board is modified as follow board to fit the contour of weak
pattern and thus support it during the ramming of the drag.

During the preparation of the cope, no follow board is necessary because sand
already compacted in drag supports the fragile pattern.

SKELETON PATTERN:

A skeleton of the pattern made by strips of wood is used for building the final
pattern by packing sand around the skeleton.

After packing the sand, the desired form is obtained with the help of a
strickle. The type of skeleton to be made is dependent upon the geometry of
the workpiece.

This type of pattern is useful generally for very large castings, required in
small quantities.

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THANK YOU