MY4130 Lesson 7-Riser Shape, Positioning, and

Connection
Saturday, September 17, 2016 9:15 AM

Adapted from Notes by J. Kampe,

Based on Sections 8.7-8.9 of K. Rundman's Text

Last time on "When inoculation goes wild"

Some basic metallurgical principles involving shrinkage and riser design
were established. This included varieties of shrink (macro, micro,
external, internal, etc.). Some general rules of thumb for riser
geometries (MR>1.1MC), riser positioning relative to the casting
(hot/cold), open/blind risers etc. The lecture today will cover additional
considerations and some strategies for optimal riser placement.

1. Riser Shape
Considering we are trying to make a riser as small as possible (to
maximize casting yield), we may be interested in which shapes have the
highest values of modulus (i.e. V/A). Another way to look at this is to
minimize the A/V (amount of heat transfer surface divided by a
measure of the thermal mass). If we reduce the amount of surface area
and increase the amount of thermal mass present, then the riser will
stay molten longer to feed the shrinking casting.

Option 1: Sphere

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Molding spheres is a bit difficult, they may be a bit difficult to connect
to a casting, and they solidify from the outside towards the center,
meaning the molten metal will not be able to make it to the casting. So
this is not practical.

Option 2: Cylinder

Instead of just having one parameter to consider we now have two,

height and radius. To develop a relationship between height and radius
that maximizes modulus, we can hold volume (V) constant, and
minimize area (A). Under those assumptions we begin solving for
cylinder height in terms of volume. (so we can substitute this
"constant" into the equation for surface area)

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To minimize area, we take the derivative of the area equation with
respect to radius and set it equal to zero.

Or

2 = =

In other words, a cylindrical riser with an aspect ratio (D:H) of 1:1 is the
most "efficient" a cylindrical riser can be in terms of holding heat.
Although a 1:1 aspect ratio is most efficient from a heat transfer
standpoint, in reality we have other things to consider (for example
head pressure, gate removal, molding, etc.). More typically, a riser with
an aspect ratio of 1:2 is used:

2 =

Comparing all common shapes in terms of casting modulus efficiency

(i.e. setting volume constant and comparing)

Shape Sphere Cylinder (1:1) Cylinder (1:2) Cube

Mefficiency 100% 87% 83% 81%

2. Top vs. Side Riser Positioning

Now to consider what happens to the modulus of a cylindrical riser
when we attach it to the casting
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when we attach it to the casting

Top vs. Side (both blind)

When considering risers, we only count viable heat transfer surface

area when calculating A. For a riser positioned on the top of a casting
as shown below, we no longer have two free surfaces for heat transfer
(one is adjacent/connected to the casting. In the case of a side riser,
we have a somewhat reduced heat transfer area, (but we will
approximate it as negligible).

For the case of a Top cylindrical riser with h=2D=4r

4 4 2
= = = =
+2 +8 9 9

For the case of a Side cylindrical riser with h=2D=4r

4 4
= = = =
2 +2 2 +8 10 5
Example: Riser Size Determination

Determine the dimensional constraints of a blind cylindrical top riser

and blind cylindrical side riser necessary to feed a casting with
dimensions 8in x5in x3in. Assume for each cylinderical riser that h=2D.

3. Side Riser Neck Dimensioning

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3. Side Riser Neck Dimensioning
Despite being larger than a top riser, we may want to use a side riser as
they are typically easier to remove from a casting, due to the smaller
"neck" of material attached to the casting.

To calculate the maximum riser neck dimensions (neck length=LN and

neck diameter= DN) to attach a side riser of diameter, DR, to a casting
use the following rules of thumb:

2
1.2 + 0.1

In the above example,

4.18
2.09
2
1.2 2.09 + 0.1 4.18 2.93

Again, these are maximum values. Due to complicated heat transfer in

the vicinity of the neck these are just good initial guesses. In your
projects try to stay below these values as you may start diminishing the
key advantage of a side riser (easy removal). A good way to use these
rules is to start at the maximum when doing MAGMA simulations and
then adjust up or down depending on the results.

4. Subdividing a Casting
As we've seen in MAGMA, positioning of a riser(s) should be done
carefully while considering where the last to solidify portion(s) of the
casting are. A casting will generally solidify from the thinnest to
thickest sections. In the example below this would mean from A
through C (Left to Right).

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Since castings are usually complicated geometries, and we may not
always have MAGMA to help us out, it can be a useful exercise to
subdivide complicated geometries into manageable pieces. If section A
is to be fed by section B, and section B is to be fed by section C, then we
can convince ourselves that proper feeding will take place by looking at
the moduli of each portion. If MC>1.1MB>1.1MA then we should be
okay just adding an appropriately dimensioned riser to section C. If this
is not the case, then we may need add additional risers to effectively
feed the thinner sections.

If MC>1.1MB>1.1MA, then we could have either a top or side riser

feeding section C as shown below.

When calculating the moduli remember that if a surface is connected to

"like" material we treat it as a non-heat transfer surface (i.e. it does not
get added to the surface area, A, term).

Common "subdivision" shapes

1. Cube

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 = =
6 6

2. Bar (L x w x t) defined by L>3w and L>3t

= =
2( + + ) 2( + ) 2( + )

Note: Cancelled out w*t term since it is small compared to terms

involving length. This gives us a decent estimate.

3. Plate (L x w x t) defined by

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= =
2( + + ) 2( ) 2

Note: Dropped L*t and w*t since these terms are very small compared
to L*w

We can usually approximate many common geometries by subdividing

and estimating. Again, useful in the absence of any modeling software.

5. Riser Placement/Number of Risers in a Bar Casting

In order to demonstrate an additional consideration of riser design

(feeding distance) we will evaluate how to effectively riser a bar
casting. Risers placed on a bar casting (as shown below) must not only
be able to stay molten longer than the bar itself, but also feed over a
distance. As one may expect, there are limitations to the distance
along a bar casting that a riser may effectively feed.

The region on either side of a riser that it can effectively feed is called
the "riser effect" zone or RE for short. The riser effect zone can be
approximated by the maximum distance over which the riser's thermal
mass influences the thermal profile in a casting. This distance will
change depending on mold material, metal being cast, etc. The
examples, rules of thumb below are only valid for a steel casting.

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In addition to the riser effect, there are also end effects (EE's) at the
ends of the bar which promote directional solidification. We again
define the effective range of the end effect by the maximum distance
over which it impacts the thermal profile of the bar casting. Because
the ends promote directional solidification (just like when we had
smaller section sizes attached to large ones) the interior of the bar
away from the ends will serve as a riser for the end sections, thus we do
not need to worry about risers to the ends.

General Rule: If you can promote directional solidification (by increasing

dT/dx) you can promote a sound casting with fewer risers (and
increased yield). If we can get the RE's and EE's to "just" overlap we can
produce a sound bar casting.

For STEEL bars of thickness (t):

( ) = 1.5

( )=2

In order to properly riser the bar casting, we need to add more risers to
account for the entire length "L" of the bar.

One way to increase the riser effect zone is to include a sleeve (these
are expensive). Another way is to introduce "chills" along the length of
the bar to promote directional solidification. You can think of chills as
"infinite" heat sinks for this example that act as "remote" ends. The
chill strategy is demonstrated below:

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For STEEL bars of thickness (t):

Chills placed at the end:

( )=

Chills placed in between the ends:

( )=2 =

Note: The riser diameters themselves help cover a portion of

the bar (i.e. the riser effect zone is defined from the edge of the
riser).

Example: Maximum Bar Length with One Riser

A bar with cross section 5" x 3" is to be fed by a single cylindrical top,
blind riser with
Diameter, D, or R below =3.76". No chills are used in this process.
What is the maximum length over which this bar can be effectively fed?

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6.0 Mass and Volume Changes: Riser vs. Casting

You should be able to draw these figures. In the volume example,

which is for the casting and which is for the riser? Why?

For next time: Read 9.1-9.3 of the K. Rundman text.

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