Modern Casting Techniques: Thin sections

K. Narayan Prabhu
Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, Surathkal
Workshop on Materials Crompton Greaves Limited, Mumbai 16-02-2006

Metal Casting Quickest Least Expensive Route to a Near Net Shape Product

Production of Modern Industrial Castings

The Type of Mould Material (Sand/Metallic) The Manner In which molten metal is introduced

into the mould cavity (Gravity/Pressure/Vacuum)

The state of the metal (percent which is liquid)

The state of the mould cavity (air/vacuum/solid)

Precision Sand Casting Processes

Inorganic Binders (green sand/CO2 silicate/alumina-phosphate systems)

Organic Binders (Furan/phenolic/phenolic urethane/cold box/hot box/Cosworth process/Shell Moulding/CLAS) Unbonded Sands (EPC)

Thin section capability for sand castings: 5mm For CLAS: 2 mm

Foundry with good sand quality control, good melting and metal delivery systems and a moulding equipment that can produce rigid and dense moulds key to produce thin section castings Section thickness Carbide formation Ductile Iron Processing advantages of gray iron and engineering advantages of steel ADI special heat treatment process Elongation

Fluidity

Gating

Sand

Pouring Temp.

Solidif. Rate

Microstructures
Graphite flake Grey Cast Iron

S.G. Iron

Austempered Ductile Iron

Commercial Al castings contain porosity (Hydrogen

and shrinkage) and inclusions (tenacious oxide films

entrained in the metal during metal transfer, pouring and movement through gating systems)

Cosworth Process - Features

Molten metal is pumped with an electromagnetic pump into the mould from the bottom of the mould in a controlled manner; quiescent filling Large reservoir enables the impurities to sink or float. Metal is drawn from the middle zone of the metal. No fluxing or chemical treatment applied to the metal No feeder heads; pressure assisted feeding through the gates. Thin section capability: Sections of 2.5mm have been
produced in castings with an overall dimension of 200mm. Casting size and weight range: 0.2 55kg

High Metal Yields, high strengths and ductility, very little or no porosity, excellent surface detail

SHELL MOULDING
Thin section capability: 1.9 -2.3 mm, CLAS: 1 mm Weight Range: 0.5 10 kg

The metal pattern is heated and placed over a box containing sand mixed with thermosetting resin

Box is inverted so that the sand and resin fall on to the hot pattern causing a layer of mixture to partially cure on the surface to form a hard shell

Box is repositioned so that loose uncured particles drop away

Oven heating for complete curing

Stripping of the shell

Two halves of the shell mould are assembled supported by sand/metal shot in box and pouring is accomplished
Advantages lower capital plant costs and good utilisation of space low sand to metal ratio mould coatings are unnecessary skilled labour is not required

Finished Casting

shells have excellent breakdown at the knockout stage castings have a superior surface finish and dimensional accuracy

LOST FOAM CASTING (Expanded Polystyrene Casting)

Thin section capability: 3.5 mm Weight Range: 0.5 25 kg
Pre-forms of the parts to be cast are moulded in expanded polystyrene.
Gluing EPS mouldings together can form complex shapes. The pre-forms are assembled into a cluster around a sprue then coated with a refractory paint.

The cluster is invested in dry sand in a simple moulding box and the sand compacted by vibration.

Thin section capability: 0.25mm Weight Range: 50gms 10kg

Conventional Plaster Mould, Foamed Plaster (increased permeability) and Antioch Process (steam autoclaving)

Aluminium base alloys: Bladed Rotating Castings for pumps and fluid transmission units

Gravity Die Casting is not noted for its thin section capability; min: 5 mm

High Pressure Die Casting

Cold Chamber Process

With the die closed and the ram withdrawn, the molten metal is poured into the chamber
Thin section capability: 0.5mm for Zn base alloys, 0.8mm for Al-base alloys and 1.5mm for Cu base alloys

Ram forces metal to flow into die, maintaining pressure during cooling and solidification

With the die closed and the plunger withdrawn, the molten metal flows into the chamber

Plunger forces metal in chamber to flow into die, maintaining pressure during cooling and solidification

Low Pressure Die Casting

Air is introduced into the furnace at low pressure (15 -100 kPa) Molten rises through the tube to enter the die cavity with minimum turbulence No need of risers. Casting being fed and filled from the bottom. Casting Yield - High

Thin section capability: 3.5mm; Weight Range: 5kg 25kg

SQUEEZE CASTING (Liquid metal forging)

Liquid metal Fully shaped component of precise dimensions, excellent surface finish and with metallurgical integrity

Ability to produce complex parts and thin sections beyond the capability of conventional casting, increased yields, ability to use both cast and wrought products, elimination of porosity, suitable for the production of metal matrix composites

Semi Solid Metal Processing

A Solid

Liquid

Alloy is heated into the liquid phase and held cooled back into the two phase region where it is stirred and subsequently injected as slurry into the die

Rheocasting - injecting non-dendritic, semi-solid

slurry directly into dies

Thixocasting

- the slurry is first cast as billet, cut into appropriate slug & reheated back to semisolid condition before injecting into the die uses pre-cast billet feedstock. In fact for many years, the very symbol of SSM was a billet that could be easily cut with a knife when properly preheated for processing (likened to cutting butter).

It

is the near net shape forming processes from a partially melted non-dendritic alloy slug within a metal die.

Microstructure of Al-7 Si-0.5Mg alloy

Conventionally Cast Dendritic

Nondendritic Semi-Solid

RHEO-DIECASTING
TWO BASIC FUNCTIONAL UNITS TWIN SLURRY MAKER & COLD CHAMBER HPDC High shear rate, high turbulence and N2 atmosphere Feeding predetermined dose of liquid metal

Zero porosity, fine and uniform microstructure

CENTRIFUGE CASTING

Investment Casting
Accuracy Versatility Integrity Surface finish

Consistency
Anything, if it can be melted then it can be investment cast

Terminology
Pattern
Expendable model around which the refractory is invested.

Cluster
A group of expendable patterns.

Investment
The slurry consisting of a refractory material and binder. The pattern is invested by this mixture to build up the mould.

Terminology
Precoating

(contd.)

The first slurry coating applied to a wax pattern during the investing cycle.

Stuccoing
The application of granular refractory to the wet surface of a dipped pattern assembly.

Dewaxing
The removal of wax from the investment mould by melting or dissolution.

The Process
1.Wax injection
Wax replicas of the desired castings are produced by injection molding. These replicas are called patterns.

2. Assembly
The patterns are attached to a central wax stick, called a sprue, to form a casting cluster or assembly.

The Process

(contd.)

3. Shell building
The shell is built by immersing the assembly in a liquid ceramic slurry and then into a bed of extremely fine sand. Up to eight layers may be applied in this manner.

4. Dewax
Once the ceramic is dry, the wax is melted out, creating a negative impression of the assembly within the shell.

The Process
5. Casting

(contd.)

The pre-heated shell is filled with molten metal by gravity pouring. As the metal cools, the parts and gates, sprue and pouring cup become one solid casting.

6. Knockout
When the metal has cooled and solidified, the ceramic shell is broken off by vibration or water blasting.

The Process
7. Cut off

(contd.)

The parts are cut away from the central sprue using a high speed friction saw.

8. Finished castings
After minor finishing operations, the metal castings identical to the original wax patterns are ready for shipment to the customer.

Yamaha CF Aluminum Die Casting Technology

- a process that enables mass production of aluminum die-cast parts that are both large and thin in sections

Conventional Aluminum Die casting Technology

The Technical focus in developing Yamaha CF Aluminum Die Casting Technology was To optimize the flow characteristics of the molten aluminum To obtain the best possible flow into the die in the short time before the aluminum begins to solidify

Characterized by (1)seals inserted between mold sections to increase vacuum completeness, (2) stabilization of the molten aluminum temperature by controlling mold temperature, (3) improved injection speed for the molten Al.
The combined effects of these measures enable the mass production
of high-quality die-cast aluminum parts with an air-intrusion rate (cause of air bubbles) of about one-fifth that of conventional die casting

Comparison of CF Aluminum Die Casting and other conventional die-cast methods

Minimum piece thickness (mm)

Everything can always be done better than it is being done Ford (1922)

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