m A large varieties of molding materials are
used in foundries for manufacturing moulds
and cores.
m They are
Molding sand
System sand
Rebonded sand
Facing sand
Parting sand
Core sand
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m Refractoriness: Ability of material to with
stand high temperatures.
m Green strength: Molding sand that contain
moisture is termed as green sand. The
sand should have enough strength to retain
its shape.
m Dry strength: when moisture is completely
expelled out then the sand is called dry
sand. when metal is pored in mould cavity
then sand around metal becomes dry so at
this stage sand should retain its shape and
with stand with metallostatic forces.
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m Àot strength: All moisture in the mold is eliminated
after pouring of metal the sand would reach high
temperature and sand¶s ability to retain its shape is
called hot strength.
m Permeability: During solidification process large
amount of gases are released and if these gases are
not allowed to escape they cause casting defects so
the sand must be sufficiently porous to escape these
gases.
m Reusability: the molding material should be reusable
and should have good thermal conductivity to
dissipate heat
Besides having these properties the sand
should have collapsibility so that they did not provide
any resistance to contraction of casting
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m The main ingredients of any molding sand are:
1)Base sand,
2)Binder, and
3)Moisture
m Base Sand: Silica sand is most commonly used
base sand. Other base sands that are also used
for making mold are zircon sand, Chromite sand,
and olivine sand. Silica sand is cheapest among
all types of base sand and it is easily available.
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m Binders are of many types such as:
m Clay binders: Clay binders are most commonly
used binding agents mixed with the molding
sands to provide the strength. The most
popular clay types are:
1)Kaolinite or fire clay (Al2O3 2 SiO2 2 À2O)
2)Bentonite (Al2O3 4 SiO2 nÀ2O)
Of these two the Bentonite can absorb more
water which increases its bonding power.
m Organic binders and
m Inorganic binders
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m Clay acquires its bonding action only in the
presence of the required amount of moisture.
When water is added to clay, it penetrates the
mixture and forms a microfilm, which coats the
surface of each flake of the clay. The amount of
water used should be properly controlled. This is
because a part of the water, which coats the
surface of the clay flakes, helps in bonding, while
the remainder helps in improving the plasticity.