SAND CASTING

Sand casting is one of the earliest forms of casting practiced due to the simplicity of materials involved. It still remains one of the cheapest ways to cast metal because of the same simplicity. In this casting process a pattern is made in the shape of the desired part. This pattern is made out of wood, plastic or metal. Simple designs can be made in a single piece or solid pattern. The patterns are then packed in sand with a binder, which helps to harden the sand into a semi-permanent shape. Once the Sand mold is packed, the pattern is removed leaving a hollow space in the sand in the shape of the desired part. The pattern is intentionally made larger than the cast part to allow for shrinkage during cooling.

 Cores can then be inserted in the mold to create holes and improve the casting's net shape.

Two piece molds are clamped together and melted metal is then poured in to an opening, called RUNNER. If necessary, vent holes, called RISER will be created to allow hot gases to escape during the pouring.
The pouring temperature of the metal should be a few hundred degrees higher than the melting point to assure good fluidity, thereby avoiding prematurely cooling, which will cause voids and porosity. When the metal cools, the sand mold is removed and the workpiece is ready for secondary operations, such as machining & plating.

Sand casting is the least expensive of all of the casting processes.

History
3200 B.C. Copper is the oldest known casting material in existence, is cast in Mesopotamia. Basically history of metal casting started from Neolithic period
(60001800 BC).

645 B.C. China was the earliest known sand moulding country.
500 A.D. Cast crucible steel is first produced in India, but the process is lost until 1750 when Benjamin Huntsman reinvents it in England

Between 1875 and 1940, cast iron cookware manufacturers periodically refined their casting techniques to produce extremely well-made products. Products made between 1900 and 1940 were both slightly thicker and more finished in their appearance. During same time, the manufacturing included a series of polishing steps that produced pieces with glass-like surfaces. The development of new technologies and an increased demand for cast parts gave tremendous impulses to the metal casting industry .

During 19 century iron casts was not only limited to the creation of cookware and decorative objects but was also used for the production of machine parts and articles of daily use.

Parting line

Two Main types of sands

"Green sand" is a mixture of wet silica sand, clay, moisture and other locally available additives. The Air set sand" method uses dry sand bonded to materials other than clay, using a fast curing adhesive. When these are used, they are collectively called "air set" sand castings to distinguish these from "green sand" castings. Molding sands are natural bonded (bank sand) and synthetic (lake sand), which is generally preferred due to its more consistent composition. With both methods, the sand mixture is packed around a master "pattern" forming a mold cavity. The sand mixture is tamped down as it is added, and the final mold assembly is sometimes vibrated to compact the sand and fill any unwanted voids in the mold. Air-set molds often form a two-part mold having a top and bottom, termed Cope and drag.

greensand
Greensand is an olive-green colored sandstone rock which is commonly found in narrow bands, particularly associated with bands of chalk and clay worldwide; it has been deposited in marine environments at various times during Earth history, such as during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

the name is due to its unfired or green state, not its color

Making of green sand:

Simply put, it is a mixture of sand, bentonite clay, and a bit of water. *The bucket contained nine inches of sand, *one inch of bentonite to achieve a 10% bentonite mixture, and mixed the to dry for about ten minutes.

added about 32 oz water in six ounce (coffee cup) increments, mixing constantly between additions, over a period of several hours when the sand started to display "pack ability

REQUIREMENTS TO SAND
Ability to retain mould shape during packing and pouring. High temperature stability. Permeability for the gases liberated from the mould and solidifying metal. Silica sand with additives is used for sand casting.

Patterns materials:
In order to be used repeatedly patterns are made of relatively tough materials.
Wood Metal Plastic A parting (release) agent is applied on the pattern surface in order to provide easy removal of the pattern from the mould.

GATING SYSTEM
It includes Pouring cup spruce Riser Runner Gas vents

GATING SYSTEM.
In a sand casting mold the most important thing is the GATING SYSTEM. The set of channels through which a molten metal flows to the mould cavity is called gating system.

TERMS
Pouring cup and sprue - receive the poured melt. Runner a channel through which the melt is supplied to the gates(through this molten metal enters the mold cavity) Riser a cavity connected to the gating system feeding the casting when it is shrinking.

 Vents air within the mold cavity and gases formed when a molten metal contracts the mold surface are removed through the vents. Cores a separate insert to form the interior cavities of a casting (usually made of sand.

Patterns/Masters
Patterns are commonly made larger than the casting because of the shrinkage effect. Shrinkage allowances are usually 1-2%. The pattern surfaces are never made perpendicular to the mould parting surface.

ADVANTAGES OF SAND CASTING

Low cost of mould materials and equipment. Large casting dimensions may be obtained. Wide variety of metals and alloys (ferrous and non-ferrous) may be cast (including high melting point metals).

DISADVANTAGES
Rough surface. Poor dimensional accuracy. High machining tolerances. Coarse Grain structure. Strength of the product is lower then machined and forged products. Thin products cannot be produced

The process is used to make medium to large parts such as valve bodies Plumbing fixtures Locomotive components Construction machinery