The process of sand casting is very old going back to the Bronze Age; the technique has changed

very little since. This process is best suited to large casting where surface finish is not important or o which will be machined later.

Definition
Sand casting, also known as sand-mold sand casting, consists of pouring molten metal into a sand mold, allowing the metal to solidify, and then breaking up the mold to remove the casting. The casting must then be cleaned and inspected, and heat treatment is sometimes required to improve im metallurgical properties.

Process
The cavity in the sand mold is formed by packing sand around a pattern (an approximate duplicate of the part to be cast), and then removing the pattern by separating the mold into two halves. The mold also contains the gating and riser system. In addition, if the casting is to have internal surfaces (e.g., hollow parts or parts with holes), a core must be included in the mold. Since the mold is sacrificed to remove the casting, a new sand mold must be made for each part that is produced. From this brief description, cription, sand casting is seen to include not only the casting operation itself, but also the fabrication of the pattern and the making of the mold.

Process Sequence
The production sequence isoutlined in Figure 11.2.

Advantages of Sand Casting

Use is widespread; technology is well developed Casting is the easiest and quickest way (technique) from drawing (design) to the production Materials are inexpensive, capable of holding detail and resist deformation when heated Casting can be used to create complex geometries Some casting operations are capable of producing parts to net shape Casting process can be performed on any metal that can be heated to the liquid state Some casting methods are highly suited far mass production Process is suitable for both ferrous and non-ferrous metal castings Handles a more diverse range of products than any other casting method Mould preparation time is relatively short in comparison to many other processes The relative simplicity of the process makes it ideally suited to mechanisation High levels of sand reuse are achievable Low capital investment means that short production runs are viable

Disadvantages of Sand Casting

Limitation on mechanical properties Porosity (empty spaces within the metal - reduces the strength of metal) Poor dimensional accuracy and surface finish Safety hazards to humans and environmental problems Removal of pattern of the thin and small parts is very difficult High level of waste is typically generated, particularly sand, baghouse dust and spent shot Bad surface finish, due to sand indentation and oxidizing medium Many defects arise in the casting (no good control on the process) The process has a high unit cost, as it is labor intensive and time consuming; The sand mold leaves bad surface finish, due to sand indentation and oxidizing medium, which often requires further processing Not suitable for mass production, oftenly used to produce few number of products compared with other casting proccesses which produce thousands and millions

Casting Quality
There are numerous opportunities for things to go wrong in a casting operation, resulting in quality defects in the cast product.

Casting Defects
Misruns (due to rapid solidification in the runner) Cold shuts (due to rapid solidification before complete filling of the mold) Cold shots (due to splattered globules of metal during pouring) Shrinkage cavity (due to lack of riser system) Microporosity (due to localized solidification shrinkage) Hot tearing (due to the die's prevention of contraction)

Defects related with Sand Molds

Sand blow Pinholes Sand wash Scabs Penetration Mold shift Core shift Mold crack

Inspection Methods
1. Visual Inspection to detect obvious defects such as Misruns, surface flaws. 2. Dimensional measurements to ensure that tolerances have been met. 3. Metallurgical, chemical, physical, and other tests related with the quality a. Pressure testing to locate teaks in the casting b. Radiographic methods magnetic particle tests, use of fluorescent penetrants, and supersonic testing to detect either surface or internal defects in casting c. Mechanical testing to determine properties such as tensile strength and hardness

Binding Materials
A mold must have the physical integrity to keep its shape throughout the casting operation. For this reason, in sand casting, the sand must contain some type of binding material (binder) that acts to hold the sand particles together (i.e. it is the glue that holds the mold together). Clay serves an essential purpose in the sand casting manufacturing process, as a binding agent to adhere the molding sand together. In manufacturing industry other agents may be used to bond the molding sand together in place of clay. Organic resins, (such as phenolic resins), and inorganic bonding agents, (such as phosphate and sodium silicate), may also be used to hold the sand together. In addition to sand and bonding agents the sand casting mixture to create the mold will sometimes have other constituents added to it in order to improve mold properties.

Clay & Water:

A mixture of clay and water is the most commonly used binder. There are two types of clay commonly used, bentonite (Al2O3 4 SiO2 nH2O) and kaolinite (Al2O3 2 SiO2 2 H2O). The Bentonite (Al2O3 4 SiO2 nH2O) can absorb more water which increases its bonding power.

Oil:
Oils, such as linseed oil, other vegetable oils and marine oils, used to be used as a binder, however due to their increasing cost, they have been mostly phased out. The oil also required careful baking at 100 to 200 C (212 to 392 F) to cure (if overheated the oil becomes brittle, wasting the mold).

Resin:
Resin binders are natural or synthetic high melting point gums. The two common types used are urea formaldehyde (UF) and phenol formaldehyde (PF) resins. PF resins have a higher heat resistance than UF resins and cost less. There are also cold-set resins, which use a catalyst instead of a heat to cure the binder. Resin binders are quite popular because different properties can be achieved by mixing with various additives. Other advantages include good collapsibility, low gassing, and they leave a good surface finish on the casting.

Sodium Silicate:
Sodium silicate [Na2SiO3 or (Na2O)(SiO2)] is a high strength binder used with silica molding sand. To cure the binder carbon dioxide gas is used, which creates the following reaction: Na2O(SiO2) + CO2 Na2 CO3 +2 SiO2 + Heat The advantage to this binder is that it occurs at room temperature and quickly. The disadvantage is that its high strength leads to shakeout difficulties and possibly hot tears in the casting.

Sugar Cane:
There are many liquid binders made from starches, cereals and sugars. They are available under a countless number of trade names.

Properties of Good Binder

A good binder g will l have the following properties: Strength Collapse rapidly when metal starts to shrink Will not distort core during baking Maintain strength during storage time Absorb a minimum of moisture when in the mold or in storage Withstand normal handling Disperse properly and evenly throughout the sand mix Should produce a mixture that can be easily formed