INTRODUCTION

Casting is one of the earliest metal shaping methods known to human being. It
generally means pouring molten metal into a refractory mold with a cavity of the desired
shape to be made and allowing it to solidify for some time before taking it out. When
solidified, the desired metal object is taken out from the refractory mold either by breaking
the mold or taking the mold apart. The solidified object is called casting. This process is
also called founding. Casting required a lot of processes and that includes fabrication of
pattern, mold constructions and pouring of molten metal.

In casting, a pattern is a replica of the object to be casted, used to prepare the cavity into
which molten material will be poured during the casting process. It provide the shape for
object that need to be casted. Typically, patterns used in sand casting may be made of
wood, metal, plastics or other materials. Patterns are made to exacting standards of
construction, so that they can last for a reasonable length of time, according to the quality
grade of the pattern being built, and so that they will repeatably provide a dimensionally
acceptable casting.

The patternmaker or foundry engineer decides where the sprues, gating systems, and risers
are placed with respect to the pattern. Where a hole is desired in a casting, a core may be
used which defines a volume or location in a casting where metal will not flow into.
Sometimes chills may be placed on a pattern surface prior to molding, which are then
formed into the sand mould. Chills are heat sinks which enable localized rapid cooling.
The rapid cooling may be desired to refine the grain structure or determine the freezing
sequence of the molten metal which is poured into the mould. Because they are at a much
cooler temperature, and often a different metal than what is being poured, they do not
attach to the casting when the casting cools. The chills can then be reclaimed and reused.

Mold construction required some criteria. The choice of molding materials is based
on their processing properties. Generally, the properties are refractoriness, green strength,
dry strength, hot strength and permeability. Refractoriness is an ability of molding
material to withstand the high temperature of the metal so that it does not cause fusion.
The molding sand that contains moisture is termed as green sand. The sand selected should
have enough strength so that the constructed mold retains its shape. In the mean time,
when the moisture in the molding sand is completely expelled, it is called dry sand. While
the strength of the sand that is required to hold the shape of the mold cavity then is called
hot strength. Finally, the permeability is a term used to measure gas evolution capability
during solidification of a casting.

Pouring of molten metal (melting practice) required a good discipline both from gating
system design and risering system application. Several parameters are applied such as
pouring time, gating elements, gating ratios, and slag trap system, methods of
solidification behaviour, feeding distances and feeding aids.
APPARATUS

MATERIAL

Aluminum

Green sand

Parting agent
4.2 EQUIPMENT:

Flask

Pattern

Furnace
 Crucible

Sand separator

Sand Muller
4.3 HAND TOOLS:

Aluminum plate

Spure pin

Heart trowel
Trowel

Lifter

Scriber