BY: SAMIR JARIWALA

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CASTING DEFECTS

A casting defect is an irregularity in the metal casting process that is undesired.

It can also be defined as conditions in a casting that must be corrected or removed,or the casting must be rejected.

It may sometimes be tolerated, sometimes eliminated with proper mouldingpractice or repaired using methods such as welding, metallization etc.

There are many types of defects which result from many different causes. Some ofthe remedies to certain defects may be the cause for another type of defect.

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CASTING DEFECTS

Defects in castings occur due to various causes. Although it is quite difficult toestablish a relationship between defects & causes, casting defects are roughlybroken down into five main categories :

Gas Defects

Shrinkage Cavities

Moulding Material Defects

Pouring Metal Defects

Metallurgical Defects

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CASTING DEFECTS

All of these categories include various types of defects which are shown below:

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MISMATCH or MOULD SHIFT

The casting that does not match atthe parting line is known as Mismatchor Mould shift.

Causes :• Worn out or bent clamping pins.

• Misalignment of twohalves of pattern.

• Improper location & support of core.

• Faulty core boxes.

• Loose dowels.

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MISMATCH or MOULD SHIFT

Remedies :• Increase strength of mould & core.

• Provide adequate support to core.

• Proper alignment of two halves of the pattern.

• Proper clamping of mould box.

• Repair or replace dowels& pin causing mismatch.

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MISRUN & COLD SHUTS

When the metal is unable to fill the mould cavity completely & thus leaves unfilled cavities, it is called as misrun defect.

When two metal streams meetingin the mould cavity, do not fuse together properly, causing discontinuity or weak spot insidecasting, it is called as cold shuts.

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MISRUN & COLD SHUTS

Causes :• Low pouring temperature.

• Faulty gating system design.

• Too thin casting sections.

• Slow and intermitted pouring.

• Improper alloy composition.

• Use of damaged pattern.

• Lack of fluidity in molten metal.

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MISRUN & COLD SHUTS

Remedies :

• Smooth pouring with the help of monorail.

• Properly transport mould during pouring.

• Providing appropriate pouringtemperature.

• Modifying the gating system

design.

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SHRINKAGE CAVITY

Shrinkage cavity is a void on the surface of the castingcaused mainly due to uncontrolled and haphazard solidification of the metal.

Shrinkage defects can be split into two different types:1) External shrinkage2) Closed shrinkage defects.

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SHRINKAGE CAVITY

Causes :

• Inadequate and impropergating & risering system.

• Too much high pouringtemperature.

• Improper chilling.

Remedies :

• Ensure proper directional solidification by modifyinggating, risering & chilling system.

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BLOW HOLES

Balloon shaped gas cavities causedby release of mould gases during pouring are known as blow holes.

Causes :• Ramming is too hard.

• Cores are not sufficiently baked.

• Excess moisture content.

• Low sand permeability.

• Excessive fineness of sand grains.

• Rusted chills, chaplets & inserts.

• Presence of gas producing ingredients.

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BLOW HOLES

Remedies :• Baking of cores properly.

• Control of moisture content in moulding sand.

• Use of rust free chills, chaplets & inserts.

• Provide adequate venting in mould and cores.

• Ramming the mould less harder.

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POROSITY

Porosity is in the form of cavities caused due to gas entrapment during solidification.

Causes :

• High pouring temperature.

• Gas dissolved in metal charge.

• Less flux used.

• Molten metal not properlydegassed.

• Slow solidification of casting.

• High moisture and low permeability of mould.

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POROSITY

Remedies :

• Regulate pouring temperature

• Control metal composition.

• Increase flux proportions.

• Ensure effective degassing.

• Modify gating and risering.

• Reduce moisture and increasepermeability of mould.

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INCLUSIONS

Any undesirable foreign particle present within the metal of a casting is called as inclusions.

It may be oxides, sand, slag, dirt etc., which enters the mould cavity with the molten metal during pouring & weakens the casting & also spoils the surface of the casting.

Causes :• Faulty gating & pouring.

• Dissolved gases in molten metal.

• Inferior molding or core sand.

• Soft ramming of mold.

• Rough handling of mold and core.

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SAND INCLUSION

INCLUSIONS

Remedies :• Modify gating system.

• Improve pouring to minimize turbulence.

• Use of superior sand of good strength.

• Provide hard ramming.

• Use slag trapping methods for preventing any slag from enteringthe mould cavity.

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SAND INCLUSION

HOT TEARS or HOT CRACKING

Hot tears are ragged irregularinternal or external cracks occurring immediately after themetal have solidified.

Causes :• Lack of collapsibility of

core & mould.

• Hard ramming of mould.

• Faulty casting design.

Remedies :• Providing softer ramming.

• Improve casting design.

• Improve collapsibility of core& mould.

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METAL PENETRATION

Penetration occurs when themolten metal flows between the sand particles in the mould.

Causes :• Low strength of moulding sand.

• Large size of moulding sand.

• High permeability of sand.

• Soft ramming.

Remedies :• Use of fine grain with low

permeability.

• Appropriate ramming.

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PIN HOLES Formation of many small gas cavities

at or slightly below surface of castingis called as pin holes.

Causes :

• Sand with high moisture content.

• Absorption of hydrogen/carbon monoxide gas in the metal.

• Alloy not being properly degassed.

• Sand containing gas producing ingredients.

Remedies :

• Reducing the moisture content & increasing permeability of moulding sand.

• Employing good melting and fluxing practices.

• Improving a rapid rate of solidification.

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SWELL A swell is an enlargement of mould

cavity by localized metal pressure.

Causes :

• Insufficient or soft ramming.

• Low strength mould & core.

• Mould not being supported

properly.

Remedies :

• Sand should be rammed evenly and properly.

• Increase strength of mould & core.

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DROP

Drop is a projection on drag part of casting due fall of its cope part.

Causes :• Low green strength of the moulding

sand.

• Low mould hardness.

• Insufficient reinforcement of sand projections in the cope.

Remedies :• Moulding sand should have sufficient green strength.

• Provide adequate reinforcement to sand projections and cope by using nails and gaggers.

• Ramming should not be too soft.

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FLASHES or FINS

A thin projection of metal notintended in casting, usually occurring at parting line is called as fins.

Causes :• Inadequately weighted sand

• Over flexible bottom boards.

• Defective moulding box.

• Loose plates and improper clamping of flasks.

Remedies :• Correct assembly of the mould and cores.

• Keep weights on mold boxes.

• Change the defective moulding box.

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RAT TAILS or BUCKLES

Slight compression failure of a thin layerof moulding sand is called as rat tails & more severe compression failure is called

as buckles i.e. Buckling of sand.

Causes :• Excessive mould hardness.

• Lack of combustible additives in the moulding sand.

• Continuous large surfaces on the casting.

Remedies :• Suitable addition of combustible additives to moulding sand.

• Reduction in mould hardness.

• Modifications in casting design.

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WARPAGE

Warpage is an undesirable deformation in a casting occurring during or after

solidification due to improper solidification.

Causes :• Continuous large flat surfaces.

• No directional solidification of casting.

• Moulding sand having too low green strength.

• Improper cooling rate.

Remedies :• Follow principle of sufficient directional solidification.

• Make good casting & gating system design.

• Proper selection of moulding sand.

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CRACKED CASTING

These are cracks caused by inability of casting to cope with internal stresses resulting from solid shrinkage of metal

Immediately after solidification some metals have low strength and if stresses set up are high cracks developed in the casting.

Cracks can be avoided by proper design of casting, avoiding joining of unequal stresses ,providing round corners etc

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BENT OR TWISTED CASTING

When a casting has wide variation in

its sections, internal stresses are always

set up in it due to differential cooling in

thick n thin areas. This leads to casting

warpage.

The remedy is to provide suitable

allowances in pattern, controlling

deformation by performing suitable

ribs and plan for uniform cooling rate

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OPEN BLOWS AND BLOW HOLES

Open blows are smooth cavities or voids on the surface of the casting .blow holes are bubbles of gas entrapped inside the casting .both are caused by gases carried by hot metals.

Blow holes are also caused by poor permeability of sand, too fine sand grains, over rammed moulds or insufficient venting. Blow holes can be controlled by controlling moisture content, providing proper venting ,not too hard ramming of the mould and controlling binder content

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FUSION

When mould sand has not enough refractoriness or metal is poured at very high temperature or facing sand is of poor quality, the sand melts and fuse with the casting surface.

This makes difficult to clean castings and gives them rough glossy appearance

Using sand of enough refractoriness and pouring at suitable temp can eliminate this defect

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RUNOUT

A run out occurs when molten metal leaks out of the mould during pouring . This is caused by defecting moulding boxes , faulty clamping and weighing and by casting too near the edge of the box

Run out is avoided by modifying the moulding system , providing proper parting line and providing proper gating system.

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CRACK

Cracks may arise from locked up stresses set up by non uniform heating and cooling ,excess sulphur or phosphorus in the metal, and some other causes.

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