Improving sand casting for small scale foundry

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><p><strong>Introduction</strong></p><p><strong>1.1 Background of study</strong></p><p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p>Sand casting is one of the versatile methods of metal shaping because it is used most frequently for intricate shape casting practically both of ferrous or nonferrous material. Further, the necessary tools required for sand casting are very simple and inexpensive. For this reason it is an ideal method for trial production or production of a small lot. It consists of pouring molten metal into a sand mold cavity, allowing the metal to solidify and then breaking away the mold for getting the cast product. However, the surface finish and dimensional accuracy achieved by normal sand casting process are not adequate for final output in many cases, therefore many improvements can be done through quite modifications of casting process. Green sand casting process parameters perform a vital role for enhancing the quality of cast products. Many researchers performed their research on optimizing the value of casting process parameters to improve the quality of cast products using various techniques over the past few years. Up to now following methods are used for process design: Design of Experiments (DoE) techniques such as Taguchi approach, Response Surface Methodology (RSM), integrated approach of Taguchi approach and Response Surface Methodology (RSM), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), casting simulation techniques such as Magma 5, Quick CAST, Auto CAST X, Solid CAST simulation software’s, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Gradient Search method [1-2].</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>1.2 Objectives</strong></p><ol><li>To establish the optimum settings of molding sand related parameters for improving selected cast component using Taguchi Method.</li><li>To analyze filling and solidification related defects using casting simulation technique (Click2Cast).</li><li>To measure the effectiveness of the proposed techniques through confirmation test.</li></ol> <br><p></p>