Sand testing & Cores making

Annexure - I
 Cores
• When a casting is to have a cavity or recess, a core is
introduced into the mould
• Cores are compact mass of core sand that when
placed in mould cavity at required location with
proper alignment does not allow the molten metal to
occupy space for solidification in that portion and
hence help to produce hollowness in the casting.
Core has to withstand the severe action of hot metal
which completely surrounds it.
Cores
 Core Types
• Cores are classified according to shape and
position in the mould. There are various types
of cores such as
– Horizontal core
– Vertical core
– Balanced core
– Drop core
– Hanging core
 Horizontal Core
• Used in its horizontal position in the mould
always at the parting line between two mould
boxes
 Vertical Core
 It is set in the mould in its vertical position. Its top and
bottom ends are supported in the seats or impressions
formed by the core prints in the moulding sand
 Balanced Core
 It has only one core print to maintain the alignment of the
core and is often used to produce a blind cavity in the
casting. The core print is large and heavy enough to
balance the weight of the core in the mould
 Drop Core or Stop-off Core
It is used when the cavity to be made in the
casting is either above or below the parting
line
 Hanging core or cover core
Hangs vertically in the mould with no support
at its bottom end. The entire mould cavity
has, however to be contained in the drag only.
 Characteristics of a Core
• Refractoriness or thermal stability
• Permeability
• Collapsibility
• Strength
 Sand testing
• The moulding should be tested for its composition
and properties. The important tests are
1) Moisture content test
2) Clay content test
3) Grain fineness test
4) Permeability test
5) Strength test
6) Mould hardness test
 Moisture content test
• By loss of weight after evaporation
- Heating 50 gm of moulding sand for 2 hrs at 105ºC to 110ºC
- Allowed to cool to room temperature
- Reweight the above sample
- % of moisture content = (Difference in weight/weight of sample)× 100
• By Moisture teller
Placing the sample in teller pan : 500 mesh
Blow the hot air
• By moisture teller based on chemical reaction
Placing 10 gm sand with measured amount of CaC2
CaC2 + 2H20 C2H2 + Ca(OH)2
Amount of C2H2 is proportional to the content of moisture in the sand
 Clay content test
• 50 gm dried sand sample + distilled water + 1%
NaOH solution
• Stirring for 5 min and then allowed to settle for 10
min
• Clay dispersed water is siphoned off
• Procedure is repeated until the water above the sand
is clear
• % of clay content = (Difference in weight/weight of
sample)× 100
Grain fineness test
 Permeability test
• Ability to permit air to flow through it
• Test specimen ( 50.8 mm  × 50.8 mm long )
• Record the time taken for 2000 cm3 of air at a
pressure of 10 g/cm2 to pass through
specimen
P = (V h) / p A t
 Strength test
• Compressive
• Shear
• Tensile
• Bending
Test specimen 50.8 mm  × 50.8 mm long
Apply uniformly increasing load until it breaks
 Hardness test
• To check the ramming density of the sand
• Instrument is resembles a dial indicator – spring
loaded steel ball of 5 mm
• Press the ball into the rammed surface
• Depth of penetration is indicated on the dial indicator
in terms of hardness units
• i.e. 40 for lightly rammed sand
50 for medium rammed sand
70 for hard rammed sand
 Annexure – V
MCQ
1. For permeability test, the sand specimen has the standard
height of
(a) 5.08 cm (b) 5.08 mm (c) 5.08 m (d) 50.8 cm
2. During permeability test, how much volume of air is allowed
to pass through the sand specimen
(a) 2000 cu.m (b) 2000 cu cm (c) 2000 cu mm (d) 2000 mm
3. Cores are used
(a) to form the interior surface of the casting
(b) to form external surfaces of the casting
C) to increase dimensional accuracy of the casting
(d) to increase the rate of cooling of the casting
 MCQ
4) The selection of core type is depends on
a) casting shape b) position in the mould
c) a & b d) non of the above
5) The purpose of core print is
a) to support mould
b) to support core
c) to support pattern
d) all of the above
 Higher order questions
• Design a pattern and select the pattern
material for making cubic casting 1000Nos
per month. The size of the cube is 200mm per
side and with a hole of dia 35mm at its centre.