6 1

2
Casting of aluminium alloys 3
4
S. Otarawanna , National Metal and Materials Technology
5
Center (MTEC), Thailand and A.K. DAHLE, The University of
6
Queensland, Australia
7
8
Abstract: Casting is one of the main routes for producing aluminium-alloy 9
parts. Good castability for foundry alloys includes a relatively high fluidity, low 10
melting point, short casting cycles, relatively low tendency for hot cracking, 1
good as-cast surface finish and chemical stability. In hypoeutectic alloys, it is 2
common to refine the size of the aluminium crystals by grain refinement for
applications requiring good mechanical properties. In Al-Si alloys, a treatment 3
called eutectic modification is often used to change the eutectic silicon from 4
coarse platelike into fine fibrous morphology, which is less harmful to 5
mechanical performance. Main shape casting processes include high-pressure 6
die casting, low-pressure die casting, permanent mould casting and sand
casting. Each process has its own strategy for filling the alloy into the mould/ 7
die and feeding the solidification shrinkage. 8
9
Key words: aluminium alloys, casting, solidification, microstructure control, 20
grain refinement, eutectic modification. 1
2
3
6.1 Introduction 4
On average, the production of aluminium castings counts for approximately 20–25% 5
of the annual world aluminium production, and die castings would be approximately 6
60% of that production. Aluminium castings can be produced by virtually all casting 7
processes, generating products with a wide variety of useful engineering properties. 8
High-pressure die casting (HPDC) is the preferred production process for large 9
production volumes and this process has been improved so much in recent years that 30
it can now be used to reliably produce castings with high integrity, and that are heat 1
treatable. For smaller production volumes, low-pressure die casting, permanent 2
mould casting and sand casting can be used. Investment casting is also used in the 3
production of some aluminium components. 4
This chapter first provides an overview of the typical aluminium casting alloys, 5
essential microstructural features, typical microstructural control strategies, a 6
brief introduction about filling and feeding, followed by an overview of the main 7
casting processes. 8
9
40
6.2 Aluminium casting alloys
1
Aluminium casting alloys offer a range of advantages, particularly a good 2
castability. This includes a relatively high fluidity, low melting point, short casting 43X

141
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 142 Fundamentals of aluminium metallurgy

1 Table 6.1  Aluminum Association designation system for

2 aluminium casting alloys

3
Series Alloys
4
5 1XX >99.0% Al
6 2XX Al-Cu
7 3XX Al-Si-Mg, Al-Si-Cu, Al-Si-Cu-Mg
4XX Al-Si
8 5XX Al-Mg
9 7XX Al-Zn
10 8XX Al-Sn
1
2
3 cycles, relatively low tendency for hot cracking, good as-cast surface finish and
4 chemical stability. In addition, advantages are gained by the specific alloy chosen.
5 There is no world-wide alloy designation system for aluminium casting alloys,
6 and many countries have their own system. The system from the Aluminum
7 Association is described in Table 6.1.
8 Whilst Table 6.1 provides the main alloying element, most commercial alloys
9 have strict limitations on a range of different elements which affect the properties.
20 For example, in HPDCs, Fe and Mn are controlled in order to control die soldering
1 properties. Often, Mg is also strictly controlled because of its hardening effect.
2 Certain trace elements must also be monitored due to a strong impact on castability.
3 Commercial casting alloys include both heat treatable and non-heat treatable
4 alloys. Therefore, the standard aluminium temper designation system is also
5 applicable to aluminium castings. The O, T4, T5, T6 and T7 tempers are normally
6 used for aluminium castings. Die castings traditionally had a problem with
7 blistering on heat treatment, but new alloys and processes now allow such castings
8 to be heat treated to T6 and T7 tempers. Some developments in this area are
9 presented elsewhere in this book.
30 Amongst the aluminium castings alloys, the Al-Si alloys are by far the most
1 widely used, particularly for automotive applications. Silicon provides good
2 castability, and a wide variety of properties can be obtained by alloys from this
3 alloy system. Most are of the eutectic or hypoeutectic compositions (i.e. near
4 eutectic), but hypereutectic alloys are also popular for certain applications which
5 require elevated temperature strength, low thermal expansion and wear resistance.
6
7 6.3 Microstructure control in aluminium
8
foundry alloys
9
40 The typical microstructure of as-cast aluminium alloys depends on the alloy
1 composition, but in most cases it comprises primary aluminium crystals
2 surrounded by a eutectic mixture. However, in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys, primary
43X silicon crystals may form before the eutectic. The composition of the eutectic

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 Casting of aluminium alloys 143

depends on which alloy system is cast. In hypoeutectic alloys it is common to 1

refine the size of the aluminium crystals by grain refinement for applications 2
requiring good mechanical properties. 3
4
5
6.3.1 Grain refinement
6
Whilst grain refinement is done virtually 100% for wrought aluminium alloys, it 7
is not always required in aluminium castings. However, in premium castings grain 8
refinement is usually used. The grain refiners used in foundry alloys are the same 9
as used in wrought alloys. The most popular grain refiners are based on the 10
Al-Ti-B system, with a range of compositions, with Al-5wt%Ti-1wt%B being the 1
most common. Additions are usually made in rod or waffle form, and addition 2
levels can be around 1 kg/tonne or more. These grain refiners typically contain 3
small hexagonal TiB2 and particles, and coarse Al3Ti needles in an aluminium 4
matrix. Both particles can theoretically be expected to nucleate aluminium, but 5
Al3Ti is expected to dissolve in the molten metal so that nucleation is expected to 6
occur on TiB2 particles. There has been a lot of debate about the exact nucleation 7
mechanism, and this is discussed in detail in a separate chapter in this book. 8
9
20
6.3.2 Eutectic modification
1
In sand and permanent mould cast Al-Si alloys it is often common to use a 2
treatment called eutectic modification to change the eutectic silicon from coarse 3
platelike into fine fibrous morphology. This is commonly done by trace additions 4
(<400 ppm) of certain elements. These additions are usually made in the form of 5
master alloys, that is rods or waffle, or canisters. Industrially, strontium has 6
become the most popular modifier because it is more durable and longer lasting 7
than the other common modifier – Na. Modification treatments improve strength, 8
ductility, pressure tightness and machinability. 9
30
1
6.4 Filling the casting
2
Most castings need to contain a running and gating system to transport the molten 3
alloy from the point where it is first filled into the mould. The metal needs to be 4
effectively distributed to the whole casting before the alloy has lost too much of 5
its superheat. In the past decade, much emphasis has been placed on the importance 6
of avoiding turbulence during filling of the casting and to have a smooth, laminar 7
flow front of the molten metal. The reason is that aluminium readily oxidises in 8
contact with air and therefore is always covered in a very thin oxide layer at the 9
surface. With turbulent flow, these oxide films can become mixed into the bulk of 40
the metal where they represent porosity initiation sites in the casting during 1
solidification. Such bifilms are considered to have a dry side which formed in 2
contact with air and a wet side which was in contact with the molten metals. These 43X

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 144 Fundamentals of aluminium metallurgy

1 bifilms may become folded onto themselves during turbulent flow. Campbell has
2 shown that for aluminium alloys, turbulence can be avoided if the metal flow rate
3 is kept below 0.5 m/s. Many aluminium foundries now use computer software to
4 design their running and gating systems.
5
6
7 6.5 Feeding and porosity
8 A challenge with most aluminium casting alloys is that they contract about 3–6%
9 on solidification. Unless this shrinkage is properly compensated by the provision
10 of extra feed liquid, porosity may be present within the casting or at the surface.
1 This porosity can significantly reduce the mechanical properties, pressure
2 tightness, machinability and general appearance of the casting. Feeders are
3 therefore carefully and strategically designed as part of the casting to provide
4 liquid to the last regions to solidify.
5 Hydrogen is the only gas with significant solubility in molten aluminium. On
6 solidification, it can also create porosity because it has a very low solubility in the
7 solid. Thus, for high integrity applications it may be necessary to degas the molten
8 metal either by bubbling inert gas through the molten metal, or by adding certain
9 tablets that can either react with or remove the hydrogen from the molten metal.
20
1
2 6.6 Casting processes
3
6.6.1 High-pressure die casting (HPDC)
4
5 The HPDC process is a fast and highly automated near-net shape manufacturing
6 method for making thin-walled, complex castings. It involves high-velocity
7 injection of molten metal into metal dies and solidification of the alloy under high
8 pressure1. The cycle time is relatively short, typically a few seconds for relatively
9 small castings and less than a minute for large parts2. HPDC dies are not coated
30 with refractory materials since high cooling rate is desired to cool the casting
1 quickly and achieve fast cycle time. However, the die must be sprayed between
2 each shot with a lubricant to avoid die sticking. Dimensional accuracy and surface
3 finish of the casting are good so subsequent machining processes are minimised
4 or even eliminated. HPDC is widely used to cast the alloys of aluminium,
5 magnesium, zinc, lead and brass, and the applications are widespread, including
6 automotive, electrical, electronic and household. The commonly used HPDC
7 alloys, such as A380 (AlSi8CuFe) and 384 (AlSi10Cu2Fe), contain 8–10% Si and
8 2–4% Cu with around 1% Fe.
9 The capacity of HPDC machines is described by their locking force, typically
40 in the range 100–2000 tonnes. The maximum size of casting produced by a
1 machine is determined by the machine’s locking force. To ensure good casting
2 quality, HPDC dies are required to be carefully designed and optimised. Also
43X process parameters have to be optimised and well-controlled. HPDC dies are

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 Casting of aluminium alloys 145

costly but they can last for more than 100,000 shots. The initial cost for the 1
machine and die set is high, but the operating cost is relatively cheap. Therefore, 2
the process is suitable for high volume production. 3
Aluminium alloys are cast in cold-chamber (cc) HPDC machines where the 4
metal injection system is in contact with the melt for only a short time. Molten 5
alloy is held in a separate holding furnace and is transferred to the shot sleeve for 6
each casting cycle as illustrated in Fig. 6.1. The injection of molten alloy in cc 7
HPDC is performed by moving the plunger horizontally forward. 8
In conventional HPDC processes, alloy at ~50–100°C superheat is poured into 9
the shot sleeve in cc HPDC. In cc HPDC, the alloy is left in the sleeve for a 10
period, so-called delay time, of a few seconds to create more quiescent liquid. The 1
shot sleeve walls, injection plunger and die are maintained at ~200–300°C. The 2
heat transfer coefficient at the sleeve wall was measured to be of the order 3
103 Wm22K21 for alloy A356 3. Cooling rates in the shot sleeve are typically of 4
the order 10°C/s 4. The alloy is pushed forward up until the gate in the slow shot 5
phase of around 1–7 s 5. After that, the plunger is accelerated to inject the alloy at 6
very high velocity (velocity at the gate around 50 m/s 628 corresponding to a shear 7
rate of around 104/s 8 to fill the cavity within 0.01–0.3 s 5). Once the alloy touches 8
the die surface, the initial heat flux from the die cavity is very high, with reported 9
values of heat transfer coefficient in the range 104–105 Wm22K21  9–12. Air gap 20
formation between the shrinking and contracting alloy and the die wall decreases 1
heat transfer considerably. After the cavity is completely filled, a pressure 2
(intensification pressure) of up to ~120 MPa13 is typically applied to the casting 3
to assist feeding and prevent solidification shrinkage as the casting continues to 4
solidify. In addition to this mechanical effect, the applied pressure increases the 5
heat transfer coefficient at the die-alloy interface and therefore increases the 6
7
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6.1  Schematic diagram of a cold chamber HPDC machine. 43X

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 146 Fundamentals of aluminium metallurgy

1 cooling rate. A range of cooling rates therefore exist during in-cavity solidification,
2 reportedly in the range 100–1000°C/D 14–16.
3 One of the major defects in conventional HPDC parts is porosity which largely
4 results from air entrapment during die filling and solidification shrinkage. The
5 presence of porosity has an adverse effect on mechanical properties and pressure
6 tightness of components. Furthermore, it can cause other defects, such as
7 blistering during subsequent heat treatment17. This has so far limited the extent of
8 HPDC applications in structural components requiring strength and ductility
9 properties.
10
1
High integrity HPDC processes
2
3 In the past decades, there has been a keen interest and R&D into producing
4 structural automotive components, such as chassis parts by HPDC. Castings are
5 therefore required to be sound, reliable and capable of conventional solution heat
6 treatment without blistering. A number of high integrity HPDC processes have
7 been developed to meet these requirements. At present no one process meets all
8 requirements, so it is important to understand both the advantages and limitations
9 of these ‘potential’ high integrity HPDC processes. For high integrity HPDC
20 processes, both investment and production costs are generally higher than for
1 their conventional counterparts. This is due to the requirements of using primary
2 alloy, uncontaminated melt and special process controls.
3
4
Vacuum-assisted techniques
5
6 The strategy of vacuum-assisted HPDC is to eliminate the entrapped air from the
7 source which is the atmosphere in the shot sleeve, runner system and die cavity.
8 The benefits of vacuum-assisted HPDC are not only reducing entrapped air. Some
9 significant degree of vacuum also assist die filling of material and air venting from
30 the cavity. The vacuum in the system is typically achieved by a vacuum pumping
1 system attached to the die cavity (Fig. 6.2). To produce castings that can be fully
2 heat-treated to a conventional T6 temper without blistering, a vacuum level of
3 100 mbar or less is required18. This is obtained by the combination of particularly
4 high quality sealing, certain water-based lubricants and a well-controlled venting
5 system. Well-sealed contacts between moving parts and between mating die
6 surfaces help to retain the high vacuum level. Water-based lubricants releasing a
7 relatively low level of gases are used to minimise gas evolution in the cavity.
8 Precise control of the vacuum pumping system attached to the vent is essential to
9 control the vacuum level in the system.
40 In the open literature there are only two systems reported to be capable of
1 consistently producing heat-treated HPDC parts18: the Vacural method and the
2 BDW/Alcan High-Q-Cast method. In the Vacural method, vacuum is very strong
43X and applied relatively early. The melt is drawn from the furnace into the shot

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1
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1
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6.2  (a) and (b) Schematic illustration showing the principle of a 3
vacuum-assisted die casting technique [19]. 4
5
6
7
sleeve by the aid of vacuum in the die cavity. With extremely high vacuum 8
applied early, sufficiently high vacuum in the cavity can be sustained although 9
the vacuum valve is shut before the cavity is completely filled to avoid the 20
invasion of alloy into the vacuum system. In the High-Q-Cast method, the high 1
vacuum level is kept thoughout the process by keeping the vacuum valve open 2
until the very end of the die filling stage. The valve movement is controlled 3
by a piezo electric controller which is ~12 times faster than a conventional 4
hydraulic controller18. Apart from these two high vacuum techniques, a number 5
of techniques have also been developed to obtain partial vacuum in the die 6
cavity. For simplicity of the system, a tortuous vent path which can shut off 7
metal flow due to metal solidification, a so-called chill vent, is often used to 8
replace the vacuum valve. Although heat-treatable parts cannot be manufactured 9
by these partial vacuum techniques, the performance of castings is significantly 30
improved. 1
2
3
Semi-solid metal processing (SSP)
4
SSP is a type of die casting process wherein a partially solid metal, typically solid 5
fraction ( fs) of ~0.518, is intentionally prepared and injected into a die cavity. The 6
semi-solid material is prepared to have globular primary phase morphology 7
(Fig. 6.3a) which exhibits thixotropic behaviour and therefore is more ‘castable’ 8
than a dendritic material (Fig. 6.3b–c)20. This can be obtained by either stirring 9
(typically mechanical stirring or electromagnetic stirring) or grain refinement and 40
thermal history control18. 1
Despite the fact that there are numerous techniques for SSP, they can be 2
categorised by the processing route into two groups: (1) thixocasting, and 43X

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 148 Fundamentals of aluminium metallurgy

1
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9
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1 6.3  Comparison of different A356 microstructures obtained from:
2 (a) above-liquidus casting, (b) thixocasting and (c) rheocasting [18]
3 (courtesy of North America Die Casting Association). Note that the
4 thixocast microstructure contains eutectic entrapped within the primary
(Al) globules whilst the rheocast does not.
5
6
7 (2) rheocasting. In the thixocasting route, a billet containing globular microstructure
8 is prepared by a billet manufacturer. Upon reheating, the billet is ready to be placed
9 into the shot sleeve of an HPDC-like machine and injected into the die cavity.
20 For rheocasting, the thixotropic slurry is prepared on-site before subsequently
1 being transferred into a pressure casting machine. Thixocasting billets are sold
2 at a premium price, up to twice the ingot-alloy price, and cannot be reused by the
3 die-caster. A material loss of 8–10% during reheating has been reported21. This
4 billet-cost issue leads to a global trend to develop and use the rheocasting processes.
5 With more viscous injected alloy and lower injection velocity compared to
6 conventional HPDC, SSP provides a more stable flow front and therefore less
7 entrapped air during die filling. As the injected alloy already contains a substantial
8 fs, subsequent solidification shrinkage is clearly less than in conventional HPDC.
9 Die life is normally longer due to lower alloy temperature. Due to the fact that
30 rheological properties of semi solid alloy are a function of fs, only some alloys
1 (with clearly defined eutectic point and fs, is not a strong function of temperature
2 in the working fs range) are suitable for SSP and good control of temperature is
3 also required.
4
5
Indirect squeeze casting
6
7 There are two types of squeeze casting, direct and indirect. Direct squeeze casting
8 is also known as liquid-metal forging because it resembles a forging process.
9 Molten metal is poured into the bottom half of the pre-heated die, the upper die
40 half is lowered towards the bottom die causing the melt to fill the mould cavity
1 and a pressure typically in the range 70–140 MPa or more18 is applied over the
2 entire cavity during solidification. As the direct squeeze casting process is not
43X considered as a variant of the HPDC process, its details are not reviewed here.

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 Casting of aluminium alloys 149

Indirect squeeze casting process is akin to HPDC. The melt is transferred into 1
the shot sleeve of an indirect squeeze casting machine, which can be vertical or 2
horizontal type. After that, the alloy is injected into the die cavity through relatively 3
thick gates (typically 6–35 mm18) at relatively lower gate velocity compared to 4
those in conventional HPDC processes. The cavity filling time is typically 2–5 s18. 5
The relatively slow filling velocity promotes non-turbulent filling. The amount of 6
entrapped air during die filling is therefore reduced. Furthermore, entrapped air and 7
folded oxide films can be further reduced by carefully pouring the alloy onto the 8
side wall of a tilted shot sleeve in vertical-typed machines. This pouring technique 9
promotes more quiescent flow of molten metal. 10
The minimum casting thickness allowed to be manufactured by this process 1
is ~5 mm18. Relatively thick gates delay gate solidification and therefore promote 2
the transfer of intensification pressure through the gate to the casting. Due to the 3
relatively thick gating system, the yield of material in this process is relatively 4
low. The die life is shorter than conventional HPDC processes due to higher melt 5
temperature and longer dwell time in the die cavity. 6
7
8
Melt flow technique 9
20
Advanced thixotropic metallurgy (ATM) technique is a runner design concept
1
developed by a group at CSIRO, Australia22. The technique employs a flow
2
restriction section, a so-called melt pre-conditioner (MPC), in the runner. The
3
MPC is aimed to shear and accelerate the flowing material before it reaches the
4
gate. In HPDC, there are some equiaxed crystals, so called externally solidified
5
crystals (ESCs), solidified in the shot sleeve prior to being injected into the die
6
cavity. The shearing of partially solid alloy containing ESCs is believed to make
7
ESCs smaller and more globular, and disperse porosity in the final microstructure.
8
Due to smaller ESC size and more disperse porosity, ATM castings often show
9
better mechanical properties than conventional ones.
30
Smaller and more globular ESCs decrease viscosity of the suspension and
1
therefore reduce the tendency for cold shuts. This allows a lower gate speed than
2
that in conventional HPDC to be used with the ATM design. Die erosion problem
3
associated with high gate speeds can be reduced. Additional time gained from
4
lower filling velocity enhances gas venting from the cavity. The ATM runner
5
system is typically smaller than the conventional design, leading to better material
6
yield and energy saving.
7
8
6.6.2 Low-pressure die casting (LPDC) 9
40
The LPDC process is illustrated schematically in Fig. 6.4. A metal die is mounted
1
above a sealed furnace containing molten metal. A riser tube, so-called the stalk,
2
connects the bottom of the die to the molten metal bath. During the process,
43X
molten metal is transferred upwards from a sealed furnace via a riser tube to a

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 150 Fundamentals of aluminium metallurgy

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8 6.4  Schematic showing the LPDC process.
9
20
1 metal die. The upwards movement of the melt is assisted by air or inert-gas
2 pressure of around 15–100 kPa23 in the chamber containing the holding furnace.
3 After the metal in the die has solidified, the chamber pressure is released allowing
4 the molten metal in the riser tube to fall back into the furnace. Generally, the
5 furnace is capable of making around 10 castings before refilling is necessary.
6 The die filling in this process is relatively slow to minimise turbulence and air
7 entrapment. In order to obtain a well-fed casting, the die system needs to be
8 designed and controlled to promote directional solidification from the end of the
9 cavity back to the riser tube. The process is capable of producing castings with a
30 relatively low amount of porosity. Good dimensional accuracy and surface finish
1 can be obtained and sand cores can be used. The die is typically coated with
2 refractory coating to ease the casting ejection, control heat transfer from the metal
3 to the die and prolong the die life. To prevent Fe dissolution into molten aluminium,
4 the coating is required for the riser tube which has prolonged contact with molten
5 aluminium. The cycle time is similar to that in gravity die casting, typically around
6 5–15 minutes. One of the major applications of LPDC is in aluminium automotive
7 parts such as wheels and cylinder heads. The alloys frequently used for LPDC are
8 319 (AlSi5Cu3), 413 (AlSi12) and A356 (AlSi7Mg).
9
40
Vacuum permanent mould casting
1
2 There is another variant of LPDC which is known as vacuum permanent mould
43X casting. It is similar to LPDC, but a vacuum is used instead of a pressure to draw

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 Casting of aluminium alloys 151

the melt to fill the mould. Since vacuum is used instead, the purity of the metal is 1
maintained by lowering the amount of dissolved gases in the molten metal. 2
Therefore, all of the advantages of LPDC are still retained whilst melt cleanliness 3
is even better. However, the weight of casting is limited to about 0.2 to 5 kg. 4
5
6
6.6.3 Permanent mould casting
7
Like HPDC and LPDC, permanent mould casting uses a metal die which can be 8
reused. In permanent mould casting, molten metal is poured under gravity into a 9
metal die so it is often referred to as gravity die casting. Like LPDC dies, the dies 10
used for permanent mould casting are typically coated with a refractory material. 1
Cores can be used and made from high alloy steels or resin bonded sands. 2
Permanent mould casting is typically used for high-volume production of simple 3
metal parts with uniform wall thickness. The minimum wall thickness that can be 4
permanent mould cast is approximately 4 mm because of the limited ability of 5
metal to run into thin sections. The process is used for the volume production 6
ranging from 1000 to more than 100 000 per year. Common permanent mould 7
parts include gears, automotive pistons and car wheels. The alloys commonly cast 8
by permanent mould casting include 319 (AlSi5Cu3), 413 (AlSi12) and A356 9
(AlSi7Mg). 20
The casting operation ranges from manually operated (hand-operated die 1
sets) to automatically operated (carousel machines having several dies 2
automatically operated and the melt is automatically poured). It typically takes 3
around 4–10 minutes before the casting can be taken out from the die so the 4
process is relatively slow. If higher production rates are required, multiple die 5
sets have to be employed. 6
7
8
6.6.4 Sand casting
9
Sand casting is a process where molten metal is cast in a mould made from a 30
sand mixture. In the past, the process was cost effective only for small volume 1
production. But nowadays it is also suitable for high volume production thanks to 2
automated equipment for making sand moulds. Sand castings generally have a 3
rough surface sometimes with surface impurities, and surface variations. Medium 4
to large parts such as valve bodies, crankshafts and engine blocks are typically 5
manufactured by this process. The dimensional accuracy and surface finish of the 6
casting depend on the type of sand and the moulding process. There are two main 7
types of sand used for moulding: green sand and dry sand. Green sand consists of 8
silica sand, clay, moisture and other additives. Dry sand is a mixture of sand and 9
fast curing adhesive. When dry sand is used, it is often referred to as no bake 40
mould casting or air set sand casting. Castings made from coarse green sand 1
typically have a rough surface whilst air-set moulds can produce castings with 2
much smoother surfaces. 43X

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 152 Fundamentals of aluminium metallurgy

1 A schematic diagram for the sand casting process is shown in Fig. 6.5. A pattern
2 is made in the shape of the desired part, but enlarged to account for shrinkage and
3 machining allowances in the final casting. The pattern is typically made from
4 wood or plastic, and can be reused to produce new sand moulds. Sand cores can
5 be used to form the inside shape of hollow parts of the casting. A metal box (the
6 flask) is used for making the sand mould. It typically consists of two halves to
7 form the top and bottom parts of the mould, termed cope and drag respectively.
8 The pattern is placed in the flask, and then packed with sand mixture forming a
9 mould cavity. If necessary, a temporary plug is placed to form a channel for
10 pouring the cast metal (so-called a sprue). After that, the pattern and channel plug
1 are removed leaving the mould cavity and pouring channel. The cope and drag are
2 prepared separately and assembled afterwards to form a mould. The molten metal
3 is poured into the mould through a sprue, which transmits the molten metal via
4 runners into the mould cavity. After the cast metal has solidified and cooled, the
5 casting is taken out from the sand mould. Generally, no mould release agent is
6 used and the sand mould is destroyed in the removal process. Green sand can be
7 reused after adjusting its composition by compensating the lost moisture and
8 additives.
9
20
6.6.5 The Cosworth process
1
2 The Cosworth process is a precision sand casting process. It was developed in
3 1978 initially for manufacturing aluminium alloy castings to be used in the
4
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43X 6.5  Schematic showing the sand casting process.

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 Casting of aluminium alloys 153

Cosworth engine. The mould making method is similar to conventional sand 1

casting, but zircon sand is used instead of silica sand. Zircon sand has a more 2
uniform and lower thermal expansion rate than silica sand, so dimensional 3
accuracy can be improved. The chilling effect of zircon also promotes fine-grained 4
casting structures. Zircon sand is relatively expensive, but can be reused. The 5
main feature of this process is that a liquid metal pump is employed to fill the 6
mould from below with minium turbulence, through a simplified gating system, 7
in a similar manner to LPDC. The holding furnace is maintained under an inert 8
atmosphere to limit the amount of oxidation in the molten aluminium. 9
In the original Cosworth process, productivity is low because the mould is kept 10
in place on the casting machine until the casting has solidified. A later development 1
introduced a turnover type of casting machine, allowing the casting rate to be 2
increased. This is done by taking out a filled mould with an unfilled one before the 3
casting has solidified. By inversion of the filled mould, hot feed metal is above the 4
cooler casting and that assists the feeding. 5
6
7
6.7 Summary
8
The major aspects of aluminium alloy casting have been discussed in this chapter. 9
To manufacture aluminium cast parts for a given applicaton, there can be more 20
than one combination of alloy composition and casting process which suit the 1
requirements. Other factors such as expertise and facilities of the caster are also 2
considered to decide on how to make aluminium castings. 3
4
5
6.8 References
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