CASTING DEFECTS AND REMEDIAL

MEASURES

Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Singh

Associate Professor & Head
Department of Foundry Technology, National
Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology, Hatia,
Ranchi- 834 003,
 CASTING DEFECT ANALYSIS
There are eleven basic conditions or operations which are directly related to casting defects, namely:

1.Pattern and casting design.

2.Pattern equipment.

3.Flask equipment and Rigging.

4.Gating and Risering.

5.Moulding and core making materials.

6. Core practice.

7.Molding practice.

8.Metal composition.

9.Melting practice

10.Pouring practice.

11.Miscellaneous.
 CASTING DEFECT ANALYSIS

1.Diagnosis (Recognition) of the defect.

2.Establishing the reason/s for the defect.

3.Suggesting the remedial measures.

Casting Defects – Broad Classification

1.Shaping faults arising in pouring

2.Inclusions and sand defects
3.Gas defects
4.Shrinkage defects due to volume
contraction in the liquid state and during
solidification
5.Contraction defects occuring mainly or
wholly after solidification.
 Broad classfn. Contd.
6. Dimensional errors
7. Compositional errors and segregation

TYPICAL DEFECTS (in order)

1. Cold Shut, Misrun, Lap

2. Incusions – within and on surface
– Endogenous – Oxides
– Exogenous – sand, refractory, slag, dross
lustrous carbon etc.
 – Scabs – erosion, expansion.
– Burn on, sand fusion.

3. Gas holes/ Blow holes, pinholes

4. Gross shrinkage, sink/draw, puncture,
dispersed shrinkage, centreline shrinkage
5. Hot tears, cold crack, distortion, residual
stresses.
6. Mismatch, shift, swell, mould wall movement,
fins, projection, veining, crush, drop

7. Micro segregation, macro segregation,

inverse segregation, micro structural defects.
 DEFECTS

1. Defects which cannot be rectified and the

casting is rejected.

2. Defects which costs so much to rectify (salvage)

that it needs close scrutiny for salvaging.

3. Minor defects which can be repaired

economically
COLD SHUT
MISRUN
REASONS FOR COLD SHUT / MISRUN
1.Poor gating system design
2.Very thin sections in the casting
3.Complexity of casting configuration
4.Low pouring temperature
5.Slow / intermittent pouring
6.Low permeability / poor venting
7.High moisture in mould
SCAB
RAT TAIL
REASONS FOR SCAB / RAT TAIL
1.Poor expansion property of sand
2.Uneven / hard mould ramming
3.Low permeability / fine sand / high moisture
4.Mould with flat top / large and deep mould
5.Slow pouring
6.Poor distribution of sand
HOT TEAR ( PULL )
REASONS FOR HOT TEAR
1. High pouring temperature
2. Poor casting design
3. Poor collapsibility of mould / core
4. Poor gating technique
5. Alloy composition ( Long Freezing Range )
SHRINKAGE

Gross Shrinkage
Gross Shrinkage
Dispersed Shrinkage
Centreline Shrinkage
Sink / Draw
REASONS FOR SHRINKAGE

1.Poor risering practice

2.Lack of directional solidification

3.Poor casting design

BLOW HOLES / GAS HOLES
REASONS FOR BLOW HOLES / GAS HOLES
1.Generation of excessive gases during pouring
2. Low permeability / fine sand / poor venting
3. High moisture in mould
4. Hard ramming
5. Improperly baked cores
6. Excessive gas forming additives in mould /
core
7.Aspiration from gating system
PIN HOLES
REASONS FOR PIN HOLE POROSITY

1. Poor melting practice ( Dissolved Gases )

2. Wet ladlles / furnace lining
3. Inadeqate degassing
4. High moisture in mould
5. Aluminium in ferrous melts
METAL PENETRATION
REASONS FOR METAL PENETRATION
1.Coarse sand
2. Low dry strength of mould
3. High permeability
4. Soft ramming
5. Poor flowability of sand/ soft mould surface
6. High metallostatic pressure
7. High pouring temperature
SAND FUSION / INCLUSION
REASONS FOR SAND FUSION

1. High pouring temperature

2. Low refractoriness of sand

BURN ON / BURN IN
REASONS FOR BURN ON
1.Metal mould reaction :
Ferrous casting in silica sand mould

2. Lack of suitable additive in mould

Lack of suitable mould wash
INCLUSIONS
Sand / slag / oxide / dross / refractory particles
Reasons :

1. Crushed moulds
2. Sand wash
3. Low green and dry strength of mould
4. Low moisture causing friability of mould
5. Poor gating system – poor separation of dirt and too
much turbulence
6. Poor deslagging ( poor fluxing )/ poor lining
7. Dirty chills and chaplets.
SWELL / MOULD WALL MOVEMENT
Reasons :
1. Soft / uneven ramming.

2. Low wet strength

3. High moisture / poor permeability

4. High metallostatic pressure

SWELL
FIN / FLASH
REASONS FOR FIN / FLASH
1.Poor weighting / clamping

2.Friable mould / coarse sand

3.High metallostatic pressure

4.High pouring temperature

CRUSH
( Dimentional imperfection / sand inclusion )
Reasons :
1.Careless mould / core assembly
2.Excessive weighting of mould
3.Cores too large / core prints too small
4.Poor draft on pattern / rough pattern surface
VEINING / FINNING
REASONS FOR VEINING / FINNING

1.Too rapid heating of mould / core ( very

fast pouring )
2.Too high pouring temperature
3.Higher clay binder / moisture in mould
4.Hard ramming / dense mould
SAND BLOW ( Air/ Gas lock )
(Excessively smooth depression on outer surface
of casting)
Reasons :
1.High moisture in sand
2.Poor permeability / Venting
3.Excessive gas forming additives in mould
CORE BLOW
(Excessively smooth depression on the inner
surface of cored cavity)
Reasons :
1.Poor venting of core through mould
2.Insufficiently baked cores
3.Cores which have picked moisture
Slag Hole
SLAG HOLE
(Smooth depression on upper surface of casting)
May be scattered over the surface

Reasons:
1.Poor gating design ( turbulence, no traps )
2.Poor deslagging
SHIFT (MISMATCH OF COPE AND DRAG)
 Reasons :
1.Poor weighting
2.Undersize / worn out clamp pins

VERTICAL SHIFT causes increase in

vertical dimensions and is also contributed
by the higher metallostatic pressure
CORE SHIFT:
Formation of eccentric holes due to core
floatation caused by clearance in mould
core assembly ( smaller core dimension and
larger core print dimension )
DROP
Upper surface of mould chips off and falls in
molten metal poured.
Reasons:
1.Low green strength
2.Use of too hot sand
3.Low mould hardness / poor ramming
4.Lack of reinforcements / gaggers in mould
5.Pattern with lower draft and rough surface
SAND WASH
Occurs near ingates as rough lumps on
casting surface. Washed sand may appear
on top of casting surface as holes or may
be inside the casting.
Reasons :
1.Poor green strength / soft ramming
2.Highly pressurised gating
3.Poor pattern surface
THANKS