Gating System

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Elements of Gating Systems
• The term gating system refers to all passageways
through which the molten metal passes to enter the
mould cavity.
• The gating system is composed of
✓Pouring basin
✓Sprue
✓Runner
✓Gates
✓Risers

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 Gating Systems
Requirements needed in gating system to achieve
a free casting defects:
✓1- The mould should be completely filled in the smallest time
possible without having to rise metal temperature.
✓2- The metal should flow smoothly into the mould.
✓3- The unwanted material – slag – should not be allowed to enter
the mould cavity.
✓4- The metal entry into the mould cavity should be controlled.
✓5- A proper thermal gradient be maintained.
✓6- Metal flow should be maintained to avoid erosion.
✓7- Be ensure that enough molten metal reaches the mould cavity.
✓8- The gating system should be economical and easy to implement
and remove after casting solidification.
✓9- The casting yield should be maximized.
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 Gating Systems
Factors controlling the functioning of gating system:

✓Type of pouring equipment, such as ladles, pouring basin etc.

✓Temperature/ Fluidity of molten metal.
✓Rate of liquid metal pouring.
✓Type and size of sprue.
✓Type and size of runner.
✓Size, number and location of gates connecting runner and
casting.
✓Position of mould during pouring and solidification.

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 Pouring Basin
• A pouring basin makes it easier for the ladle or crucible operator
to direct the flow of metal from crucible to sprue.
• Helps maintaining the required rate of liquid metal flow.
• Reduces turbulence at the sprue entrance.
• Helps separating dross, slag etc., from metal before it enters the
sprue.

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 Pouring Basin
s a reservoir from which it moves smoothly into the
sprue.
✓ The pouring basin may be cut into the cope portion
directly or a separate dry sand pouring basin may be
prepared and used.
✓ The molten metal in the pouring basin should be full
during the pouring operation to avoid the atmospheric
air and slag from entering into mold cavity.
✓ The molten metal is not directly poured into the mold
cavity because it may cause the mold erosion.
✓ The pouring basin also stops the slag from entering
the mold cavity by means of skimmer or skim core. It
holds back the slag or dirt which floats on the top and
allows only clean metal underneath it into the sprue.

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 Pouring Basin
A strainer core:
✓ It is a strainer or screen with many small holes.
✓ It is utilized to maintain the constant conditions of flow.
✓ The strainer restricts the flow of molten metal into the sprue, thus helps in
quick
✓ filling of the pouring basin and restricts the flow of slag into the mold.
✓ It allows only clean metal to enter into the sprue.

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Pouring Basin/Cup

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 Sprue
• A sprue feeds metal to runner which in turn reaches the
casting through gates.
• A sprue is tapered with its bigger end at top to receive
the liquid metal. The smaller end is connected to runner.

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 Sprue
• Sprue is the channel through which the molten metal is brought to the parting
plane where it enters the runners and gates to ultimately reach the mold cavity.
• If the sprue is straight and cylindrical, then metal flow would not be full at bottom,
but some low pressure area would be created around the metal in the sprue.
Atmospheric air would be breathed into this low pressure area which would be
then carried to the mold cavity.
• To eliminate this problem tapered sprue is used.

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Runner
• It is horizontal plane which connects the sprue to
gate.
• The runner should be filled with molten metal to
avoid slag entering to cavity.

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Runner
• It is located in parting plane and connects the sprue to the in-gates.
• The runners are normally made trapezoidal in cross-section.
• The slag trapping takes place in the runner, when runner flows full.
If the amount of molten metal coming from sprue base is more than
the amount flowing through the in-gates.
• A partially filled runner causes slag to enter the mold cavity.

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 Gates
• A gate is a channel which connects runner with the
mould cavity and through which molten metal flows to
fill the mould cavity.
• A small gate is used for a casting which solidifies
slowly and vice versa.
• A gate should not have sharp edges as they may
break during pouring and sand pieces thus may be
carried with the molten metal in the mould cavity.
• Types
• Top gate
• Bottom gate
• Parting line side gate
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 Gates or In-gates
• These are openings through which molten
metal enters the mold cavity.

Top Gate:
• In this type of gate metal enters the cavity from
top.
• Cavity is filled very quickly. Therefore, top
gates are not advisable for those materials
which are likely to form dross (turbulence,
waste, slag, etc.).

Bottom Gate:
• This type of gate is used when the molten
metal enters the mold cavity from bottom of
the cavity.
• It takes more time to fill the mold.
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Gates or In-gates
Parting Gate:
• The metal enters the mold at the
parting plane when a part of the
casting is in the cope and a part of
the casting is in drag.

Step Gate:
• They are used for heavy and large
castings.
• The molten metal enters mold
cavity through a number of in-
gates, which are arranged in
vertical steps.
• The size of in-gates is normally
increased from top to bottom.
• This ensures the gradual filling of
the mold without mold erosion
and produces sound casting.
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 Gates
Top Gate:
• A top gate is made in the cope portion of the mould.
• In a top gate the molten metal enters the mould cavity
from the top.
• Top gate involves high turbulence and sand erosion.
• Top gate produces poor casting surfaces.

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 Gates
Bottom Gate:
• A bottom gate is made in the drag portion.
• In a bottom gate the liquid metal fills rapidly the
bottom portion of the mould cavity and rises steadily
and gently up the mould walls.
• As comparison to top gate, bottom gate involves little
turbulence and sand erosion.
• Bottom gate produces good casting surfaces.
• If freezing takes place at the bottom, it could choke
off the metal flow before the mould is full.
• Creates an unfavourable temperature gradient and
makes it difficult to achieve directional solidification.
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Gates or In-gates
Bottom Gates
 Gates
Parting Line Side Gate:
• Middle or side or parting gating systems combine
the characteristics of top and bottom gating systems.
• gate is provided along the parting line such that
some portion of the mould cavity will be below the
parting line and some portion will be above it.
• The cavity below the parting line will be filled by
assuming top gating and the cavity above the parting
line will be filled by assuming bottom gating.

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Design of Gating System
• To fill the mould cavity without breaking the flow of
liquid metal and without using very high pouring
temperatures.
• To avoid erosion of mould cavity.
• To minimize turbulence and dross formation.
• To prevent aspiration of air or mould gases in the
liquid metal stream.
• To obtain favourable temperature gradients to
promote directional solidification.

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Improper Gating System Design Defects
• Oxidation of metal
• Cold shuts
• Mould erosion
• Shrinkages
• Porosity
• Misruns
• Penetration of liquid metal into mould walls.

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Gating System Design

1- Pouring time.
2- Choke area.
3- Sprue.
4- Gating ratios.
5- Slag trap system.

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 Gating System Design
Pouring Time
The time for complete filling of a mould .

Too long pouring time ===== higher pouring temperature.

Too less pouring time ===== turbulent flow in mould.

Optimum time is required

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 Gating System Design
Pouring Time
The pouring time depends on:
- Casting materials,
- Casting complexity,
- Casting size, and
- Section thickness.

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 Gating System Design
Pouring Time
1- Gray cast iron: mass less than 450 kg:
 T 
t = K 1.41 +  W
 14 .59 
fluidity of iron in inches
K=
40
K: fluidity factor.
T: average section thickness, mm
W: mass of the casting, kg
2- Gray cast iron: mass greater than 450 kg:
 T 3
t = K 1.236 +  W
 16 .65  29
 Gating System Design
Pouring Time
3- Steel casting:

t = (2.4335 − 0.3953 log W ) W

4- Ductile iron:
t = K1 W
K1 = 2.08 for thinner sections.
K1 = 2.67 for sections of 10 to 25 mm thick.
K1 = 2.97 for heavier sections.

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 Gating System Design
Pouring Time
5- Copper alloy castings:

t = K2 3 W
Top gating 1.30
Bottom gating 1.8
Brass 1.9
Tin bronze 2.8

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 Gating System Design
Pouring Time
6- Intricately shaped Thin walled castings of mass up to
450 kg:
t = K3 3 W 
W’: mass of the casting with gates and risers, kg

T, (mm) K3
1.5 up to 2.5 1.62
2.5 up to 3.5 1.68
3.5 up to 8.0 1.85
8.0 up to 15.0 2.20
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 Gating System Design
Pouring Time
7- Castings above 450 kg and up to 1000 kg:

t = K 4 3 W T
T, (mm) K4
up to 10 1.00
10 up to 20 1.35
20 up to 40 1.50
40 and above 1.70

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Pouring time in sec
 Gating System Design
Choke Area
It is the main control area which meters the metal flow
into the mould cavity so that the mould is completely filed
within the calculated pouring time.
W
A=
d t C 2 gH
A: choke area, mm W: casting mass, kg
t: pouring time, S H: sprue height, mm
d: mass density of the molten metal, kg/mm3
C: efficiency of the used gating system.0.8 -1
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Gating System Design
Choke Area
Top gate
H=h

Bottom gate
H = h – c/2

Parting gate
H = h – P2/2c

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 Gating System Design
Sprue
• As the liquid metal passes down the sprue it loses its
pressure head but gains velocity.
• To reduce turbulence and promote Laminar Flow, from
the Pouring Basin, the flow begins a near vertical incline
that is acted upon by gravity and with an accelerative
gravity force

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Gating System Design
Sprue
1 pouring basin
hc sprue
2
ht

1 = free surface of metal

2 = spue top
3 3 = sprue bottom
• Assuming
– entire mould is at atmospheric pressure (no point
below atmospheric)
– metal in the pouring basin is at zero velocity
(reservoir assumption) 40
 Gating System Design
Sprue
Mass flow rate =  A V = constant

Applying continuity equation between point 2 and 3 we get-

A2 V3 2 ght ht
= = =
A3 V2 2 ghc hc
2
ht  A2 
=  
hc  A3 
✓ Actual shape of sprue is Parabola
✓ But in order to avoid manufacturing difficulty we use
tapered cylinder shape. 41
 Gating Ratio

• The gating ration refers to proportion of the cross

sectional areas between the sprue, runner and in-gates
and generally denoted as:
Sprue area : runner area : in-gate area
• Depending on choke area, there can be two types of
gating systems: pressurized and non- pressurized
A pressurized gating system
• The in-gate area is smallest
• Back pressure is there
throughout the system
• Metal is more turbulent and
dross formation
• Gating system flows full
• Straight sprue can be used
• Higher casting yield
• Used for ferrous castings
A non-pressurized gating system
• system have choke area at the bottom of the sprue base, total runner area
and in-gate areas higher than the sprue area.

• In this system no pressure is existing in the metal flow system and thus it helps
to reduce turbulence.

• It is helpful for casting drossy metals and alloys such as aluminium and
magnesium.
• The gating system should be designed to see all the parts flow full. Other
wise some elements of the gating system may flow partially allowing for air
aspiration.

• Tapered spruces
• Runners in drag
• Lower castingyield
Sprue Runner Gate
Non pressurized system
1 1.5 2
1 2 2
1 2 4
Pressurized system
2 2 1
1.5 1.5 1
2 1.5 1
3 2 1