Principles of
Manufacturing Engineering
Sand Casting
Dr. Abdelkhalik Eladl
Mansoura University
Faculty of Engineering
Production and Mechanical
Design Engineering Department
Course Contents
No. Topics Week(s)
1 Introducing Manufacturing Engineering 1
2 Sand Casting 2
3 Other Casting Process 3
4 Joining Methods (Welding) 4
5 Bulk forming (Rolling- Forging- Extrusion- Drawing) 5-6
6 Sheet Metal Forming (Piercing- Blanking- Deep drawing- Bending) 7-9
7 Turning and Planning 10
8 Milling and Grinding 11
9 Hand Processes and Drilling 12
10 Benchwork Operations and Measuring Equipment 13
11 Introduction to CNC and Additive Manufacturing 13
Aims
This lecture aims:
❑ to identify the major features of molds in
sand casting
❑ to explain the sequence of operations for
sand casting
❑ To explain Heating, Pouring and Cooling
Outline
❑ Introduction
❑ The major features of molds in sand casting
❑ The sequence of operations for sand casting
Introductions
❑ Casting is a process in which molten metal flows by gravity or
other force into a mold where it solidifies in the shape of the
mold cavity.
❑ The term casting is also applied to the part that is made by this
process.
❑ It is one of the oldest shaping processes, dating back 6000 years.
❑ The principle of casting seems simple
1. melt the metal,
2. pour it into a mold,
3. let it cool and solidify
Describe casting process simply?
Capabilities and advantages
❑Can create complex part geometries
❑Can create both external and internal shapes
❑Some casting processes are net shape; others are near
net shape
❑Can produce very large parts
❑Some casting methods are suited to mass production
Describe advantage of casting process?
Disadvantages or Limitations of Casting
Different disadvantages for different casting processes:
❑Limitations on mechanical properties
❑Poor dimensional accuracy and surface finish for some
processes; e.g., sand casting
❑Safety hazards to workers due to hot molten metals
❑Environmental problem
Determine advantages and disadvantages of casting
process?
Parts Made by Casting
• Big parts
Engine blocks and heads for automotive vehicles, wood
burning stoves, machine frames, railway wheels, pipes,
church bells, big statues, pump housings
• Small parts
Dental crowns, jewelry, small statues, small gear
Overview of Casting Technology
• Casting is usually performed in a foundry
• Foundry = factory equipped for making molds, melting
and handling molten metal, performing the casting
process, and cleaning the finished casting
• Workers who perform casting are called foundrymen
Introductions
Two Categories of Casting Processes
1- Expendable mold processes – use an expendable mold
which must be destroyed to remove casting
Mold materials: sand, plaster, and similar materials, plus
binders
2- Permanent mold processes – use a permanent mold
which can be used to produce many castings
• Made of metal (or, less commonly, a ceramic refractory
material)
Introductions
Open Molds and Closed Molds
(a) Open mold (b) closed mold
simply a container in the is more complex and requires
shape of the desired a gating system
part
The Sequence of Operations for Sand Casting
▪ Shrinkage allowance.
▪ Machining allowance.
▪ Draft allowance.
The Sequence of Operations for Sand Casting
The Sequence of Operations for Sand Casting
The Sequence of Operations for Sand Casting
➢ (a) A mechanical drawing or CAD
representation of the part is used to generate a
design for the pattern. Considerations such as
part shrinkage and draft must be included into
the drawing.
➢ (b–c) Patterns have been mounted on plates
equipped with pins for alignment. Note also the
presence of core prints designed to hold the
core in place.
➢ (d–e) Core boxes produce core halves, which are
pasted together. The cores will be used to
produce the hollow area of the part shown in (a).
➢ (f) The cope half of the mold is assembled by Schematic illustration of the sequence of operations for
securing the cope pattern plate to the flask with sand casting
aligning pins and attaching inserts to form the
sprue and risers.
➢ (g) The flask is rammed with sand, and the plate and inserts are removed.
The Sequence of Operations for Sand Casting
➢ (h) The drag half is produced in a similar
manner, with the pattern inserted. A bottom
board is placed below the drag and is aligned
with pins.
➢ (i) The pattern, flask, and bottom board are
inverted, and the pattern is withdrawn, leaving
the appropriate imprint.
➢ (j) The core is set in place within the drag cavity.
➢ (k) The mold is closed by placing the cope on
top of the drag and securing the assembly with
pins. The flasks are then subjected to pressure
to counteract buoyant forces in the molten
metal, which might lift the cope. Schematic illustration of the sequence of operations for
➢ (l) After the metal solidifies, the casting is sand casting
removed from the mold.
➢ (m) The sprue and risers are cut off and recycled, and the casting is cleaned, inspected, and heat
treated (if necessary).
Terminology for Sand Casting Mold
• Mold consists of two
halves:
Cope = upper half of mold
Drag = bottom half
• Mold halves are contained
in a box, called a flask
• The two halves separate at
the parting line
Gating System
Mold Channel through which molten metal flows into cavity
from outside of mold
• At the top, a pouring cup is often used to minimize splash
and turbulence as the metal flows into downsprue
• Downsprue, through which metal enters a runner.
• Runner
Riser
• Reservoir in the mold which is a source of liquid metal to
compensate for shrinkage of the part during solidification
• The riser must be designed to freeze after the main casting
to satisfy its function.
What is the function of riser?
Terminology for Sand Casting Mold
❑Vents, which are placed in molds to carry off gases produced when
the molten metal comes into contact with the sand in the mold and
the core. They also exhaust air from the mold cavity as the molten
metal flows into the mold.
The Major Features of Molds in Sand Casting
❑ The flask, which supports the mold itself. Two-piece
molds consist of a cope on top and a drag on the
bottom; the seam between them is the parting line.
When more than two pieces are used in a sand
mold, the additional parts are called cheeks.
❑ A pouring basin or pouring cup, into which the
molten metal is poured.
❑ A sprue, through which the molten metal flows
downward by gravity.
❑ The runner system, which has channels that carry
the molten metal from the sprue to the mold cavity.
Gates are the inlets into the mold cavity.
❑ Risers, which supply additional molten metal to the
casting as it shrinks during solidification. Two types The rolling process (specifically, flat rolling)
of risers, a blind riser and an open riser.
❑ Cores, which are inserts made from sand and placed in the mold to form hollow regions or otherwise define the interior
surface of the casting. Cores also are used on the outside of the casting to shape features, such as lettering and numbering.
❑ Vents, which are placed in molds to carry off gases produced when the molten metal comes into contact with the
sand in the mold and the core. They also exhaust air from the mold cavity as the molten metal flows into the mold.
Heating the Metal
• Heating furnaces are used to heat the metal to molten
temperature sufficient for casting
The heat required is the sum of:
1. Heat to raise temperature to melting point
2. Heat of fusion to convert from solid to liquid
3. Heat to raise molten metal to desired temperature for
pouring
• Determine the heat required during casting process?
Solidification of Metals
• Transformation of molten metal back into solid state.
Solidification differs depending on whether the metal is
• A pure element or
• An alloy
Cooling Curve for a Pure Metal
• A pure metal solidifies at
a constant temperature
equal to its freezing
point (same as melting
point)
Solidification of Pure Metals
• Due to chilling action of mold wall, a thin skin of solid metal is
formed at the interface immediately after pouring
• Skin thickness increases to form a shell around the molten metal as
solidification progresses
• Rate of freezing depends on heat transfer into mold, as well as
thermal properties of the metal
Cooling Curve for an alloy
• Characteristic grain structure in an alloy casting, showing
segregation of alloying components in center of casting
Solidification Time
where TTS = total solidification time.
V = volume of the casting.
A = surface area of casting.
n = exponent with typical value = 2
Cm is mold constant.
Time to fill cavity
where TMF = time to fill cavity
V = volume of the casting.
A = surface area of casting.
v = velocity.
Time to fill cavity
(A) (SI units) The length of the downsprue leading into the runner of a mold = 200 mm. The
cross-sectional area at its base = 400 mm2. Volume of the mold cavity = 0.0012 m3. Determine
(a) velocity of the molten metal flowing through the base of the downsprue, (b) volume rate of
flow, and (c) time required to fill the mold cavity.
Solution:
(b) Volume flow rate Q = vA = 1981 x 400 =792,400 mm3/s
(c) Time to fill cavity TMF = V/Q = 1,200,000/792,400 = 1.515 s
Thank you
