CASTING DEFECTS,

CLEANING AND
18 INSPECTION
18.1 Introduction, 18.2 Casting defects, 18.3 Blow holes, 18.4 Porosity, 18.5 Shrinkage, 18.6 Misruns
and cold shuts, 18.7 Inclusions, 18.8 Hot tears, 18.9 Cuts and washes, 18.10 Metal penetration
18.11 Drop, 18.12 Fusion, 18.13 Shot metal, 18.14 Shift, 18. 15 Rat tails or buckles, 18. 16 Swells
18.17 Hard spots, 18.18 Run outs, 18.19 Crushes, 18.20 Warpage, 18.21 Cleaning of castings (fetting).
18.22 Inspection of castings.

18.1 INTRODUCTION

Casting defects are usually not accidents, they occur because some steps in the manufacturing
cycle do not get properly controlled and somewhere goes wrong. So close control and
standardization of all aspects of manufacturing technique offers the best defense against the
Occurrence of defects in casting.

18.2 CASTING DEFECTS

The factors, which are normally responsible for the production of these defects are:
Design of casting.
* Design of pattern equipment.
* Moulding and core making equipments.
Mould and core material.
* Gating and risering.
Melting and pouring.
* Melting and core making techniques.
4 Metal composition.
* Various casting defects are described below :

18.3 BLOW HOLES

They appear as cavities (holes) in a casting.

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18.5 SHRINKAGE

During solidification of metal, there is a volumetric shrinkage. 1o Compensate this, proner.

feeding of liquid metal is required.
Causes:
Faulty gating and risering.
Improper chilling.
Remedies :
$ Ensure proper directional solidification by modifying gating, risering and chilling.

18.6 MISRUNS AND COLD SHUTS

When the metal is unable to fillthe mould cavity completely and thus leaving unfled portion
called Misruns. A cold shut is called when two metal streams don't fuse together properly.

Gate Gate

Fig. 18.3. Mis Runs. Fig. 18.4. Cold Shut.

Causes :
Lack of fluidity in molten metal
* Faulty design.
& Fauly gating.
Remedies:
Adjust proper pouring temperature.
Modify design.
3 Modify gating system.

18.7 INCLUSIONS

During the melting process, flux is added to remove the undesirable oxides and impurities
present on the metal. At the time of tapping, the slag should be properly removed. If it mixes wit
the molten metal, defect is called inclusion (slag).
Causes :
Faulty gating and faulty pouring.
Inferior moulding or core sand.
 CLEANING AND INSPECTION 341
CASTING DEFECTS,
Soft ramming.
Improper flux.
Remedies :
Improve or modify gating and pouring.
Use a superior sand.
Provide harder ramming.
Use proper flux.

18.8 HOT TEARS

cooling stress may
Since metal has low strength at higher temperatures, any unwanted
cause the rupture (tear) of the casting called hot tears.

Fig. 18.5. Hot Tears.

Causes :
Lack of collapsibility of core and mould.
Faulty design.
Hard ramming.
Remedies :
3 Improve collapsibility.
Modify design.
Provide soft ramming.

18.9 CUTS AND WASHES

surface by the molten
These defects occur due to the erosion of sand from the mould or core
metal.

Gate

Fig. 18.6. Washes.

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Causes:
* Low strength of mould and core.
3 Lack of binders in facing and core sand.
Faulty gating.
Remedies :
* Improve collapsibility.
* Modify design.
Provide soft ramming.

18.10 METAL PENETRATION

If the molten metal enters into the spaces between the sand grains and holds some of the
sand tightly with it even after fettling, defect is known as metal penetration.
Causes:
* Large grain size of sand and used sand.
& Soft ramming.
* Moulding sand or core have low strength.
$ Pouring temperature of metal two high.
Remedies :
* Use sand having finer grain size.
Provide harder ramming.
$ Increase the strength of sand.
$ Adjust the proper pouring temperature.

18.11 DROP
If aportion of the sand breaks away from the mould and drops in the molten metal, that is
called drop defect.

Fig. 18.7. Drop.

Causes :
3 Low green strength in moulding sand and core.
Too soft ramming.
* Inadequate reinforcement of sand projections and core.
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Remedies :
Modify sand composition to increase the strength.
Provide harder ramming.
Provide adequate reinforcement to sand projection.

18.12 FUSION

This is caused by the fusion of sand grains with the molten metal, giving a brittle, glassy
appearance on the casting surface.
Causes:
$ Low refractoriness.
Faulty gating.
& Too high pouring temperature.
Poor facing sand.
Remedies :
$ Improve refractoriness.
Modify gating system.
Use lower pouring temperature.
3 Improve quality of facing sand.

18.13 SHOT METAL

temperature is relatively lower or there
If the molten metal is poured into the mould when its particles, shot metal defect occurs.
and small
is not proper fusing between the main stream
Causes :
3 Too low pouring temperature.
Excess sulphur content in the metal.
3 Faulty gating.
Remedies :
3 Use higher pouring temperature.
* Reduce sulphur content.
$ Modify gating system.

18.14 SHIFT
surfaces. This defect may occur at the parting
A shift is a misalignment between two mating
mould shift or between the core and core seat
Surface between the two parts of the mould called
called core shift.
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Core Cope

Drag

(2) Core Shift

(1) Mould Shift
Fig. 18.8. Shift.

Causes:
* Misalignment.
Worn out clamping pins.
Improper support and location of core.
Faulty core bOxes.
Remedies :
Repair or replace the pins.
* Provide adequate support to cores.
Locate the core properly.
Repair or replace the core boxes.

18.15 RAT TALS OR BUCKLES

Under the influence of the heat, the sand expands,thereby moving the mould wall backwards.
Due to this there is an irregular line on the surface of the casting called rat tails. If there are a
number of criss-crossing small lines and there are severe rat tails, that is called buckles.

Fig. 18.9. Rat Tails Fig. 18.10. Buckles.

Causes :
* Excessive mould hardness.
Large flat surface of casting.
Remedies :
Reduce mould hardness.
Break continuity of large flat surface by grooving or depressions.
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345

18.16 SWELLS
Kahere is an enlargement of casting surface because the mould wall moves backward due
toliquid metal pressure and the size of cavity increases that is called swells.

Fig. 18.11. Swells.

Causes:
<* Soft ramming of mould.
3 Low strength of mould core.
Mould not properly supported.
Remedies :
Provide harder ramming.
Increase strength of mould and core.
Provide adequate support to mould.

18.17 HARD SPOTS

castings rich in silicon content due
Hard spots on surfaces are generally developed on iron
to local chilling of those spots by moulding sand.

Fig. 18.12. Hard Spot.

Causes:
* Faulty metal romposition.
3 Faulty casting design.
Remedies :
3 Suitable change in the metal composition.
* Modify the casting design.
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18.18 RUN OUTS
metal leaks out of the mould during pouring
A run out occurs
an incomplete casting.
when the molten
resuling in
Causes :
Faulty mouiding.
Defective moulain, boxes.
Remedies :
$ Improve moulding technique.
* Change the defective moulding boxes.

18.19 CRUSHES
Acrush is a deformation of mould surface due to pressing or scrapping of the sand during
setting of core or assembly of the mould boxes.
Causes :
* Careless assembly of cores in the mould.
Worn out core prints on patterns.
Defective core boxes.
Remedies :
Repair or replace core boxes.
& Repair or replace core prints.
$ Proper setting of cores.

18.20 WARPAGE

If the deformation takes place due to internal stresses developed in the castin, or due
differential solidification in different sections, it causes warpage.

Fig. 18.13. Warpage.

Causes:
3 Not proper directional solidification.
Continuous large flat surfaces.