Module 4:
Melting Technology
and Casting Defects
Casting Defects
A casting defect is an undesired irregularity in
the metal casting process.
• Some defects can be ignored/tolerated
• Some defects that can be repaired
(welding)
• Severe defect casting is rejected.
Casting Defects
Casting Defects classification: The following are the major defects,
which are likely to occur in sand castings:
Gas defects
Shrinkage cavities
Molding material defects
Pouring metal defects
Metallurgical defects
Mold shift / Mismatch
Casting Defects
Gas Defects
A condition existing in a casting caused by the trapping of gas in
the molten metal or by mold gases evolved during the pouring of
the casting. The defects in this category can be classified into
blowholes and open blows, air inclusion and pinhole porosity.
These defects are caused by the lower gas-passing tendency of
the mold which may be due to lower venting, lower permeability
and moisture left in the mold..
Blow Holes and Open Blows:
These are spherical, flattened or elongated cavities present inside
the casting or on the surface. On the surface these are called
open blows and inside, they are called blow holes.
Smooth and semi round holes
Figure: Open blow
Blowholes
Casting Defects
Gas Defects
Air Inclusions:
The atmospheric and other gases absorbed by the molten metal
in the furnace, in the laddle, and during the flow in the mold,
when not allowed to escape, would be trapped inside the
casting and weaken it.
Causes: Higher pouring temperatures which increase the
amount of gas absorbed, poor gating design such as straight
sprues in unpressurized gating, abrupt bends and other
turbulance causing practices in the gating, which increases the
air aspiration and the low permeability of the mold.
Remedies: Choose appropriate pouring temperature and
improve gating practices by reducing the turbulence.
Casting Defects
Gas Defects
Pin Hole Porosity:
This is caused by hydrogen in the molten metal. Hydrogen is
picked up in the furnace or by the dissociation of water in the
mold cavity. When molten metal gets solidified, it expels
dissolved [Link] hydrogen while leaving the solidifying metal
would cause very small diameter and long pin holes showing the
path of escape. These series of pin holes cause the leakage of
fluids under high operating pressures.
Causes: High pouring temperature which increases the gas pick-
up.
Remedies: Choose appropriate pouring temperature.
Pin holes porosity
Pin holes porosity
Shrinkage Cavities
Shrinkage Cavities: These are caused by liquid shrinkage occurring
during the solidification of the casting.
To compensate for this, proper feeding of liquid metal is required.
For this reason risers are placed at the appropriate places in the
mold.
Sprues may be too thin, too long or not attached in the proper
location, causing shrinkage cavities.
It is recommended to use thick sprues to avoid shrinkage cavities.
Molding Material Defects
These defects are caused because of the characteristics of the
molding materials. The defects in this category are cuts and
washes, metal penetration, fusion, runout, rat tails and buckles,
swell
1. Fusion/Scab:
This is caused by the fusion of sand grains with the molten
metal, giving a brittle glassy appearance on the casting surface
.and drop.
Causes: The clay in the molding
sand is of lower refractoriness or
pouring temperature is too high.
Remedies: The choice of an
appropriate type and amount of
bentonite would solve this defect.
Molding Material Defects
2. Metal penetration:
When molten metal enters the gaps between the sand grains,
rough casting surface results.
Causes: Grain size of the sand is too coarse, pouring
temperature is high, soft ramming of sand, use of sand with
low strength and high permeability.
Remedies: Choosing proper grain size, Compaction, Using
additives, pouring at required temperature.
Low permeability and hard ramming of sand.
Ensure a protective barrier against metal
penetration by coating the surface of
molds with a mold wash.
3. Rat tails, veins and buckles
Rat tails, or veins, appear as an irregular line or
crack on the casting, when the surface of the
molding sand buckles up. Rat tails usually occur
on the surface of the mold bottom, an area
covered with molten material.
Buckles are a more severe form of rat tails.
Causes and prevention of rat tails and buckles
Rat tails and buckles occur when excessive heat
of the metal causes the sand to expand. This
may be caused by:
Poor expansion properties of the sand: Add
combustible additives to sand.
A hot pouring temperature: Reduce pouring
temperature of metal.
Poor mold design: Large and flat sections are
more prone to rat tails. The mold also should
not be too hard, as it must allow for proper
expansion.
4. Flash, also known as casting fin or burrs, is any unwanted and
excess material attached to a cast. It’s typically a thin sheet of
metal that forms at the parting faces. Flash is a waste material that
turns into dross after being re-melted.
Remedial:
Moulding sand can be
levelled properly along the
parting line.
5. Swell:
Swells are an enlargement of the casting. Swells typically take
on the shape of a slight, smooth bulge on the vertical face of
castings.
Under the influence of metallostatic forces, the mold wall may
move back causing a swell in the dimension of the casting.
Remedies: A proper ramming of the mold will correct this
defect.
6. Drop:
Drops occur when pieces of sand from the cope
surface fall into metal casting when it’s still
liquid. Drops appear as an irregularly shaped
projection on the cope (top) surface of a
casting.
Remedies: Proper ramming of cope box.
7. Runout:
A runout is caused when the molten metal leaks out of the mold,
leading to an incomplete or missing casting.
. Faulty mold making or faulty molding flask.
Causes:
Prevention
• To prevent this casting defect, design the casting mold
with precision.
• Inspect and replace any defective molds before
casting.
• High temperatures can lead to excess wear and tear of
the mold.
• Use quality raw materials for your mold that can resist
high temperatures.
• Put some weight above the cope during pouring.
8. Cuts and Washes: These appear as rough spots and
areas of excess metal, and are caused by erosion of molding
sand by flowing molten metal.
Causes: Molding sand not having enough strength or molten
metal flowing at high velocity.
Remedies: Proper choice of molding sand and using
appropriate molding method, altering the gating design to
reduce the turbulence in the
metal.
Pouring Metal Defects
The defects in this category are misruns, cold shuts and slag
inclusions.
1. Misruns :
A misrun is caused when the metal is unable to fill the mold
cavity completely and thus leaves unfilled cavities.
Causes: A mis-run results when the metal is too cold to flow to
the extremities of the mold cavity before freezing (Less fluidity).
Remedies: Long, thin sections are subject to this defect and
should be avoided in casting design.
2. Cold Shuts:
A cold shut is caused when two streams while meeting in the mold
cavity, do not fuse together properly thus forming a discontinuity in
the casting. When the molten metal is poured into the mold cavity
through more-than-one gate, multiple liquid fronts will have to flow
together and become one solid. If the flowing metal fronts are too
cool, they may not flow together, but will leave a seam in the part.
Remedies: Assuring sufficient superheat in the poured metal and
thick enough walls in the casting
design.
3. Slag inclusions:
Slag entering the mold cavity will weaken the casting and spoil the
surface of the casting.
Remedies: Slag trapping methods must be used such as poring
basin or runner extensions must be provided.
Metallurgical Defects
The defects in this category are Hot tears and hot spots.
1. Hot Tears/Crack
Hot Tears: If the solidifying metal does not have sufficient
strength to resist tensile forces during solidification, hot
tears/cracks will appear.
Causes: They may be produced when the mold is poorly designed
and abrupt sectional changes take place, no proper fillets and corner
radii are provided, and chills are inappropriately placed.
Remedies: Modifying the mold to improve collapsibility
can easily resolve these issues.
Metallurgical Defects
2. Hot Spots:
Hot spots are areas on the surface of casting that become very hard
because they cooled more quickly than the surrounding material.
These spots can interfere with machining and increase tool wear
Remedies: This type of defect can be avoided by proper cooling
practices or by changing the chemical
composition of the metal.
Moldshift
Figure: Casting Defects