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International Journal of Students Research in Technology & Management

Vol 1(2), April 2013, pg 176-191

DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF RISER FOR SAND CASTING

C. M. Choudhari, Nikhil S. Dalal, Akshay P. Ghude1, Pratik P. Sankhe, Ashutosh [Link]
Mechanical Department, [Link] Insitute of Technology, Vashi, Navi Mumbai, India
1
akshayghude22@[Link]
Abstract
Casting is one of the earliest metals shaping method known to human beings. It is one of the cheapest
methods for mass production of any part and can be effectively used to make complex shaped parts
which are not easy to manufacture by other production process. Casting process is subjected to many
defects and it is necessary to eliminate them. One of the main defects in castings is “Shrinkage Cavity”,
which can be eliminated by attaching a Riser to the casting. This paper describes the parameters to be
considered while designing a Riser of an optimum size to get higher Casting Yield. Theoretically
designed model has been analyzed thermally in ANSYS 12.0 simulation software to ensure that
shrinkage cavity is completely eliminated from casting.

I. INTRODUCTION

CASTING is a metal shaping process by pouring the molten metal into a mould and allowing it to
solidify. The resulting product can virtually have any configuration (pattern) the designer wants. Casting
consists of various parts like cope, drag, pattern, sprue, runner, ingates, riser, etc. The process consists of
design, solidification, shake out, finishing and heat treatment. Although casting is one of the cheapest
methods it is associated with many defects like shrinkage cavity (hot spot), cold shuts, misrun, etc. In
order to understand how a shrinkage cavity develops consider a mould of cube. Figure (a) shows a cube
which is completely filled with liquid metal. As the time progresses, metal starts loosing heat through all
the sides and as a result starts freezing from all the sides, equally trapping the liquid metal inside, as in
figure (b). But further solidification and subsequent volumetric shrinkage and metal contraction due to
change in temperature causes formation of void, as shown in figure (c). The solidification when complete,
finally results in shrinkage cavity, as in figure (d). An optimal design of riser will help in reducing hot
spots formation/ void formation/ shrinkage cavity by ensuring that molten metal can readily flow into the
casting when the need arises. To eliminate the defect of hot spot riser is used in casting. It helps to fill in
the cavity formed inside the casting.

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Figg. [Link] of shrinkaage cavity [1].

Wheneverr the cavity iss formed insidde the castingg the molten metal
m from thhe riser movees to that spacce and
fills the caavity. In ordeer to achieve this,
t the dimeensions of the riser should be
b optimum so
s that the meetal in
the riser solidifies
s afterr the casting.
The mainn parameter th
hat controls thhe solidificatiion time of a casting is thee casting moddulus. The am
mount
of heat coontent in a sysstem is determ
mined by its volume
v & thee rate at whicch it loses heaat is determinned by
its surfacee area [2]. Castting modulus is a ratio of volume
v of a casting
c to its surface
s area.

II. O
OBJECTIVE

The formaation of hot spot

s inside thee casting is a major defectt in metals likke aluminum and steel. In order
to increasse the yield off the casting it
i is necessaryy to optimize riser design which will allso ensure rem
moval
of hot spoot from the caasting. Riser will
w ensure thhat the moltenn metal will move
m into thee casting wheenever
it is desireed.
The main objective of our project iss to design a riser
r having higher
h value modulus
m that is,
i of solidificcation
time as coompared to casting.
c This will ensure thhat metal willl remain in the
t molten staate inside thee riser
until soliddification of th
he casting is completed.
c

III. T
THEORETIC
CAL STUDY
Y

Initially for w designed with its variious parts. Casting is a simple

f the case study a simpple casting was
rectangulaar plate of alu
uminium. Thee size of the plate
p is 200mm
m × 200mm × 40 mm as shhown in figurre.

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Fig. [Link] of Casting

For design of patter following allowances were considered:
Shrinkage allowance[3]:
For 200 mm: 2.6 mm
For 40 mm: 0.52 mm
Draft allowance = 1.5° (on vertical sides only)
Machining allowance = 2 mm on each side
Tolerance = ± 1 mm

Details regarding the model:

Total surface area = 120835.92 mm2
Total volume = 1848597.301 mm3
Modulus = 15.29 mm.
Solidification time = 14.36 min.
Weight of the casting = 4.4089 kg

Design of gating system:

Pouring time =17.363 sec
Choke area = 98.46 mm2
Sprue bottom diameter = 12 mm
Sprue top diameter = 15 mm
Sprue height = 42.5 mm
Total area of ingates= 452.38 mm2

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The design of riser was done using Caine’s method[1]. The height of riser was assumed to be 70 mm and
the height of riser neck was assumed to be 10 mm. Following formulae were used for finding the
dimensions of casting.
Volume of the riser = πr2h
Surface area = πr2+2πrh
Freezing ratio (X) = (Ac / Vc) / (Ar / Vr)
Where, Ac= Area of casting
Vc = Volume of casting
Ar = Surface area of riser
Vr = Volume of riser
Y = Vr / Vc
X = ((a) / (Y-b))-c
For aluminium:
a=0.1
b=0.03
c=1
The riser diameter by Caine’s method is 55.244 mm.
For actual practice, Riser Diameter, Dr = 60 mm.
According to a research paper on optimum design of riser[8],
Dn = 0.35 × Dr
Yield of feeder = (Vc) / (Vc+Vf+Vn)
= 90.176 %
Yield of casting = (Wc)/ (Wg+ Wf)
= 82.18 %
Where, Wc = weight of casting
Wg = weight of gating elements
Wf = weight of feeding elements

IV. SIMULATION

Simulation of casting was done to serve two main purposes. First, it was used to find the location of hot
spot. Second, it was used to find the optimum dimension of riser so that hot spot shifted into the riser[4].
The effect of sleeve and air gap was also studied using simulation. These studies were done using both
linear and quadratic elements and both free and mapped mesh was used.
The following properties were used for sand during the entire simulation:

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TABLE I

PROPERTIES OF SAND

Conductivity 0.519 W/m K

Specific Heat 1172.304 J/kg K
Density 1495 kg/m3

The following properties were used for aluminium during the entire simulation:

TABLE II
PROPERTIES OF ALUMINIUM
Temperature Conductivity [6] Enthalpy [7]
273K 234.43 W/m K 0 J/m3
1.5533 × 109
820K 216.01 W/m K
J/m3
1.7769 × 109
933K 90.975 W/m K
J/m3
2.0574 × 109
1043K 94.786 W/m K
J/m3

A. Identification of Hot Spot

The top view of the casting was simulated in ANSYS 12 software. At the end of simulation the last
solidifying region was obtained.
1) Simulation using Linear Elements
For this study, PLANE 55 was used as the linear element. PLANE55 can be used as a plane element or as
an axisymmetric ring element with a 2-D thermal conduction capability. The element has four nodes with
a single degree of freedom, temperature, at each node.
The top view was modeled for free and mapped mesh as shown in the figure.

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Fig. [Link] of Casting with Free Mesh.

Fig. [Link] of Casting with Mapped Mesh.

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Then, the material properties were specified followed by meshing of geometries. The meshed geometries
with free and mapped mesh are shown below.

Fig.5 Free Mesh of Casting

Fig. 6 Mapped Mesh of Casting

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After meshing, convective load was applied on the outer boundaries of the casting. The ambient
temperature was assumed to be 303 K. The initial temperature of molten aluminium was assumed 1043 K
and the initial temperature of sand was assumed to be 303 K.
The temperature time plot of various nodes for free and mapped mesh was obtained as shown below:

Fig. 7. Temperature Time Plot for Free Mesh

Fig. 8. Temperature Time Plot for Mapped Mesh

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The animation was run for 1 hour and the location of hotspot for free and mapped mesh was obtained as
shown below:

Fig. 9. Location of Hot Spot in Free Mes

Fig. 10. Location of Hot Spot in Mapped Mesh

2) Simulation using Quadratic Elements
For this, study PLANE 77 and PLANE 35 were used as the quadratic elements. Same steps were followed
for simulation using quadratic elements. The results obtained after the simulation showed that the
minimum temperature in the entire casting drops below ambient temperature.

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Fig. 11. Temperature Time Graph for PLANE 77 element

Fig. 12. Temperature Time Graph for PLANE 35 element

This is not possible as the minimum temperature specified during simulation was ambient temperature.
Consequently, these results were not taken into account during further simulations.

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B. Finding Optimum Riser Dimensions

Once, the location of hot spot was identified, the next objective was to find the optimum riser dimensions.
For this purpose, following dimensions of riser were considered.
TABLE III
RISER DIMENSIONS
Sr. No. Riser Diameter Riser Height Neck Diameter Neck Height
1 30 mm 70 mm 10.5 mm 10 mm
2 40 mm 70 mm 14 mm 10 mm
3 50 mm 70 mm 17.5 mm 10 mm
4 60 mm 70 mm 21 mm 10 mm

The above risers were first modeled in ANSYS. These models were then meshed using PLANE 55
element and free mesh. The animation of these models yielded the following results.

Fig. 13. Location of Hot Spot for Riser with Diameter 30

Fig. 14. Location of Hot Spot for Riser with Diameter 40

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Fig. 15. Location of Hot Spot for Riser with Diameter 50

Fig. 16. Location of Hot Spot for Riser with Diameter 60

It is clear from the above figures that the hot spot shifts into the riser for diameter of 60 mm.

[Link] of Sleeve on Riser Diameter

An insulating sleeve was used around the riser to slow down the rate of transfer of heat from the riser. A
sleeve of 5 mm thickness was used around the riser of 50 mm diameter. The result of this simulation is
shown below:

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Fig. 17. Location of Hot Spot for Riser with Sleeve

As seen from the above figure, sleeve helps in maintaining the riser hot for a longer time. As a result, a
riser of diameter 50 mm can be used instead of 60mm. this helps in increasing the casting yield.

D. Effect of Air Gap

The modeling of air gap in casting was done as follows:

Fig. 18 Modeling of Air Gap

After the modeling was completed the casting was meshed using free mesh.
An air gap is formed only after aluminium solidifies. As aluminium solidifies at 933 K, the simulation
was run from 933 K. The temperature time plot for various nodes was obtained as shown below:

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Fig. 19. Temperature Time Plot for Casting with Air Gap
From the above graph, it is seen that the maximum temperature at the end of simulation is 737.711 K.
For comparison, a similar model without air gap was made and the simulation was run from 933 K. The
temperature time plot for various obtained is as follows:

Fig. 20. Temperature Time Plot for Casting without Air Gap

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From the above graph, it is seen that the maximum temperature at the end of simulation is 716.708 K.

V. ACTUAL TRIALS
The values obtained from theoretical calculations for design of pattern, gating system & riser were used to
manufacture casting. The casting having riser diameter equal to 60 mm was found to be defect free. Also
a defect free casting was obtained when a sleeve of 50mm diameter was used.

Fig. 21 Plate casting

VI. CONCLUSION

• ANSYS is a good tool to carry out solidification simulation.

• The optimized Riser dimensions were validated by simulation results and actual trials.
• Using sleeve as a feed aid helped in reducing riser dimensions there by increasing the Casting Yield.
• Simulation using other Thermal Solid MID-SIDE NODE Elements (Plane-35 & Plane 77) yielded
absurd results & thus cannot be used for Transient Thermal Analysis in ANSYS.
• Results of Simulation of casting solidification with air gap between Sand & Metal prove that air acts
as an insulator for heat transfer, but the effect can be neglected as there is no appreciable difference
between the simulation results when air gap was not considered.

REFERENCES

[1] [Link], “Manufacturing Technology”, Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi, 2008.
[2] John Campbell and Richard A Harding, “Solidification Defects in Casting”, IRC in Materials, The
University of Birmingham.
[3] PSG College of technology, “Design Data Book”, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, 2005.

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Vol 1(2), April 2013, pg 176-191

[4] Dr. Mohammad Al-Tahat, “Metal Casting and Foundry”, Jordan University, course no. 906412.
[5] D. Joshi and B Ravi, “Classification and Simulation based Design 3D Junctions in Castings”,
American Foundry Society, 2008.
[6] C.Y. Ho, [Link] and [Link] (1972) , “J. Phy. Chem. Ref. Data, vl”.
[7] B.J. McBride, S. Gordon and [Link] (1993), “NASA Technical Paper 3287”.
[8] T. Nandi, R. Behera, S. Kayal, A. Chanda and G. Sutradhar, “Optimization of Riser size of
Aluminium alloy (LM6) castings by using conventional method and computer simulation technique”,
International Journal Of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 2, Issue 11, November-2011

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