The investigation results of the mechanical reclamation of spent moulding sands from the Cordis technology are presented in the paper.

The quality assessment of the obtained reclaim and the influence of the reclaim fraction in a matrix on the core sand strength is given. The

reclaim quality assessment was performed on the basis of the determination of losses on ignition, Na2O content on reclaim grains and pH

values. The reclaim constituted 100%, 75% and 50% of the core sand matrix, for which the bending strength was determined. The matrix

reclamation treatment was performed in the experimental rotor reclaimer RD-6. Spent sands were applied in as-delivered condition and

after the heating to a temperature of 140 o

C. Shaped samples for strength tests were made by shooting and hardening of sands in the warmbox

technology.

The paper presents the results of preliminary research on the use of silica sands with hydrated sodium silicate 1.5% wt. of binder for the performance of eco-friendly casting cores in hot-box technology. To evaluate the feasibility of high quality casting cores performed by the use of this method, the tests were made with the use of a semiautomatic core shooter using the following operating parameters: initial shooting pressure of 6 bar, shot time 4 s and 2 s, core-box temperature 200, 250 and 300 °C and core heating time 30, 60, 90 and 150 s. Matrixes of the moulding sands were two types of high-silica sand: fine and medium. Moulding sand binder was a commercial, unmodified hydrated sodium silicate having a molar module SiO2/Na2O of 2.5. In one shot of a core-shooter were made three longitudinal samples (cores) with a total volume of about 2.8 dm3. The samples thus obtained were subjected to an assessment of the effect of shooting parameters, i.e. shooting time, temperature and heating time, using the criteria: core-box fill rate, bending strength (RgU), apparent density and surface quality after hardening. The results of the trials on the use of sodium silicate moluding sands made it possible to further refine the conditions of next research into the improvement of inorganic warm-box/hot-box technology aimed at: reduction of heating temperature and shot time. It was found that the performance of the cores depends on the efficiency of the venting system, shooting time, filling level of a shooting chamber and grains of the silica matrix used.

Core sands for blowing processes, belong to these sands in which small amount of the applied binding material has the ability of covering

the sand matrix surface in a way which - at relatively small coating thickness - allows to achieve the high strength. Although the deciding

factor constitute, in this aspect, strength properties of a binder, its viscosity and ability to moisten the matrix surface, the essential meaning

for the strength properties of the prepared moulding sand and the mould has the packing method of differing in sizes sand grains with the

coating of the binding material deposited on their surfaces.

The knowledge of the influence of the compaction degree of grains forming the core on the total contact surface area can be the essential

information concerning the core strength.

Forecasting the strength properties of core sands, at known properties of the applied chemically hardened binder and the quartz matrix,

requires certain modifications of the existing theoretical models. They should be made more realistic with regard to assumptions

concerning grain sizes composition of quartz sands and the packing structure deciding on the active surface area of the contacts between

grains of various sizes and - in consequence - on the final strength of cores.

The article deals with the gas development of the geopolymer binder system hardened by heat and provides the comparison with organic binder systems. The GEOPOL® W technology is completely inorganic binder system, based on water. This fact allow that the gas generated during pouring is based on water vapour only. No dangerous emissions, fumes or unpleasant odours are developed. The calculated amount of water vapour generated from GEOPOL® W sand mixture is 1.9 cm3/g. The measured volume of gas for GEOPOL® W is 4.3 cm3/g. The measurement of gas evolution proves that the inorganic binder system GEOPOL® W generates very low volume of gas (water vapour) in comparison with PUR cold box amine and Croning. The amount of gas is several times lower than PUR cold box amine (3.7x) and Croning (4.2x). The experiment results are consistent with the literature sources. The difference between the calculated and the measured gas volume is justified by the reverse moisture absorption from the air after dehydration during storing and preparing the sand samples. Minimal generated volumes of gas/water vapour brings, mainly as was stated no dangerous emissions, also the following advantages: minimal risk of bubble defects creation, the good castings without defects, reduced costs for exhaust air treatment, no condensates on dies, reduced costs for cleaning.

The paper presents the solutions, calculation results and dynamic observations of three-layers, annular plate with thick core subjected to increasing in time load. The presented solutions use approximate methods: orthogonalization method and finite difference method in analytical and numerical solution of the problem, and finite element method. The observed phenomenon of the reduction of critical load values of the plates, in which the buckling mode is not global and there are different additional deflections of respective plate layers was comprehensively analysed in order to evaluate the critical state and supercritical plate behaviour. The critical deformation could have a form with strong deformation in the region of the loaded plate edge. The observation of the dynamic behaviour of plates, which buckling modes have circumferential waves is an important element of the analysis. Presented in this work the analytical and numerical solution to the problem of dynamic plate deflection was generalized on the case of plates with buckling waves in circumferential direction.

The article presents the results of permeability measurements of a zirconium alcohol coating applied on moulds and cores. The introduction extensively discusses the reasons for the application of protective coatings, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. Also, the problems related to the application of protective coatings are presented i.e. limited permeability and thus the possibility of the presence of gas-originated defects in the casts. Next, the paper discusses the methods of measuring the permeability of protective coating proposed by Falęcki and Pacyniak. The study also presents an indirect permeability measurement method. For the investigations, zirconium alcohol coatings with the three conventional viscosities 10, 20 and 30s were used. The viscosity was determined by means of the Ford cup with the clearance of 4mm. The coatings were applied onto profiles of Φ 50 x 50 mm, made of moulding sand consisting of a sand matrix with the mean grain size of dL = 0,11, 17, 24, 31 and 34 mm and phenol-formaldehyde resin. The effect of the matrix grain size on the permeability of the sand with and without a coating was determined.

The δ18O data for the last 8000 years in the Greenland NGRIP1, GRIP, DYE-3 and GISP2 ice cores have been analyzed stratigraphically in search of potentially meaningful boundaries and units. Pattern matching of the profiles is supported by using graphical display enhancements, calculating spectral trend curves and generating a compound profile. Techniques routinely used in subsurface geology have been applied in correlating the profiles. Four major stratigraphic units are identified (8.1–4.9, 4.9–3.3, 3.3–1.9 and 1.9–0.1 ka b2k), resulting in an improved understanding of the climate change after the Holocene Climate Optimum. Correlatable higher-order boundaries are identified within these units. The layers between the boundaries show δ18O patterns which generally are similar in character, the differences being ascribed to lateral variations in the factors that control the isotope content of the ice. The layering forms a series of short-lived low-amplitude aperiodic oscillations on a centennial time scale. The suggestion is that these higher-order boundaries and δ18O oscillations have climatic significance. Equivalent units are tentatively identified in ice-core data from the Agassiz and Renland ice caps. Comparison with other climate proxies or stratigraphies from the Northern Hemisphere is expected to render support for the here proposed scheme. It will then serve to guide and constrain the analysis of the dynamics of the climatic fluctuations for the study period.

This article presents measurements of the thickness of alcohol-based coatings on sand foundry cores and moulds. These coatings were applied using two methods, the dipping method and the painting method. For the purposes of the study, a zircon alcohol-based coating was prepared with three different levels of nominal viscosity; very thin at 10s, average at 20s, and thick at 30s. The coating was applied to a core made of quartz sand and furan resin. The cores were made of sand with three different grain sizes; dL = 0.22 mm – fine sand, dL = 0.33 mm medium sand, and dL = 0.47 mm coarse sand. In the study, the thickness of the coating obtained to the core was measured immediately after application as well as after drying. Additionally, the extent of penetration into the intergranular spaces of the core matrix was measured. On the basis of this study, the impact of the grain size of the core matrix on the thickness of the coating and its penetration into the core was assessed. The thickness of coatings obtained using different application methods was also assessed.

The paper presents the results of analyzes of gases emitted during exposure to high temperature foundry molding sands, where binders are

organic resins. As a research tool has been used special gas chromatograph designed to identify odorous compounds including the group of

alkanes.

The use of environmentally friendly inorganic binders and new technologies for cores production is widely discussed topic in recent years. This paper contains information about new hot curing process for core making with alumina-silicate based inorganic binders – geopolymers. Main differences between hot cured geopolymers and hot cured alkali silicate based inorganic binders are discussed. The main objective of this research paper was to investigate basic technological properties of geopolymer binder system such as strength, compaction, storage ability and knock-out properties. For this purpose, three mixtures with different powder additives were prepared and tested in laboratory conditions using specific methods. Strength properties evaluation showed sufficient levels as well as knock-out properties measurement, even with additives B and C originally designed for the use with alkali silicate based two component binder systems. Additives B and C were considered compatible with geopolymer binders after casting production trial results. Storage ability of geopolymers seems to be more sensitive than of alkali silicate based binders in the same tested conditions. Mixtures with geopolymer binder showed 20% more decrease of strength compared to alkali silicate binders after 24 hours in conditions of 25 °C and 65 %RH.

In this study, rubber seed/shea butter oil was used to formulate core oil. The formulated core oil was characterised. D-optimal mixture design was used for multi response optimisation of the functional properties of rubber seed-shea butter coil oil. Desirable values for some responses might be obtained from a factor combination while for others responses not so desirable values. Through multiple response optimisations, a factor setting that gives the desirable values for all responses was obtained. The selected optimum mixture setting for the formulated core oil is 65.937% Rubber seed and 34.063% Shea butter oil at desirability of 0.924. Under the optimum condition the functional properties of the core oil was found to be 39.57KN/M2, 626.85KN/M2, 36.63KN/M2, 593.906KN/M2, 412.605 and 167.309s for Green Compressive Strength, Dry Compressive Strength, Green Tensile Strength, Dry Tensile Strength, Permeability and Collapsibility respectively. The optimum conditions were validated with less than 0.2% error. The functional properties of the formulated core oil was compared to the functional properties of linseed core oil. It was found that rubber seed-shea butter core oil can be used for producing cores suitable for Aluminium casting.

This paper deals with the complete technology of inorganic geopolymer binder system GEOPOL® which is a result of long term research and development. The objective of this paper is to provide a theoretical and practical overview of the GEOPOL® binder system and introduce possible ways of moulds and cores production in foundries. GEOPOL® is a unique inorganic binder system, which is needed and welcomed in terms of the environment, the work environment, and the sustainable resources. The GEOPOL® technology is currently used in the foundries for three basic production processes/technologies: (1) for self-hardening moulding mixtures, (2) sand mixtures hardened by gaseous carbon dioxide and (3) the hot box technology with hot air hardening. The GEOPOL® technology not only solves the binder system and the ways of hardening, but also deals with the entire foundry production process. Low emissions produced during mixing of sand, moulding, handling, and pouring bring a relatively significant improvement of work conditions in foundries (no VOCs). A high percentage of the reclaim sand can be used again for the preparation of the moulding mixture.

Skeleton castings macrostructure can be shaped in many ways, by choosing an appropriate material of cores and manufacturing technologies. Important factor, which puts foundry techniques over the other technologies of periodic cellular materials, is ability to adjust mechanical properties by changing the microstructure of an alloy from which the casting is made. The influence on the microstructure of the skeleton casting can be implemented by choosing the thermal properties, mainly thermal conductivity factor, of mould and core materials. Macro- and microstructure of skeleton castings with octahedron elementary cells was presented in this paper. The analysis concerns the differences in morphology of eutectic silicone depending on the location of measurements cross sections areas. The use of thermo-insulating material with appropriate properties assures correct fill of mould cavity and homogeneous microstructure on whole volume of skeleton casting. The selection of technological parameters of the casting process if very important as well.

The results of investigations of the influence of the matrix grain sizes on properties of cores made by the blowing method are presented in

the hereby paper. Five kinds of matrices, differing in grain size compositions, determined by the laser diffraction method in the Analysette

22NanoTec device, were applied in investigations. Individual kinds of matrices were used for making core sands in the Cordis technology.

From these sands the shaped elements, for determining the apparent density of compacted sands and their bending strength, were made by

the blowing method. The shaped elements (cores) were made at shooting pressures being 3, 4 and 5 atn. The bending strength of samples

were determined directly after their preparation and after the storing time of 1 hour.

The paper presents dynamic responses of annular plate composed of three layers. The middle layer of the plate has electrorheological properties expressed by the Bingham body model. The plate is loaded in the plane of facings with time-dependent forces. The electrorheological effect is observed in the area of supercritical plate behaviour. The influence of both material properties and geometrical dimensions of the core on plate behaviour is examined. The problem is solved analytically and numerically using the orthogonalization method and the finite difference method. Comparison of the results obtained using the finite difference and the finite element methods for a plate in critical state is shown. The numerical calculations are carried out for axisymmetric and asymmetric plate modes. The presented diagrams show the plate reaction to the changes in values of plate parameters and indicate that the supercritical control of plate work is possible.