The article takes into consideration the researches concerning inserting the Glassex additive to the microwaved-hardened and selfhardened moulding sands with water glass. In the research different types of ester hardeners to self-hardened moulding sands with water glass were used. The influence of Glassex additive on retained strength of moulding sands with different hardeners and prepared by different technologies of hardening were tested. The influence of different hardeners and the technology of hardening on retained strength of moulding sand with water glass and the Glassex additive were also estimated.

In recent years, an increasing interest in sandmixes containing inorganic binders has been observed. These binders, including water-glass, are harmless for the environment, neutral for humans, and relatively cheap. In spite of numerous advantages, their wide application is restricted by poor knock-out properties and problems related to rebonding. Therefore, numerous researches aimed at eliminating the disadvantages of water-glass binders are directed, among others, to modifying the structure of hydrated sodium silicate or to applying new hardening techniques. An innovative method of rapid hardening by microwave heating, permitting the restriction of the quantity of binder used and thus improving knock-out properties, meets the expectations of present-day foundries. In this paper, available information is compiled on microwave hardening of water-glass containing sandmixes; furthermore, the costs of practical application of this technology are evaluated on the grounds of the authors' own research.

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the possibility of using moulds made from the environmentally friendly sands with hydrated sodium silicate in modified ablation casting. The ablation casting technology is primarily intended for castings with diversified wall thickness and complex shapes made in sand moulds. The article presents the effect of binder content and hardening time on the bending strength Rg u of moulding sands with binders based on hydrated sodium silicate hardened by microwave technology. The aim of the research was to develop an optimal sand composition that would provide the strength necessary to make a mould capable of withstanding the modified ablation casting process. At the same time, the sand composition should guarantee the susceptibility of the mould to the destructive action of the ablation medium, which in this case is water. Tests have shown that microwave hardening provides satisfactory moulds’ strength properties even at a low binder content in the sand mixture.

The ablation casting technology consists in pouring castings in single-use moulds made from the mixture of sand and water-soluble binder. After pouring the mould with liquid metal the mould is destructed (washed out) using a stream of cooling medium, which in this case is water. The process takes place while the casting is still solidifying.

The following paper focuses on testing the influence of the modified ablation casting of aluminum alloy on casts properties produced in moulds with hydrated sodium silicate binder. The authors showed that the best kind of moulding sands for Al alloy casting will be those hardened with physical factors – through dehydration. The analysis of literature data and own research have shown that the moulding sand with hydrated sodium silicate hardened by dehydration is characterized by sufficient strength properties for the modified ablation casting of Al alloys. In the paper the use of microwave hardened moulding sands has been proposed.

The moulds were prepared in the matrix specially designed for this technology. Two castings from the AlSi7Mg alloy were made; one by traditional gravity casting and the other by gravity casting using ablation.

The conducted casts tests showed that the casting made in modified ablation casting technology characterizes by higher mechanical properties than the casting made in traditional casting technology. In both experimental castings the directional solidification was observed, however in casting made by ablation casting, dimensions of dendrites in the structure at appropriate levels were smaller.

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the possibility of using moulding sands based on inorganic binders hardened in a microwave chamber in the technology of ablation casting of aluminium alloys. The essence of the ablation casting technology consists in this that a mould with a water-soluble binder is continuously washed with water immediately after being poured with liquid alloy until its complete erosion takes place. The application of an environmentally friendly inorganic binder improves the ecology of the whole process, while microwave hardening of moulding sands allows moulds to be made from the sand mixture containing only a small amount of binder.

The studies described in this article included microwave-hardened sand mixtures containing the addition of selected inorganic binders available on the market. The strength of the sands with selected binders added in an amount of 1.0; 1.5 and 2.0 parts by mass was tested. As a next step, the sand mixtures with the strength optimal for ablation casting technology, i.e. about 1.5 MPa, were selected and tested for the gas forming tendency. In the four selected sand mixtures, changes occurring in the samples during heating were traced. Tests also included mould response to the destructive effect of ablation medium, which consisted in the measurement of time necessary for moulds to disintegrate while washed with water. Tests have shown the possibility of using environmentally friendly, microwave-hardened moulding sands in ablation casting of aluminium alloys.