The paper presents the test results of molding compounds, sand casting molds and their analysis. The subject of testing was compound containing furan resins prepared according to the following recipe: matrix – regenerate 90% + fresh sand – 10%, furan resin – 1.10% by weight, hardener – 0.40% by weight. The impact of adhesive type and its quantity (Quan = 0.90, 1.1 and 1.5%) on the strength indexes of molding compound subject to densification was analyzed. The publication presents the test results: tensile strength Rm, compressive strength Rc and flexural strength Rg, as well as compound permeability as function of its density. The analysis also covers the impact of density level on mold strength and the distribution of density level along the mold height.
Based on the test results, it was found that the best method to obtain high strength molds made from compounds with chemical adhesives was to densify it by vibrating the system: match plate – molding flask – compound filling the mold. The effectiveness of this densification method depends on the amplitude and frequency of vibrations.
Contribution gives an overview of knowledge about the method of centrifugal casting with orientate on Tekcast system. Company Tekcast
Industries has developed a device for centrifugal casting, extending the area of production of castings or prototyping of metal or plastic.
Materials suitable for the centrifugal casting with flexible operating parameters may include non-ferrous metal alloy based on zinc or
aluminum or non-metallic materials such as polyester resins, polyurethane resins, epoxy resins, waxes and the like. The casting process is
particularly suitable for a wide range of commercial castings and decorative objects.
Production of defect free castings requires good understanding of casting characteristics like mold filling ability and volume deficit characteristic. Pin test piece with cylindrical cores proposed by Engler and Ellerbrok was used to study the mold filling ability. Volume deficit characteristics experiments were conducted using the method designed by Engler. Alloy composition, Mold coat and Pouring temperature were considered as process parameters for the present study and experimental plan has been taken up through design of experiments. The alloy composition is most significant in influencing the mold filling ability, where as pouring temperature is for volume deficit. The Correlation Co-efficient value obtained is -0.98901 indicating strong a negative relation between mold filling ability and volume deficit characteristics. Negative values indicate a relationship between mold filling ability and volume deficit such that as values for mold filling ability increase, for volume deficit decrease.
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.
Relatively cold die material comes into contact with the substantially higher temperature melt during the casting cycle, causing high thermal fluctuations resulting into the cyclic change of thermal field. The presented contribution is devoted to the assessment of the impact of temperature distribution on individual zones in the die volume. The evaluated parameter is the die temperature. It was monitored at two selected locations with the 1 mm, 2 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm and 20 mm spacing from the die cavity surface to the volume of cover die and ejector die. As a comparative parameter, the melt temperature in the middle of the runner above the measuring point and the melt temperature close to the die face were monitored. Overall, the temperature was monitored in 26 evaluation points. The measurement was performed using the Magmasoft simulation software. The input settings of the casting cycle in the simulation were identical to those in real operation. It was found, that the most heavily stressed die zones by temperature were within the 20 mm from the die face. Above this distance, the heat supplied by the melt passes gradually into the entire die mass without significant temperature fluctuations. To verify the impact of the die cooling on the thermal field, a tempering system was designed to ensure different heat dissipation conditions in individual locations. At the end of the contribution, the measures proposals to reduce the high change of thermal field of dies resulting from the design of the tempering channel are presented. These proposals will be experimentally verified in the following research work.
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 shipment of cut flowers from Colombia and Ecuador to the United States, the biggest importer of this product in the world, has doubled in the last 20 years. One of the main constraints in cut roses production is the gray mold disease caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, which can destroy the flowers, in the crop, during storage and/or shipping. Since the resistance of the fungus to conventional fungicides has been increasing, as well as the health effects in rose growers, alternative approaches for controlling the disease are needed. The effect of UV-C light on the gray mold development in cut roses was studied. Irradiation with 2,160; 1,080 and 540 J ⋅ m–2 UV-C, every 24 h for 5 days in a humid chamber, did not harm the roses. Instead, as seen by image analysis, a highly significant reduction of the area of the lesions by the disease and of the fungus germination was obtained at 1,080 J ⋅ m–2. The addition of a 4-h dark period to the irradiation did not improve the effect of UV-C on the disease. The results of this work potentiate the use of UV-C light in the agro-industry as a low-cost and non-invasive alternative method to control diseases. They also reflect the application of optical approaches as image analysis in the evaluation of important agricultural features.
Cu-2wt%Ag alloy with diameter of 10 mm was fabricated by induction heating directional solidification (IHDS). The effect of different mold temperatures on microstructure of IHDS Cu-2wt%Ag alloy was investigated. The results show that IHDS Cu-2wt%Ag alloy is mainly composed of coarse columnar grains at mold temperature of 1075°C. While the mold temperature is at 1100°C, 1150°C and 1200°C, respectively, the IHDS Cu-2wt%Ag alloy is composed of columnar grains and equiaxed grains and the number of grains increases. Meanwhile, the growth direction of columnar grains in the edge of alloys deviates from the direction of continuous casting to form “V” shape. While the mold temperature is controlled at high temperature, the induced current increases, which leads to the enhancement of eddy current in the mold. Therefore, the dendrites fall off to form new grains under the effect of eddy stirring, resulting in an increasing in the number of grains.