Mold Venting

Mold venting: a return to the basics.
By Scheil, Steve Publication: Modern Casting Date: Saturday, November 1 1997 ou are vie!ing "age 1
The role of proper venting should not be discounted in the total recipe for quality castings. Here how to avoid costly gas problems. Vent (vent) a means of escape or passage from a restricted area an opening which allows the escape of vapor! heat! gas or liquid. ("ebster#s $ictionary) %ds by &oogle
Foundry Equipment Mi'ers ( )arts! *ompactability! Molding ( )ouring +quipment greensandcontrols.com
Custom Mold Components *avities! *ores! +,ectors! -leeves .lades! &ate /nserts! ( Tooling www.e0ellprecision.com
Risk-basedArtificial Lift /nclude uncertainties in the design and fully e'ploit your field www.0ulcon.com
To the foundry engineer! a vent is a small channel in molds for letting steam! air or mold gas escape as metal fills the mold. "hen done properly! venting will reduce gas1related defects! improve surface finishing! allow shorter pouring times and result in fewer misruns. The need to vent cores and molds has been recogni0ed for many years as a means to avoid the adverse effects of entrapped or evolved gases. -ources of these gases include heated air in the mold! steam generation from water in the binders! and products of combustion from binders and coatings. However! all too often! venting is forgotten until problems develop. /deally! it should be considered as the third leg of the casting quality 2stool2 1 along with proper feeding and
gating practices. /f the gating system is the 2plumbing system for molten metal!2 then the venting system is the 2plumbing system that allows entrapped air1 and mold1generated gases to escape.2 /n fact! the venting process is as important to ma3ing good castings as the proper design of the gating4risering system.
ou are vie!ing "age 2
To the foundry engineer! a vent is a small channel in molds for letting steam! air or mold gas escape as metal fills the mold. "hen done properly! venting will reduce gas1related defects! improve surface finishing! allow shorter pouring times and result in fewer misruns. The need to vent cores and molds has been recogni0ed for many years as a means to avoid the adverse effects of entrapped or evolved gases. -ources of these gases include heated air in the mold! steam generation from water in the binders! and products of combustion from binders and coatings. However! all too often! venting is forgotten until problems develop. /deally! it should be considered as the third leg of the casting quality 2stool2 1 along with proper feeding and gating practices. /f the gating system is the 2plumbing system for molten metal!2 then the
venting system is the 2plumbing system that allows entrapped air1 and mold1generated gases to escape.2 /n fact! the venting process is as important to ma3ing good castings as the proper design of the gating4risering system. %ir +'pansion and &as +volution %ir in the mold cavity can e'pand to many times its volume as the molten metal enters the mold. 5i3ewise! the pressures generated from e'panding air can be surprising. %ssuming an ideal gas! 6 cubic cm (6cc) of air at 778 (9:*) e'pands to ;9cc at the same pressure when heated to 9<998 (6::=*). 8or the same volume! the increased pressure generated when air at the standard pressure of 6= >4?cm.sup.9@ (6A.7 psi) is heated from 778 (9:*) to 9<998 (6::=*) is ;9< >4?cm.sup.9@ (B66 psi). Moisture in green sand can also be a problem if venting is inadequate. 8or every 6 lb of green sand at CD moisture! there are 6C.; grams of water. Heated to 9<998 (6::=*)! that 6C.; grams (about =.: o0) of moisture provide =.: cu ft of steam.
Table 1. Gas Evolution at 1% Binder for Various Coremaking Methods
Production Method
Gas Evolution
otbo! Coldbo! 'ilicate 'hell

"#$ cc%g "#1& cc%g (#) cc%g )#" cc%g
To the foundry engineer! a vent is a small channel in molds for letting steam! air or mold gas escape as metal fills the mold. "hen done properly! venting will reduce gas1related defects! improve surface finishing! allow shorter pouring times and result in fewer misruns. The need to vent cores and molds has been recogni0ed for many years as a means to avoid the adverse effects of entrapped or evolved gases. -ources of these gases include heated air in the mold! steam generation from water in the binders! and products of combustion from binders and coatings. However! all too often! venting is forgotten until problems develop. /deally! it should be considered as the third leg of the casting quality 2stool2 1 along with proper feeding and gating practices. /f the gating system is the 2plumbing system for molten metal!2 then the venting system is the 2plumbing system that allows entrapped air1 and mold1generated gases to escape.2 /n fact! the venting process is as important to ma3ing good castings as the proper design of the gating4risering system. %ir +'pansion and &as +volution %ir in the mold cavity can e'pand to many times its volume as the molten metal enters the mold. 5i3ewise! the pressures generated from e'panding air can be surprising. %ssuming an ideal gas! 6 cubic cm (6cc) of air at 778 (9:*) e'pands to ;9cc at the same pressure when heated to 9<998 (6::=*). 8or the same volume! the increased pressure generated when air at the standard pressure of 6= >4?cm.sup.9@ (6A.7 psi) is heated from 778 (9:*) to 9<998 (6::=*) is ;9< >4?cm.sup.9@ (B66 psi). Moisture in green sand can also be a problem if venting is inadequate. 8or every 6 lb of green sand at CD moisture! there are 6C.; grams of water. Heated to 9<998 (6::=*)! that 6C.; grams (about =.: o0) of moisture provide =.: cu ft of steam.
Production Method
Gas Evolution
"#$ cc%g "#1& cc%g (#) cc%g )#" cc%g
'ource* BC+,- Broadsheet 1.#)
&as evolution from binders must also be ta3en into consideration. Table 6 lists an appro'imate guide for gas evolution for each 6D binder in various types of cores. .y 3nowing the volume of bonded sand from the mold and core that will burn out and the gas evolution per unit volume! the amount of mold gases generated can be estimated. This can be another guide as to the amount of venting necessary. "ithout adequate venting! these gases can become entrapped and result in casting defects such as blowholes or scabbing ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ 6 GM/TT+$@. There may also be a reaction between the mold gases and molten metal forming undesirable products in the casting. &as pressure can become high enough locally that it will not allow the molten metal to completely fill the mold cavity! causing misruns or cold shuts. 8urthermore! e'cessive gas pressure can roughen as1cast surfaces! loosen sand grains! cause mold and core coatings to buc3le! and increase pouring times. )ermeability -and permeability also affects the amount of venting needed to ensure a good casting is produced. >atural openings in the molding sand! as well as through man1made openings (vents)! allow air and gases to escape. The measure of how fast gases will diffuse through molding sand is called permeability. Mold permeability has been defined as: the volume of air in cu cm at 6 cm water gauge pressure that will pass through the test piece in 6 min when the test piece is 6 cm long and 6 sq cm in cross sectional area. /n an equation form! it is:
The role of proper venting should not be discounted in the total recipe for quality castings. Here how to avoid costly gas problems.
Vent (vent) a means of escape or passage from a restricted area an opening which allows the escape of vapor! heat! gas or liquid. ("ebster#s $ictionary) %ds by &oogle
To the foundry engineer! a vent is a small channel in molds for letting steam! air or mold gas escape as metal fills the mold. "hen done properly! venting will reduce gas1related defects! improve surface finishing! allow shorter pouring times and result in fewer misruns. The need to vent cores and molds has been recogni0ed for many years as a means to avoid the adverse effects of entrapped or evolved gases. -ources of these gases include heated air in the mold! steam generation from water in the binders! and products of combustion from binders and coatings. However! all too often! venting is forgotten until problems develop. /deally! it should be considered as the third leg of the casting quality 2stool2 1 along with proper feeding and gating practices. /f the gating system is the 2plumbing system for molten metal!2 then the venting system is the 2plumbing system that allows entrapped air1 and mold1generated gases to escape.2 /n fact! the venting process is as important to ma3ing good castings as the proper design of the gating4risering system. %ir +'pansion and &as +volution %ir in the mold cavity can e'pand to many times its volume as the molten metal enters the mold. 5i3ewise! the pressures generated from e'panding air can be surprising. %ssuming an ideal gas! 6 cubic cm (6cc) of air at 778 (9:*) e'pands to ;9cc at the same pressure when
heated to 9<998 (6::=*). 8or the same volume! the increased pressure generated when air at the standard pressure of 6= >4?cm.sup.9@ (6A.7 psi) is heated from 778 (9:*) to 9<998 (6::=*) is ;9< >4?cm.sup.9@ (B66 psi). Moisture in green sand can also be a problem if venting is inadequate. 8or every 6 lb of green sand at CD moisture! there are 6C.; grams of water. Heated to 9<998 (6::=*)! that 6C.; grams (about =.: o0) of moisture provide =.: cu ft of steam.
Production Method
Gas Evolution
"#$ cc%g "#1& cc%g (#) cc%g )#" cc%g
&as evolution from binders must also be ta3en into consideration. Table 6 lists an appro'imate guide for gas evolution for each 6D binder in various types of cores. .y 3nowing the volume of bonded sand from the mold and core that will burn out and the gas evolution per unit volume! the amount of mold gases generated can be estimated. This can be another guide as to the amount of venting necessary. "ithout adequate venting! these gases can become entrapped and result in casting defects such as blowholes or scabbing ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ 6 GM/TT+$@. There may also be a reaction between the mold gases and molten metal forming undesirable products in the casting. &as pressure can become high enough locally that it will not allow the molten metal to completely fill the mold cavity! causing misruns or cold shuts. 8urthermore! e'cessive gas pressure can roughen as1cast surfaces! loosen sand grains! cause mold and core coatings to buc3le! and increase pouring times. )ermeability -and permeability also affects the amount of venting needed to ensure a good casting is produced. >atural openings in the molding sand! as well as through man1made openings
(vents)! allow air and gases to escape. The measure of how fast gases will diffuse through molding sand is called permeability. Mold permeability has been defined as: the volume of air in cu cm at 6 cm water gauge pressure that will pass through the test piece in 6 min when the test piece is 6 cm long and 6 sq cm in cross sectional area. /n an equation form! it is: (Volume of %ir)H(Height of -pecimen)4(%rea)H(Time)H()ressure) )ermeability can be measured with commercially available equipment and is usually specified as a permeability number. The larger that number is! the higher its permeability. )ermeability can be influenced by the si0e of the voids between the sand grains. Fegardless of whether the molding sand is classified as 2coarse2 or 2fine!2 the amount of inter1granular voids is the same. .ut as sand coarseness increases! voids are fewer and larger than when compared to finer sand with many smaller voids. Higher permeabilities are usually associated with coarser sand. The distance the gases must travel also can influence mold permeability. Mold and core coatings will greatly reduce permeability through sand. *are must be ta3en to 3eep coatings from bloc3ing vents. *oatings can also be helpful in directing the way for gases to move toward vents in core prints. *asting shape also affects mold permeability. *astings with deep poc3ets or sharp concave contours will result in a mold that has a more difficult time in evacuating gases ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ 9 GM/TT+$@. %dditionally! mold compaction comes into play. % high1density mold will reduce permeability. %reas of the mold cavity closest to the squee0e head of a high pressure molding machine will see lower permeabilities than other areas because the sand is more closely compacted in that area as compared to other parts of the mold. "hile there is no single optimum value of permeability! following two guidelines (.*/F%! Iune 6B7C): H There is ris3 when the permeability is less than 9= in green sand molds because the margin for error is high if the water content varies. H /f permeabilities over 69= are used in synthetic sands! the surface finish of the castings may not be acceptable. Venting )ractice
There are many different types of vents. -mall diameter rods or stems ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ C GM/TT+$@ can be added to the pattern in strategic locations to produce a vent as the mold is made. )arting line vents ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ A GM/TT+$@ can be either made with strips on the pattern or scratched in the mold before the mold is closed. Femember that parting line vents cease to allow air to escape as the molten metal rises above the parting line ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ : GM/TT+$@. %dditionally! parting line vents! if too large! can cause run1outs. *ores can be hollowed out in areas! not only to affect brea3down but also to help channel the gases toward vents. *ommercially available te'tile! wa' or rope vents ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ ; GM/TT+$@ are also available to create channels in molds or cores. -ometimes when an e'tremely large vent is needed! pouring tiles or pipes have been used. )roper gating design should also include a vent at the end of flowoffs to allow air to escape from# the gating system ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ 7 GM/TT+$@.
To the foundry engineer! a vent is a small channel in molds for letting steam! air or mold gas escape as metal fills the mold. "hen done properly! venting will reduce gas1related defects! improve surface finishing! allow shorter pouring times and result in fewer misruns. The need to vent cores and molds has been recogni0ed for many years as a means to avoid the adverse effects of entrapped or evolved gases. -ources of these gases include heated air in the mold! steam generation from water in the binders! and products of combustion from binders and coatings. However! all too often! venting is forgotten until problems develop. /deally! it should be considered as the third leg of the casting quality 2stool2 1 along with proper feeding and gating practices. /f the gating system is the 2plumbing system for molten metal!2 then the venting system is the 2plumbing system that allows entrapped air1 and mold1generated gases to escape.2 /n fact! the venting process is as important to ma3ing good castings as the proper design of the gating4risering system. %ir +'pansion and &as +volution %ir in the mold cavity can e'pand to many times its volume as the molten metal enters the mold. 5i3ewise! the pressures generated from e'panding air can be surprising. %ssuming an ideal gas! 6 cubic cm (6cc) of air at 778 (9:*) e'pands to ;9cc at the same pressure when heated to 9<998 (6::=*). 8or the same volume! the increased pressure generated when air at the standard pressure of 6= >4?cm.sup.9@ (6A.7 psi) is heated from 778 (9:*) to 9<998 (6::=*) is ;9< >4?cm.sup.9@ (B66 psi). Moisture in green sand can also be a problem if venting is inadequate. 8or every 6 lb of green sand at CD moisture! there are 6C.; grams of water. Heated to 9<998 (6::=*)! that 6C.; grams (about =.: o0) of moisture provide =.: cu ft of steam.
Production Method
Gas Evolution
"#$ cc%g "#1& cc%g (#) cc%g )#" cc%g
&as evolution from binders must also be ta3en into consideration. Table 6 lists an appro'imate guide for gas evolution for each 6D binder in various types of cores. .y 3nowing the volume of bonded sand from the mold and core that will burn out and the gas evolution per unit volume! the amount of mold gases generated can be estimated. This can be another guide as to the amount of venting necessary. "ithout adequate venting! these gases can become entrapped and result in casting defects such as blowholes or scabbing ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ 6 GM/TT+$@. There may also be a reaction between the mold gases and molten metal forming undesirable products in the casting. &as pressure can become high enough locally that it will not allow the molten metal to completely fill the mold cavity! causing misruns or cold shuts. 8urthermore! e'cessive gas pressure can roughen as1cast surfaces! loosen sand grains! cause mold and core coatings to buc3le! and increase pouring times. )ermeability -and permeability also affects the amount of venting needed to ensure a good casting is produced. >atural openings in the molding sand! as well as through man1made openings (vents)! allow air and gases to escape. The measure of how fast gases will diffuse through molding sand is called permeability. Mold permeability has been defined as: the volume of air in cu cm at 6 cm water gauge pressure that will pass through the test piece in 6 min when the test piece is 6 cm long and 6 sq cm in cross sectional area. /n an equation form! it is: (Volume of %ir)H(Height of -pecimen)4(%rea)H(Time)H()ressure) )ermeability can be measured with commercially available equipment and is usually specified as a permeability number. The larger that number is! the higher its permeability. )ermeability can be influenced by the si0e of the voids between the sand grains. Fegardless of whether the molding sand is classified as 2coarse2 or 2fine!2 the amount of inter1granular voids is the same. .ut as sand coarseness increases! voids are fewer and larger than when compared to finer sand with many smaller voids. Higher permeabilities are usually associated with coarser sand. The distance the gases must travel also can influence mold permeability.
Mold and core coatings will greatly reduce permeability through sand. *are must be ta3en to 3eep coatings from bloc3ing vents. *oatings can also be helpful in directing the way for gases to move toward vents in core prints. *asting shape also affects mold permeability. *astings with deep poc3ets or sharp concave contours will result in a mold that has a more difficult time in evacuating gases ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ 9 GM/TT+$@. %dditionally! mold compaction comes into play. % high1density mold will reduce permeability. %reas of the mold cavity closest to the squee0e head of a high pressure molding machine will see lower permeabilities than other areas because the sand is more closely compacted in that area as compared to other parts of the mold. "hile there is no single optimum value of permeability! following two guidelines (.*/F%! Iune 6B7C): H There is ris3 when the permeability is less than 9= in green sand molds because the margin for error is high if the water content varies. H /f permeabilities over 69= are used in synthetic sands! the surface finish of the castings may not be acceptable. Venting )ractice There are many different types of vents. -mall diameter rods or stems ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ C GM/TT+$@ can be added to the pattern in strategic locations to produce a vent as the mold is made. )arting line vents ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ A GM/TT+$@ can be either made with strips on the pattern or scratched in the mold before the mold is closed. Femember that parting line vents cease to allow air to escape as the molten metal rises above the parting line ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ : GM/TT+$@. %dditionally! parting line vents! if too large! can cause run1outs. *ores can be hollowed out in areas! not only to affect brea3down but also to help channel the gases toward vents. *ommercially available te'tile! wa' or rope vents ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ ; GM/TT+$@ are also available to create channels in molds or cores. -ometimes when an e'tremely large vent is needed! pouring tiles or pipes have been used. )roper gating design should also include a vent at the end of flowoffs to allow air to escape from# the gating system ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ 7 GM/TT+$@. "eep holes in the sides of flas3s also serve as vents. /f it is impossible to vent through the sidewalls of flas3s! adding small hollow strips to the flas3 sidewall can create a channel in the sand for venting. .ottom boards should also be vented to allow gases to escape from the
bottom of the drag. /f bottom boards can#t be used! the floor under the molds should be grooved or the molds should be placed on a bed of dry sand. .oth techniques will allow for venting. Venting is most successful! however! when included on the pattern equipment. The proper locations are already laid out and the foundry can be assured that venting is occurring! rather than relying on people to perform the operation on the molding line. Mold cycle time is not ta3en up with drilling vents. %lso! adding vents by hand can disturb the mold and increase the possibility of loose sand grains falling into the mold cavity. Gn the down side! care must be ta3en to prevent small thin vent rods from damage during molding and pattern handling. %lso! vents can cause more wor3 in the cleaning room! since they must be removed if filled with metal. Venting .lind Fisers "hen using blind feeders! venting becomes more important as the depth of sand increases over the riser or as the pouring rate increases. 8ailure to properly vent feeders can result in unfilled risers and loss of atmospheric puncture during solidification. /f possible! it is better to vent through the sand (by placing a small post on top of the riser) rather than venting through the sleeve. This is because problems can occur if the vent is too large and the top of the cope becomes disturbed ?/55E-TF%T/G> 8GF 8/&EF+ < GM/TT+$@. This small rod of metal will solidify before the feeder and therefore won#t allow the feeder to follow the casting during solidification. The feeder can then become 2upset2 1 especially in s3in forming alloys! causing a late stage shrin3 at the feeder contact. &eneral Fules There is no set answer as to how much venting is necessary! since every mold can be different. However! there are rules of thumb to follow for proper venting: H the total vent area should be at least equal to the cho3e area H venting should be added until there is no change in pouring time H watch the flames coming from vents. /f they are 2pressure ,ets!2 add more venting until they become 2la0y2 gas flames H if in doubt! vent some more

Mold Venting

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mold Venting

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mold venting: a return to the basics.

Foundry Equipment Mi'ers ( )arts! *ompactability! Molding ( )ouring +quipment greensandcontrols.com

Foundry Equipment Mi'ers ( )arts! *ompactability! Molding ( )ouring +quipment greensandcontrols.com

otbo! Coldbo! 'ilicate 'hell

"#$ cc%g "#1& cc%g (#) cc%g )#" cc%g

Foundry Equipment Mi'ers ( )arts! *ompactability! Molding ( )ouring +quipment greensandcontrols.com

otbo! Coldbo! 'ilicate 'hell

"#$ cc%g "#1& cc%g (#) cc%g )#" cc%g

'ource* BC+,- Broadsheet 1.#)

Foundry Equipment Mi'ers ( )arts! *ompactability! Molding ( )ouring +quipment greensandcontrols.com

otbo! Coldbo! 'ilicate 'hell

"#$ cc%g "#1& cc%g (#) cc%g )#" cc%g

'ource* BC+,- Broadsheet 1.#)

Foundry Equipment Mi'ers ( )arts! *ompactability! Molding ( )ouring +quipment greensandcontrols.com

otbo! Coldbo! 'ilicate 'hell

"#$ cc%g "#1& cc%g (#) cc%g )#" cc%g

'ource* BC+,- Broadsheet 1.#)

You might also like