A new shell casting process based on expendable pattern with vacuum and low-pressure casting for aluminum and magnesium alloys

Abstract

A new shell casting process, with the adoption of the foam pattern of lost foam casting (LFC) as prototype and the combination of the thin shell fabrication technology of investment casting and vacuum and low-pressure casting process, was proposed for manufacturing complicated and thin-walled aluminum and magnesium alloy precision castings. Loose-sand uniting vacuum was used in the new process to further reinforce the thin shell, and the new process proves to be a process with simple process, low cost, and high thin shell strength. Because the molten metal filling and solidification are completed under air pressure and vacuum level, the filling capability and feeding capacity of the molten metal are greatly improved, and the castings become denser. This paper mainly investigated the fabrication technology of thin shell based on foam pattern prototype, the removing foam and roasting shell process and vacuum and low-pressure casting process. The few-layer compound thin shell of silica sol–sodium silicate was adopted for the new process. Removing foam pattern was carried out at 250°C for 30 min, and the shell was roasted at 800°C for 1 h. Combined with the vacuum and low-pressure casting process, this new shell casting process has successfully produced thin wall and complex aluminum and magnesium alloy parts with high quality. In addition, comparisons in terms of filling ability, microstructure, mechanical properties, porosity, and surface roughness among this new shell casting, gravity casting, and LFC were also made to show the characterization of this new shell casting process.