Analytical and Experimental Investigation of Critical Rotational Speeds of Different Liquids in Vertical Centrifugal Casting Process

Abstract

Casting processes form an integral part of manufacturing technology at large. The quality of castings in a vertical centrifugal casting process is dependent on several factors. However, the speed of rotation of a mould is found to bear a significant impact as it influences the flow of metal in the mould. The current work focuses on investigating the effects of rotational speeds on the quality of the cast produced, both experimentally and numerically. The study employed an experimental method called Cold castings to predict the critical speed and numerically validate the optimal shape of free mould surface. The experimental observations indicated that the optimal rotational speed was found to be 500-530 rpm and observations from analytical method indicated that optimal rotational speed was found to be 505 rpm. Hence the results of both the methods agreed with each other and a variation of around 5% was observed which is in an acceptable range. The products produced by centrifugal casting possess precise dimensions and weight also can be manufactured to tight tolerances by controlling the casting process parameters with appropriate controls. The centrifugal casting process is used particularly in aviation, aerospace, military, petrochemical and mining due to the capability for precise dimensions and tight tolerances.