Application of Molasses as a Binder in Sand Mold Operation

Abstract

The application of molasses as a binder in sand mold operation was investigated. Standard Sand Mold mixture (5 cm diameter x 5 cm height) were made with 1-5% molasses and Chalawa sand the balance. The molding Properties such as ; Green Compressive Strength(GCS), Green Shear Strength(GSS), Dry Compressive Strength(DCS), Dry Shear Strength(DSS), Green Shatter Index, Green Permeability, Flowability, and Compactibility of sand molasses mixture were obtained. 2% Molasses-sand mixture was selected for molding the prototype cast based on the highest values of the Green Compressive Strength, Green Permeability, and excellent Flowability (96.4%) observed in the experiments. The result shows that molasses alone could not be used as a binder. This is further supported by the low values of Green Shatter Index (31.3%) and Compactibility (25%) reported.