Effect grain size of sand to mould’s permeability & compressive strength, and casting products

Abstract

Sand for mould must comply with requirements for casting moulding, this sand mould must have enough permeability and strength. Permeability is the capability to remove air from the mould cavity. Sand from volcanoes is very easy to get and costs less than silica sand. One of the sands that can be used is Mount Semeru, which has only been used as a building material. The use of volcanic sand has been using clay as a binder. In order to improve the quality of the mould, in this research, we was carried out using phenolic resins as a binder. The sand used in this research is sand from Semeru Mountain which is obtained from the Pasirian area of Lumajang Regency. The sand sizes for the mould are 20, 40 and 60 mesh, the sand sizes for the mould are 20, 40 and 60 mesh. The sand binder used is phenolic resin mixed with water with a ratio of 2 resins to 1 water. Permeability testing uses a sand mould specimen in the form of a tube in accordance with SNI 15-0312-1989 standards. The highest permeability occurs in sand moulds with a mesh grain sand 20 (321.67 cm3/minute), The highest compressive strength is found in moulds with 60 mesh (4.13 MPa).