Abstract
Shell mold casting processes are more cost-intensive in terms of equipment, raw materials, and skills than the sand-casting technique. Sand casting is practiced in Ghana to cast mainly corn mill plates and occasionally vehicle and machine parts that lack good surface finish, better dimensional accuracy, and require a lot of effort/energy to bring the cast to the actual specification. As a result of the limitations of the sand-casting technique, the shell mold casting technique was adapted in this work. Indigenous clay chemically composed of 69.8% silica; 15.7% alumina was used. Washed and unwashed Silica from the Yakor River were investigated. The combination of clay, silica, and water was used to form a mold for the casting of a machine component. Of all the mixtures that were fired, the best mixture ratio was the sample which has the composition of 70% Mfensi clay, 10% silica sand, and 20% water selected from sixty-six samples. The mixture was tested based on its compressive strength and other parameters such as Acid Demand Value, pH Value, and Grain Fineness Number. Chemically, the final mold had a thickness of 16 mm which was able to withstand the high temperature (1450 °C) of the molten cast iron without the shell mold collapsing. A shell core made exhibited better core properties such as collapsibility, thermal stability, and permeability when the molten cast iron was poured into the mold for solidification.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have