This article discusses the types of patterns used for a specific application such as loose patterns, match plate patterns, cope and drag patterns, and special patterns. It describes the principles of the patternmaking techniques used to make expendable molds and for metal casting processes such as die casting and permanent mold casting. The article reviews the pattern features and mold production considerations used in the pattern design, namely, parting line considerations, addition of gates and risers, core prints, and locating points. It examines the pattern allowances for ensuring a dimensionally correct final pattern. A variety of materials and advanced composite materials used in the manufacture of patterns are discussed. The article evaluates the factors influencing the selection of type of patterns for specific castings.

Aluminum casting alloys are the most versatile of all common foundry alloys and generally have the highest castability ratings. This article provides an overview of the common methods of aluminum shape casting. These include gravity casting, die casting, sand casting, lost foam casting, shell mold casting, plaster casting, investment casting, permanent mold casting, squeeze casting, semisolid forming, centrifugal casting, and pressure die casting. The article presents several different factors on which the selection of a casting process depends. It discusses gating and risering principles in casting. The article concludes with information on premium engineered castings that provide higher levels of quality and reliability than in conventionally produced castings.

Foundry practices critical to the production of cast irons include melting, alloying, molten metal treatment, pouring, and the design of feeding systems (gating and risering) to allow proper filling of the casting mold. This article reviews these production stages of iron foundry casting, with particular emphasis on the melting practices, molten metal treatment, and feeding of molten metal into sand molds. It discusses the castability factors, such as fluidity, shrinkage, and resistance, of gray iron. Typical cupola charge compositions and the final analyses for class 30 and class 40 gray iron castings are presented in a table. The article describes the induction melting and arc furnace melting used in gray iron foundries. It also reviews the inoculation methods such as stream inoculation and mold inoculation, of gray iron.

This article provides general guidelines for casting design to provide progressive solidification, minimize heat concentration, eliminate cores, and prevent distortion. Casting design also affects tolerances. Casting tolerances depend on the alloy being poured, the size of the casting, and the molding method used. Designers can predict the effect of the design on the structure of the final part using solidification simulation models, namely finite element and finite difference models, and rapid prototyping. The article concludes with a short note on how the quality is assured in the foundry.

Solidification is a comprehensive process of transformation of the melt of metals and alloys into a solid piece, involving formation of dendrites, segregation which involves change in composition, zone formation in final structure of the casting, and microporosity formation during shrinkage. This article describes the imperfections in the solidification process including porosity, inclusions, oxide films, secondary phases, hot tears, and metal penetration. It talks about the purpose of the gating system and the risering system in the casting process.

Metal casting is the manufacturing method in which a metal or an alloy is melted, poured into a mold, and allowed to solidify. Typical uses of castings include municipal hardware, water distribution systems (pipes, pumps, and valves), automotive components (engine blocks, brakes, steering and suspension components, etc.), prosthetics, and gas turbine engine hardware. This introduction explains the steps involved in making a casting using a simplified flow diagram, and discusses the ferrous and nonferrous alloys used for metal casting.

This article addresses the problems of designing isolated heavy sections that are functionally essential. It describes the two most efficient solutions to these problems over which the designer has control: providing flow and feed paths and reducing the mass of the isolated sections. The article concludes with a discussion on designs that reduce the mass of a remote section.

Alloy 713.0 is an aluminum-based casting alloy that ages at room temperature to provide high-strength sand and permanent-mold castings. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 7xxx series alloy.

This article describes the casting characteristics and practices of copper and copper alloys. It discusses the melting and melt control of copper alloys, including various melt treatments to improve melt quality. These treatments include fluxing and metal refining, degassing, deoxidation, grain refining, and filtration. The article provides a discussion on these melt treatments for group I to III alloys. It describes the three categories of furnaces for melting copper casting alloys: crucible furnaces, open-flame furnaces, and induction furnaces. The article explains the important factors that influence the selection of a casting method. It discusses the production of copper alloy castings. The article concludes with information on the gating and feeding systems used in production of copper alloy castings.

This article provides information on metals that can be cast in permanent molds. It describes the advantages, disadvantages, applications, and design of permanent castings. Following a discussion on the factors considered in mold design and material selection, the article details the application of mold coatings and examines the effects of major processing variables on mold life. The variables that determine mold temperature and measures for controlling it are reviewed, and the effects of short-term and long-term variables on the dimensional accuracy of permanent mold castings are explained. The article concludes with a discussion on the factors influencing the surface finish on permanent mold castings.

The role of an engineer in designing risers is to make sure that risers provide the feed metal in the right amount, at the right place, and at the right time. This article addresses feed metal volume, riser location, and duration of liquid feed metal. It discusses the three types of feeding systems used in riser design: riser sleeves, topping compounds, and breaker cores.

Alloy 710.0 is a natural-aging aluminum alloy produced by sand casting and suitable for highly stressed castings. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 7xxx series alloy.

A gating system is the conduit network through which liquid metal enters a mold and flows to fill the mold cavity, where the metal can then solidify to form the desired casting shape. This article discusses various desirable design considerations for the gating system. Proper design of an optimized gating system will be made easier by the application of several fundamental principles of fluid flow. The article illustrates the Bernoulli's theorem, the law of continuity, and the effect of momentum. Most casting alloys are subject to the presence of particles that can deleteriously affect the physical properties and appearance of the casting. The article lists a variety of adverse effects of the particles. Ceramic filters, when correctly applied, can be relied on to trap particles before they can enter the casting cavity. The article concludes with information on the advantages and the types of the ceramic filters.

In many castings, functional requirements dictate that walls be uniform or nearly uniform in thickness. Many problems in producing castings having walls of uniform thickness are associated with the premature freezing of molten metal before all parts of the mold cavity have been filled. This article discusses the design problems and solutions of various castings, such as sand, shell mold, permanent mold, and investment castings, with illustrations.

This article focuses on the techniques used in recycling of aluminum metal matrix composites (MMCs) such as discontinuous SiC reinforced aluminum MMCs and continuous reinforced aluminum MMCs. It provides a discussion on the properties of recycled aluminum MMCs and disposal of aluminum MMCs.

This article provides a general introduction on casting processes and design techniques. It discusses the process steps and methods of the main categories of shape casting methods, namely, expendable molds with permanent patterns, expendable molds with expendable patterns, and metal or permanent mold processes. The article lists the general guidelines of geometry in casting design. It describes the three separate contractions that are a result of cooling: liquid-liquid contraction, solid-solid contraction, and liquid-solid contraction. Factors influencing the solidification sequence of simple shapes, such as T-sections, X-sections, and L-sections, are discussed. The article also presents an overview of geometric factors that influence heat transfer and transport phenomena. It concludes with a description of the structure and properties of castings.

Casting offers the cost advantages over other manufacturing methods for most components. This article reviews the aspects of castings with which designers should be familiar, as well as the methods used by foundries to produce high-integrity castings. It discusses the design concepts that designers and foundries can use to obtain maximum performance from cast parts. The article describes the effects of casting discontinuities on properties, including porosity, inclusions, hot tears, metal penetration, and surface defects. A discussion on hot isostatic pressing treatment of castings is also provided. The article concludes with information on solidification simulation and its use in designing castings.