CASTING DEFECTS

Any unwanted deviation from the desired requirements in a cast product results in a defect. Some
defects in the cast products are tolerable while others can be rectified by additional processes like
welding etc. The following are the major defects which are likely to occur in sand castings:
1. Gas defects
2. Shrinkage cavities
3. Moulding material defects
4. Pouring metal defects
5. Metallurgical defects

Gas Defects
These defects are due to lower gas passing tendency of the mould which is caused by lower
venting , lower permeability of the mould and improper design of the casting. The lower
permeability of the mould is due to use of finer size grains of sand, higher percentage of clay &
moisture and excessive ramming of the mould.

Figure 1.9.1: Various gas defects

The various gas defects are discussed here in detail.

Blow holes and Open blows: These are spherical, flattened or elongated cavities present inside
the casting or on the surface. When present inside the casting it is called blow hole while it is
termed as open blow if it appears on the surface of the casting. These defects are caused by the
moisture left in the mould and the core. Due to heat of the molten metal the moisture is
converted into steam, part of which when entrapped in the casting ends up as blow hole or ends
up as open blow when it reaches the surface. Thus in green sand mould it is very difficult to get
rid of the blow holes, unless properly vented.

Scar: A shallow blow, usually found on a flat casting surface, is referred to as a scar.

Blister: This is a scar covered by the thin layers of a metal.

Air inclusions: The atmospheric and other gases absorbed by the molten metal in the furnace, in
the ladle and during the flow in the mould, when not allowed to escape, would be trapped inside
the casting and weaken it. The main reasons for this defect are the higher pouring temperatures
which increase the amount of gas absorbed; poor gating design such as straight sprue in
unpressurised gating; abrupt bends and other turbulence causing practices in the gating, which
increase the air aspiration and finally the low permeability of the mould. The remedies would be
to choose the appropriate pouring temperature and improve gating practices by reducing the
turbulence.
Pin hole porosity: As the molten metal gets solidified it loses the temperature which decreases
the solubility of gases and thereby expelling the dissolved gases. The hydrogen which is picked
up by the molten metal either in the furnace from the unburnt fuel or by the dissociation of water
inside the mould cavity may escape the solidifying metal leaving behind very small diameter and
long pin holes showing the path of escape. The high pouring temperature which increases the gas
pick up is the main reason for this defect.

Shrinkage Cavities: These are caused by the liquid shrinkage occurring during the
solidification of the casting. An improper riser and gating system may give this type of defect
which has a shape of a funnel.

Figure 1.9.2: Shrinkage cavity

Moulding Material Defects

Cuts and Washes: Theses appear as rough spots and areas of excess metal and are caused by the
erosion of the moulding sand by the flowing molten metal. This may be due to insufficient
strength of mould material or the high velocity of the molten metal. The proper choice
of moulding sand and appropriate moulding method together with better design of gating system
which reduces turbulence by increasing the size of the gates or by using multiple ingates can
eliminate these defects.

Metal Penetration: When molten metal enters the gaps between the sand grains, the result
would be a rough casting surface. This is due to either use of coarse sand grains in mould
material or no use of mould wash. This can also be caused by higher pouring temperature.
Choosing appropriate grain sizes, together with proper mould wash should be able to eliminate
this defect.

Fusion: This is caused by the fusion of sand grains with molten metal, giving a brittle, glassy
appearance on the casting surface. The main reasons for this defect are the lower refractoriness
of the clay used in moulding sand and very high pouring temperature. The choice of an
appropriate type and amount of Bentonite would cure this defect.

Run out: This is happened when the molten metal leaks out of the mould due to faulty mould
making or defective moulding flask.
Buckles: This refers to a long, fairly shallow, broad, vee-shaped depression occurring in the
surface of a flat casting of a high temperature metal. At this high temperature, an expansion of
the thin layer of sand at the mould face takes place before the liquid metal at the mould face
solidifies. As this expansion is obstructed by the flask, the mould face tends to bulge out,
forming the vee shape. A proper amount of volatile additives in the sand-mix is therefore
essential to make room for this expansion and to avoid the buckles.

Figure 1.9.3: Various moulding material defects

Rat tail: It is a long shallow angular depression normally found in a thin casting. The reason for
its formation is the same as that of buckles. Here, instead of the expanding sand up heaving, the
compressed layer fails by one layer, gliding over the other.

Scab: This refers to the rough thin layer of a metal, protruding above the casting surface, on top
of a thin layer of sand. The layer is held onto the casting by a metal stringer through the sand. A
scab results when the upheaved sand is separated from the mould surface and the liquid metal
flows into the space between the mould and the displaced sand.

Swell: Under the influence of metallostatic forces, the mould wall may move back causing a
swell in the dimensions of the casting. As a result of the swell, the feeding requirements of the
casting increase which should be taken care of by the proper choice of risering. The main cause
of this defect is improper ramming of the mould.

Drop: An irregularly shaped projection on the cope surface of a casting is called a drop. This is
caused by dropping of sand from the cope or other overhanging projections into the mould. An
adequate strength of the sand and the use of gaggers can help in avoiding the drops.

Dross: Lighter impurities appearing on the top of a casting are called dross. It can be taken care
of at the pouring stage by using items such as a strainer and skim bob.

Dirt: Sometimes sand particles dropping out of the cope get embedded on the top surface of a
casting. When removed, these leave small, angular holes, known as dirts.
Mould and Core shift: A misalignment between two halves of a mould or of a core may give
rise to a defective casting.

Figure 1.9.4: Mould shift and core shift defects

Pouring Metal Defects

Misrun: Many a time, the liquid metal may, due to insufficient superheat, start freezing before
reaching the farthest point of the mould cavity. This defect is called Misrun.

Cold shut: For a casting with gates at its two sides, the misrun may show up at the centre of the
casting due to non fusion of two streams of metal resulting in a discontinuity or weak spot in
casting.
Above two defects are due to lower fluidity of the molten metal or small thickness of the
casting. The fluidity of the metal can be increased by changing the composition of molten metal
or raising the pouring temperature. The other causes for these defects are large surface area to
volume ratio of the casting, high heat transfer rate of the mould material and back pressure of the
gases entrapped in the mould cavity due to inadequate venting.

Figure 1.9.5: Misrun and cold shut

Slag inclusions: During the melting process, flux is added to remove the undesirable oxides and
impurities (refractory materials, sand) present in the metal. At the time of tapping, the slag
should be properly removed from the ladle, before the metal is poured into the mould. Otherwise
any slag entering the mould cavity will be weakening the casting and also spoiling the surface of
the casting.
Metallurgical Defects
The defects under this category are hot tears and hard spots.

Hot tears: Since metal has low strength at higher temperatures, any unwanted cooling stress
may cause the rupture of the casting. The better design of casting avoids this defect.

Figure 1.9.6: Hot tears

Hard spots: These are caused by the chilling of the casting. For example, with grey cast iron
having small amounts of silicon, very hard white cast iron may result at the chilled surface. This
hard spot will interfere with subsequent machining of this region. Proper metallurgical control
and chilling practices are essential for eliminating the hard spots. The remedies of some defects
are also causes of others. Therefore one has to analyse the casting from the viewpoint of its final
application and thus arrive at a proper moulding procedure to eliminate or minimize the most
undesirable casting defects.