16 Foundry Resins

The production of shaped parts from molten metal can be performed either in perma-
nent molds or in lost molds 1 • 2 • 3 l. Permanent molds made of metal, graphite or
ceramies are used to cast low melting non-ferrous metals. Lost molds consisting of
fire-proof sands, an inorganic or organic bonding agent and sometimes various addi-
tives, are used for iron and other metals. Molten metal is poured into the mold cavity
and solidifies to the desired shape. The mold becomes brittle under the influence of
the molten metal temperature and can be readily removed from the casting. One mold
(and core) must be used for each casting.

Fig. 16.1. Phenol resin bonded

sand mold and core by shell
process. Cylinder block for an
automobile motor. (Photo:
Halbergerhütte, D-6700
Ludwigshafen)

16.1 Mold- and Core-Making Processes

Molds for casting Operationsand cores, separate shapes which are placed in the mold
to provide castings with contours, cavities and passages, are composed mainly of sand
and a suitable binder. The binder may be of organic or inorganic composition. Nat-
ural inorganic binders are clays (montmorillonite, glauconite, kaolinite); synthetic
ones are, for instance, sodium silicate, cement or gypsum. Mainly phenol-, furane- and
urearesins are used as organic binders. Various oils and carbohydrate binders are of
minor importance. However, there also are physical forming processes for sand molds
(magnetic molding process and vacuum process).

16.1.1 Inorganic Binders

Green sand molds are made of sand, clay, water and sometimes organic additives and
are used without further conditioning or drying (green). They are widely used as the

A. Knop et al., Phenolic Resins

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1985
16.1 Mold- and Core-Making Processes 257

least expensive method of producing a mold, but their dimensional tolerance and sta-
bility is low. Ferrous and non-ferrous castings can be produced in rapid production
cycles 4 l. Higher strengthanddimensional stability can be obtained by drying in dry
climates (skindried molds) or by oven drying (dry sand molds).
Sodium silicate isafurther inorganic binder (C0 2 process) with key features being
low cost, cleanliness and low toxicity. The disadvantages of this process are relatively
low strength, limited storage and low breakdown capability of the mold. Many or-
ganic additives have been recommended to accelerate hardening, enhance the break-
down capability and reduce water absorption. Cement bonded sands can be used for
the production of very large castings, but the low hardening rate has limited their
wider use. Quicksetting cements and accelerating additives have been recently recom-
mended5l.

16.1.2 Organic Binders

Phenolic resin bonded cores and molds possess a number of favorable properties
which are necessary for economic mass production of high quality castings. These
are:
- short hardening time;
- high dimensional stability and hardness of cores and shells;
- good storage of cores and shells;
- high casting surface quality;
- good breakdown capability of cores and shells;
- low cleaning cost.
Other thermosetting resins currently used are furane-type resins based on furfuryl alco-
hol (including FA/UF- and FA/PF/UF-resin blends) and, by a considerable margin,
polyurethanes. The most important foundry processes using synthetic polymer materials
are the no-bake, shell molding, hot-box and cold-box processes. Newer publications
indicate, that one of the most important considerations in the selection of a process
is its energy consumption 6 l. Therefore, today there isadefinite trend towards the cold-
set processes. Considering the various binders, phenol resins and furane resins are
gaining further acceptance at the expense of the inorganic binders 7 • 8 9 l. The organic
materials limit but satisfy the requirements ofwork safety and environmental protec-
tion to a greater extent than the corresponding inorganic types. Further factors to be
considered are 6 • 7 l:
- type of metal to be cast;
- number of pieces and production rate;
- volume of the casting;
- dimensional tolerances;
- availability of skilled personnel;
- extent of capital investment;
- types of sand available.

16.1.3 Requirements of Foundry Sands

Silica sands of high-purity are used for most sand molding operations. While some
nations like West Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and France have very good
258 16 F oundry Resins

quality sand (99,8% Si0 2 ), other countries, like ltaly or Japan must import
sand for the production of high-quality iron and steel castings 7 >. The chemical
purity as well as the grain morphology affects the economy and strength considerably.
Sands with poor surface quality need greater amounts of hinder to obtain adequate
strength, thus increasing cost and the amount of gases evolved during the casting pro-
cess causing casting defects and higher environmental pollution 10 • 11 >.
It is obvious that considerably !arger amounts of acidic hardeners are needed when
sands with higher portions of basic oxides (Na 2 0, K 2 0, CaO, MgO) are used in the
cold-set process to obtain comparable hardening rates. This is also the case with a
higher humidity content. Advantages of silica sandas mold and core material are low
cost, ready availability in a variety of grades, consistency in composition, compatibil-
ity with all types of chemical binders and adequate thermal and chemical resistance
in contact with meta! melts.
On the other hand, there also are some disadvantages; for instance, relatively high
thermal expansion results in expansion defects, when !arge castings are involved. Silica
sand can react with certain molten meta! oxides. Frequently, problems arise during
the casting of austenitic manganese steels. The high and abrupt expansion of quartz
(silica) is caused by inversions of the crystalline structure depending on temperature
and pressure.

C>·quartz
575
~
oe
ß-quartz ==
870 Oe
ß-tridymit ==
1470 Oe
ß-cristobalit ==
1705 Oe
melt
trigonal hexagonal hexagonal cubic

These expansion-type defects can be avoided by using other inorganic materials like
chromite, zircon or olivine. These sands, of course, are considerably more expensive
and some of them are available to a limited extent, so that their use requires a thor-
ough economic analysis. The thermal expansion of chromite, zircon and olivirre
(Table 16.1) is uniform and clearly lower as compared to quartz. They are used in ap-
proximately the same order as listed below.
A further, very important factor is grain shape and size distribution. When liquid
meta! comes into contact with the mold, steam and different gases of decomposed or-
ganic binders are generated. The mold must be porous enough to allow escape of gases
and prevent an excessive pressure build up in the cavity which possibly might result
in casting defects 12 l and darnage to the mold. On the other hand, the generation of
gases has some advantages, for instance preventing meta! penetration and yielding a

Table 16.1. Properties of different sand materials

Characterization Sand material

Silica Chromite Zircon Olivine

Chemical composition Si02 Cr203 · FeO ZrSi04 (Mg, Feh Si04

Specific gravity g/cm3 2.64 4.5 4.6 3.2
Expansion at 900 °C % 1.56 0.65 0.25 1.02
Volume pricc rclation, 1 9-11 60-70 6-7
silica = 1
16.2 Shell Molding Process 259

Fig. 16.2. Distribution of resin in bonded sand

good casting surface and excellent delineation to the casting. However, a balance be-
tween gas evolution and perrneability must be maintained 1 l.
Ifthe sand grains have a perfectly round shape and uniform diameter, the total vol-
ume of pores per unit volume is independent of the diameter of the grains. The pres-
sure increase due to friction dependent upon the void diameter must be considered.
Although !arge pores are desirable to permit the escape of gases, they can permit the
penetration of the liquid meta! into the voids. Fine sands and multimesh sands offer
better resistance to erosion and better surface quality ofthe casting, but require more
bonding material. All of these factors must be considered and invariably a compro-
mise must be made.
Due to the highly increased cost for sand, transport and disposal, sand reclamation
becomes increasingly important. Reclamation plants provide the following regenera-
tion processes:
- mechanical regeneration (breaking, grinding and dust removal);
- pneumatic regeneration (impact screening);
- wet regeneration (washing process for inorganic binders);
- thermal regeneration (incineration process).
Problems associated with reclaimed synthetic resin bonded sands have been thor-
oughly studied. Phenollevels observed in reclaimed sand eluted with water, are defi-
nitely lower than those deterrnined in hausehold sewage 13 (Chap. 6.3).

16.2 Shell Molding Process

In the shell molding process resin coated sand is placed into a heated meta! pattern
(250-280 oq by means of a dump-box or blowing with special machines into hot,
closed molds. Prior to this, the mold is sprayed with a silicone release agent. The resin
melts on the hot surface and binds the sand grains. Asolidshell is formed; the thick-
ness depends upon the time of direct contact, the temperature of the mold and the
hardening rate of the resin. As soon as the shaped molding has reached a thickness
of 4-7 mm, usually after 20-30 s, the unhardened surplus mixture is removed and fed
back into the chute. The shell is only hardened on one side. The reverse side is then
completely cured by infrared radiation or in a tunnel oven. This cured shell constitutes
one half of the mold. The mold is assembled by clamping both shell halves together
or gluing them together with therrnosetting resins (bonding time 20-40 s), after the re-
260 16 F oundry Resins

quired cores are set. Shell molds can often be poured flat without further support de-
pending on the casting volume and metalostatic pressure.
This process was invented by J. Croning around 1944 14) (Croning process). The
process distinguishes itself by a very accurate reproduction of all the contours of the
model; very narrow tolerances can be maintained during the casting operation 15 l and
is of particular importance to the autornative industry because of its high tolerances
in comparison to other processes.

Precoated Shell Sand

A large series production of complicated cores with automatic core blowing machines
necessitates a free-flowing resin coated sand with a controlled grain size distribution
and uniform resin coat. While a number of foundries carry out their own precoating
operation, many others purchase precoated sand from outside suppliers. The "warm"
and "hot" coating processes differ from each other by the physical state of the resin 16 )
i.e. whether dissolved or granulated novolak is used.
In the hot coating process, emission of solvents is prevented by the use of granulated
phenol resins and an aqueous HMT A-solution. The novolak resin with a MP of 70-
75 oc must have a low melt viscosity so that a quick and uniform coat can be ob-
tained.

Shell Sand Properfies

To check the quality of the coated sand, the melting point, cold-tensile strength and
hot-tensile strength are tested. Since the price of the resin coated sand is influenced
by the resin cost, only enough bonding agent as is necessary is added. A larger
amount of resin is required for the production of shells (3-4%) which are subjected
to higher stress during casting than cores. In general, a resin content of 1.8-2.5% is
sufficient for cores (Fig. 16.3). Further properties must be tested if complicated cores
and shells are involved, for instance, gas volume, shell permeability, surface hardness,
peel back and thermal shock resistance. The stick point of the coated sand, meaning

1.2 12

/1
1.0 10
V
E
I y
1//
~
:z
0.8
:5
_c:; =
c:
6 t;"'
Ö>

I/
~ 0.6
V>

..!!!
e::0
·v; X

2 ~

/
0.4 4
' ,.... Fig.16.3. "Hot coated" shell sand,
0
:I: "" hot-tensile strength (1) and RT-
0.2 2 flexural strength (2) depending on
resin content. HMTA 12%, ca1cium
stearate 6%, based on resin weight.
Cure at 280 oc for 3 min
4
Resin (%)
16.3 Hot-Box Process 261

the softening temperature of the resin, depends on the degree of advancement and
reactivity of the resin. A broad melting range may indicate slow eure, low tensile
strength and tendency to peel back. The cold-tensile strength reflects the ability ofthe
shell and core to be handled without damage. The hot-tensile strength is an
important factor of shell dimensional stability during casting. Strength and
performance are improved significantly by modifying novolak resins with salicylic
acid 17 l or resol resin. Strength and temperature resistance are also controlled by the
proportion ofHMTA. A high proportion ofHMTA, but not more than 18%, effects
a high crosslink density and thereby higher thermal resistance. But the cores and shells
become more brittle. The best results are obtained at a 10-13% HMTA Ievel.
To prevent some frequently occurring mold defects in the shell casting process, such
as mold cracking, peel back, soft mold or low hot-tensile strength, various additives
can be added 17 - 19 l. The thermal expansion of the sand (Table 16.1) during casting
may Iead to mold cracking. Apart from the use of sands with lower thermal expansion,
cracking can be prevented by use of thermoplastic additives. The most common ad-
ditive is a modified naturally occurring wood resin, called Vinsol, which is a complex
mixture of substituted phenols, resin derivatives and hydrocarbon resins 19 l. Vinsol
has a softening point of 112 oc (ring and ball). By the addition of 0.25-0.5% Vinsol,
in relation to the sand, thermal shock resistance can be increased and the meta! pen-
etration reduced. Excessive addition, however, Ieads to reduced hot-tensile strength.
Peel back, a serious mold defect frequently occurring during the drain cycle in the
dump-box molding, is caused by several factors. On one hand, peeling from exeessive
weight may occur as a result of too high resin content. Another cause can be a very
wide melting range of the resin due to an unfavorable MWD, excess release agent, in-
sufficent solvent removal or presence of oily contaminants. Even though pattern de-
sign, pattern temperature and contact time can contribute to the phenomenon of peel
back.

16.3 Hot-Box Process

In principle, the hot-box process is similar to shell molding. A wet resinjsand mixture
is blown into the heated core box. A non-free-flowing sand is obtained from clay-free
sand, resin and catalyst. It is more difficult to blow the wet mixture into a confined
space than the dry, precoated shell sand, and thus, more difficult to produce accu-
rately and consistently cores of complicated configuration and thin sections. An im-
portant advantage to shell molding is the essentially shorter curing time. By the use
of a catalyst, a short heat surge is sufficient to start the curing while the final curing
is performed outside the mold. After a few seconds, a hard surface layer is formed at
the hot walls (180-280 oq so that the core can be stripped out ofthe core box without
any danger.
The surface quality can be improved by coating with a refractory wash. The hot-box
process is applicable to mass production of small and medium volume castings. Ex-
amples in the autornative industry are transmission-, case-, crankcase-, body-, cyl-
inder head- and gear box casing cores 20 l. Phenol resols modified with urea resins
(UF), furfuryl alcohol resins (FA) and FA/UF-resin blends are used together with
catalysts. Aqueous solutions of ammonia salts of strong organic or inorganic acids are
 262 16 F oundry Resins

Table 16.2. Properties of urea-modified phenol Table 16.3. Hot-box core sand
"hot-box" resins 16 l formulation 16 l

Dry solids content 70±1% Silica sand H 32, dry 100 parts
Viscosity at 20 °C 1,600±200 mPa · s Hardener (ammonium
Nitrogen content 7~8% chloride) 0.4 parts
Water content 15~17% Phenolic resin (urea
Free phenol content 3~4% modified) 2.0 parts
Free formaldehyde content <0.5% Release agent 0.2 parts
Iron oxide 0~1.5

10

;3
::;-8
E
E
'- / _LZ
:z
I / ~

/;
:56
=
c::
V Fig.16.4. RT-tensile strength ofhot-
~
v; box sands depending on curing time
_L1 and resin content. Formulation: 100
-~ 4
V parts silica sand H 33, 2.0 parts

~
V>
c::
.5!' phenolic resin, 0.46 parts catalyst.
'
:;:: 2 Testing bars made at 220 oc and a
pressure of 6 bar.
1 = 1.2% resin portion; 2= 1.6% resin
portion; 3 = 2.0% resin portion
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Time (sl

10

::;-g
E
~
:z
3
v----
L ~ ;2

i ~ ~
1
Fig. 16.5. Hot-flexural strength of

~
hot-box sands depending on curing
time and resin content. Designation
and conditions as in Fig. 16.4
20 40 60 80 100 120
Time (s)

used as catalysts. Ammonia reacts with formaldehyde contained in the resin whereby
the acid is liberated and the reaction started. The hardening process starts while har-
dener and resin are being mixed, so that the mixture must be processed within a limited
time which depends upon the temperature.
The eure rate of resols is insufficient for the short cycle times which are customary
with UF/FA-resins. The reactivity can be increased by the addition of UF-resins.
16.4 No-Bake Process 263

However, higher urea Ievels would be necessary for phenolics in comparison to FA-
resins to obtain comparable eure rates at low temperatures. UF-resins are less ther-
mally stable than phenolic resins and decompose considerably faster during the high
temperature operation. The gas shock caused thereby often Ieads to pinhole formation
in the casting. The PF hot-box resins available on the market today contain approx-
imately 7% nitrogen. To avoid pinholes, ferric oxide is added in the foundries. How-
ever, higher quantities offerric oxide can Iead to efflorences adhering to the mold 21 >.
Therefore, efforts are made to reduce the nitrogen content to at least 3% and still
maintain the reactivity.
Appropriate PF-resins, made at a P/F molar ratio ofbetween I: 1.4-1.8 and sodium
hydroxide as catalyst have the following key properties (Table 16.2). The proportion
of urea or UF-resin is indicated by the nitrogen content. Recently, PF-resins
modified with furfuryl alcohol or furane resins are gaining increased market accep-
tance. Because of low viscosity and better wetting, higher core strength can be
obtained. In order to improve the flow of the mixture and to facilitate the re-
moval of the cores from the mold, lubricants and release agents like linseed oil or
stearates can be added. The preparation ofthe mixture (Table 16.3) is performed dis-
continuously in a mixer.

16.4 No-Bake Process

The no-bake technique is very economical because the application of heat is not nec-
essary. lt is especially suitable for the casting oflarge pieces of gray-cast iron and cast
steel for machine and vehicle construction 22 >. Tool costs are considerably lower than
those for the hot processes.
The most frequently used binders are those ofthe furane type: FA/UF-resin blends,
UF/PF-resin blends and FA/PF/UF copolymers. Polyurethanesare also used in the
USA. UF-resins offer high reactivity and thorough-cure, low cost and adequate bond
strength. The high formaldehyde evolution ofUF-resins during processing is a disad-
vantage. The high nitrogen content (20-25%) and the 1ow temperature resistance Iead
to the formation of pinholes and meta! penetration. Furane po1ymers are less depen-
dent upon temperature and sand quality variations, and the fume evolution is low.
The bond strength developed is high. However, they are very expensive. Phenol resins
are attractively priced, provide acceptable strength and thorough-cure. Fume emis-
sion is often distressful. In order to reduce it, resins with an especially low content of
free phenol and formaldehyde were developed. The high-temperature decomposition
reaction and the nature of the gaseaus decomposition products are described in
Chap. 8.1. Nitrogen-free, fast setting phenolresins were introduced recently. A com-
promise between removal time, casting performance and price is achieved by the com-
bination of three resin components, PF, UF, and FA.
The use of organic silane coupling agents in no-hake formulations has become com-
mon practice 23 • 24 > to improve the bond between sand and resin. An increase in
strength of up to 40% can be obtained by the addition of y-aminopropyltriethoxysi-
lane or similar silanes between 0.1 and 1% in relation to the resin.
The phenol resins are characterized according to the content of FA, nitrogen, water
and free formaldehyde. The content of free phenol and formaldehyde is considerably
 264 16 Foundry Resins

Table 16.4. No-bake sand formulation 16 l

Silica sand, dry 100.0 pbw

p-Tolucne sulfonic 0.6 pbw
acid 65%
Phenol/F A/urea-resin 1.2 pbw
Iron oxide 0-1 pbw

reduced in the newer resins. At present, they contain approximately 3-4% phenol and
less than 0.5% formaldehyde. The resin addition is generally between 1.2 and 2%.
For the cold-setting furane and resol resins 25 l inorganic acids (e.g. phosphoric acid)
may be used; however, strong organic acids (phenol sulfonic acid, p-toluene sulfonic
acid) which are enhanced in acidity by residual amount of sulfuric acid, are preferred.
The most important criteria to differentiate the organic acids available on the market
(65-85% acid content) are the content of sulfuric acid and water, viscosity and the
price. A high water content inhibits the eure.
A great advantage of the no-hake technique is the capability of varying the setting
and curing time by varying the catalyst addition rates (40-100% related to the resin).
The eure rate depends entirely upon the temperature of the sand. When the temper-
ature of the sand drops below 8-10 oc, very low-strength bonded sand is obtained.
Further addition of acid as an attempt to speed up the reaction rate reduces the
strength significantly 26 l.
The preparation of the mixture (Table 16.4) can be performed in static mixers or
in continuously operating high-speed mixers 27 • 28 l which permit the use of extremely
fast curing resins. Molding rates approaching those of green sand are possible with
appropriate automation (carousel).
The acid catalyst is added first to prevent local "burn-red" of the resin under high
local concentration of acid. Then, the bonding agent is added and further mixed until
the material is uniform. At high nitrogen content iron oxide may be added to prevent
the formation of pinholes. The maintenance of a certain temperature of the mixture

50.---,----,---,----,---,----,---,----.
/
/+
/

-+
~40r---+----r--~----r---~~~~~~~
1.3% Resin
.!::
z _-+
1.2% Resin
1.1% Resin - -+

ezor---4---~~~~~~~~~~~~~--~
1.0% Res in
0.9% Res in
--·
:::0
~
w:
~ 10r--7~~-t~--~---r--~----+---~--~
c:t::

0 3 4 5 6 24
1ime (h)
Fig.l6.6. No-bake core sand. Flexural strength at 20 oc depending on temperature and curing
time at 20 oc
16.5 Cold-Box Process 265

(between 15-30 oq is important for a trouble-free production due to the strong de-
pendence of reaction with temperature. A flowable, wet sand is obtained which is im-
mediately filled into the molds and is compressed manually or by vibration.
The core boxes can be of nonmetal materials. Since the curing starts as soon as the
acid is mixed with the bonding agent, the moldingmaterial has only a limited working
time and must be processed immediately. Deformation ofthe preform during a critical
stage of resin advancement results in reduced strength.
The strip time is the time from discharging the mixed sand into the core box until
the time when the core can be safely removed. The strength increases as curing pro-
gresses until casting (Fig.16.6).
Naturally, it is very desirable that the strength is as high as possible with regard to
work time/strip time. Conventional single-trough continuous mixers may be used with
sands having strip times of 2~0 min. The work time with most resins is at least 5-
8 min.

16.5 Cold-Box Process

The cold-box process 29 • 30 > is based on the rapid reaction of poly-functional isocyan-
ates with polyols. The reaction, which is rapid even in the cold, Ieads to the formation
of polyurethanes (see Sect. 3.7). The important characteristic of this process is the
use of gaseous organic amines as catalyst 31 >. Their application requires specially de-
signed gassing and exhaust systems. "High-ortho" novolak resins (see Sect. 3.4.3) are
used as the hydroxyl component 31 • 32 >. They may be prepared in a water-free reac-
tion medium in the presence of salts of divalent metals as catalysts. The phenolic
resin/diisocyanate combination, e.g. 4,4'-isocyanatodiphenylmethane, is used in
water-free solution.
High-boiling esters or ketones are used as solvents. The amount ofbinder normally
used in this process is between 1 and 2%, for iron castings between 1.2 and 1.4%.
Phenolic resin and isocyanate are used in the ratio 1:1. Since the bonding system
is very sensitive to moisture, only washed and dry sands can be used. The humidity
content should not exceed 0.1 %.
The processing of a mixture of, for example, 100 kg silica sand H 31, 0.8 kg phenolic
resin (65% dry resin) and 0.8 kg of diisocyanate (87-88%) is as follows. Initially, the
sand is mixed with the phenolic resin solution in a continuous or batch mixer. Then
the diisocyanate solution is added. A good flowing sand is obtained which has a work
time up to 2.5 h. Core shooting machirres are equipped with a gas inlet. After the core
is shot, a catalyst, triethylamine or dimethylethylamine, is atomized into the tightly
closed core box in an air or C0 2 stream. These amine vapors are highly flammable
and, mixed with air within certain Iimits, tend to explode. Therefore, safety precau-
tions must be taken. The use of C0 2 instead of air is preferred. An extremely fast eure
is obtained by the sudden high amine concentration. The calculated consumption of
amine is about 0.05% of the sand weighe 0 >.
The cold-box process has some advantages, i.e. high core quality and eure rate,
which renders them equally suitable for either mass production or short runs and job-
hing work. Prototype tools can be made from irrexpensive materiallike wood. How-
ever, stringent health and safety precautions must be considered because isocyanates
266 16 Foundry Resins

and amines are highly toxic. The amines cause a strong cauterizing effect on the skin
and the eyes. After the curing process, the amines must be displaced from the core and
absorbed in phosphoric acid or incinerated. Phenolic resin-isocyanate binders are
more popular in the U.S. with increasing application expected in Europe.

16.6 S0 2 Process
The most recent of the cold-setting mold and core making processes is the S0 2 pro-
cess invented by Richard and assigned to Sapic, France, in 1971. The process is also
referred to as Hardox 33 l.
It is basically a gas cured furane- or furfuryl alcohol/phenol resin system which re-
lies on the transmission of so2 gas through the coated uncured sand in a presence of
an organic peroxide to form sulfuric acid in situ 34 • 35 l (16.1).
CH 3 CH 3
I I
2 so, + HOO-C-OOH + H2 0 - 2 H 2 S0 4 + C=O (16.1)
I I
CH 2 CH 3 CH 2 CH 3

High-purity dry silica sand with a low acid value and suitable grain size distribution
is used. S0 2 is supplied as liquified gas. An aminosilane based adhesion promoter is
used to improve the adhesion of the cured resin to the sand grains. From the great
number of peroxides, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) and hydrogen peroxide
with phlegmating additives, e.g. phthalates are used. Additionrates vary between 25-
50% ofthe hinder weight. The hinder content varies from 0.7 to 1.5% and is depen-
dent on requirements and sand quality. The furaneresins used may contain 15-30%
phenolic resin. Further modification is recommended, e.g. with epoxide or urea resins,
to adjust selected properties or to reduce cost. Phenol resin addition avoids excessive
crosslinking and brittleness at high S0 2 loadings. The urea resin improves economics,
however, its content should not exceed 5% to avoid a decrease in curing rate. The role
of the epoxy resin is quite specific. It avoids the formation of a coated film on the
mould that occours with furaneresins after repeated runs. The Hardox process also
requires the use of silane coupling agent. The mixture shelflife is significantly Ionger
(10-20 h) compared to the hot-box (2-4 h) and cold-box process (1-2.5 h). Generally
all machirres designed for gas-blowing can be used for mould and core production.
The S0 2 consumption is normally below 4 kg per ton of cured sand. The exhaust
air treatment is performed in a similar manneras in the cold-box process with diluted
sodium hydroxide using the countercurrent principle. After an oxidizing treatment of
the resulting sodium sulfitejsodium sulfate mixture with hydrogen peroxide the final
product is sodium sulfate which can be safely disposed.
The so2 process is used for mass production ofiron Castings with flake and spheroi-
dal graphite and mass production of alumirrum castings in permanent moulds. The
advantages over other processes are close dimensional tolerances, improved physi-
cal properties, excellent break-down, long shelf life, acceptable cost and availabili-
ty36, 37).

16.7 Ingot Mold Hot Tops

To produce steel ingots, the melt is poured into large ingot molds consisting of three
sections made of refractories (bottom) and steel. In order to obtain uniform solidifi-
16.8 References 267

Table 16.5. Materials for the production

of hot tops for ingot molds

Sand (fine) 35-40%

Asbestos and mineral wool 15-20%
Paper 5- 6%
Phenolic resin 4- 5%
Water 25-35%

cation, the cap sides of the ingot mold are insulated with phenolic resirr bonded insu-
lation boards called hot tops.
The hot top formulation consists of the fillers sand, asbestos, mineral wool and
paper which are mixed to a fibrous pulp with water and bonding resirr in a mixer simi-
lar to those used by the paper industry (Table 16.5).
The mixture is pumped into storage bins which are installed over molding tables.
The molds consist of wooden frames with a sieve plate at the bottom. The material
is poured into the mold, spread uniformly with a trowel and dehydrated by vacuum.
The boards are removed and cured on a sheet metal or wire support in the oven. The
oven temperature is approximately 180-190 oc. After cooling, the boards are cut or
ground to the proper measurements. Powder resirr (novolak type), blended with
HMTA or paraformaldehyde, is used as binder.
Recently, phenolic resins have been partially replaced by urea resins or starch due
to costs. This, however, reduces flexural strength and resistance to humidity.

16.8 References

1. Metals Handbook, 8th Ed., Vol. 5, Forging and Casting. Amer. Soc. Metals, Metals Park
(1970)
2. Höhner, K. E.: Gießereiwesen und Gußeisen, Temperguß und Stah1guß. In: Ullmanns Ency-
clopädie d. techn. Chem., 4. Ed., Vol.l2, Weinheim: Verlag Chemie 1976
3. Gießerei-Lexikon. Brunhuber, E., Ed. Fachbuchverlag Schiele & Schön GmbH, Berlin 1983
(12. Ed.)
4. Middleton, J. M., Met, A.: Faundry Trade, April, 1976, 463
5. K1einheyer, U.: Gießerei 63, 487 (1976)
6. Smith, J. R., Rowley, S., Young, J. S.: Can Hot Processes survive? In: Chemical Binders
in Foundries, BICRA, Birmingham (1976)
7. Hatton, W. L. S., Cross, S.: Chemical Binders- the Supplier's Point of View. In: Chemica1
Binders in Foundries, BICRA, Birmingham (1976)
8. Howell, R. C.: Can Chemically-Bonded Sand Replace Green Sand? In: Chemical Binders in
Foundries, BICRA, Birmingham (1976)
9. Kestler, J.: Modern Plastics Intern., Oct. 1976, P. 20
10. Goettmann, F. P.: Production of Sands for the Faundry Industry. AFS-Transactions 10, 15
(1975)
11. Midd1eton, J. M.: Alternatives to Silica for Mould Production. In: Chemical Binders in
Foundries, BICRA, Birmingham (1976)
12. Levelink, H. G., Julien, F. P. M., De Man, H. C.J.: AFS Int. Cast Metals J. 6, 56 (1981)
13. Bradke, H.J., Klein, T.: Deponieverhalten und Verwertung von Gießereisanden, Teil I und
II: Laborauslaugungen von Gießereisanden zur Ermittlung der eluierbaren Stoffe und des
voraussichtlichen Deponieverhaltens. lWL, 5 Köln 51 (1975)
268 16 Foundry Resins

14. Croning, J.: DE-PS 810174, 83293, 832936, 832937

15. Meyers, W.: Gießerei 56, 101 (1969)
16. Bakelite GmbH: Bakelite-Resins for the Foundry Industry, Technical Bulletin
17. Hooker Chemical Corp.: DE-PS 1 095 516 (1960)
18. The Borden Chemical Corp.: DE-OS 1 808 673
19. Hercules Inc.: Vinsol Resin, Technical Bulletin
20. Awbery, M.: Automobile Castings by the Hot-box Process. In: Chemical Binders in Foun-
dries, BICRA, Birmingham (1976)
21. Berndt, H., Unger, D., Räde, D.: Gießerei 59, 61 (1972)
22. Beale, D. W.: The Practical Application ofCold-set Processes to Larger Castings. In: Chemi-
cal Binders in Foundries, BICRA, Birmingham (1976)
23. Union Carbide Corp.: Technical Bulletin
24. Xuqi, D. et al.: AFS Int. Cast Metals J. 6, 54 (1981)
25. Lebach, H.: Angew. Chem. 22, 1598 (1909)
26. Tilch, W.: Prüfung kaltselbsthärtender Formstoffe, Gießereitechnik 22, 113 (1976)
27. Dhonau, H.: FASCOLD Cold-set Process. In: Chemical Binders in Foundries, BICRA, Bir-
mingham (1976)
28. Christel, M.: Gießereitechnik 22, 158 (1976)
29. Kögler, H.: Gießerei 64, 95 (1977)
30. Truchelut, J.: Ashland Cold-box Process. In: Chemical Binders in Foundries, BICRA, Bir-
mingham (1976)
31. Ashland Oil Inc.: DE-PS 1 583 521 (1967)
32. Ashland Oil Inc.: DE-AS 2 Oll 365: DE-AS 2 349 200
33. Societe d'Application de Procedes Industriels et Chimiques S.A. (SAPIC): DE-PS 2239835
34. Gardziella, A.: Gießerei 69, 81 (1982)
35. Ellinghaus, W.: Gießerei 68, 135 (1981)
36. Briggs, K., Armistead, B.: Foundry Trade Journal, May 6, P.641 (1982)
37. Gardziella, A., Kwasniok A.: Gießerei 71, 12 (1984)