SOLVING HOT GREEN SAND PROBLEMS

A GUIDE AND A SOLUTION

Today’s foundries cannot afford to sacrifice the efficiency and profits that are the
consequences of poorly controlled hot molding sand.

Foundry related researchers say hot sand is the leading sand-related problem for
today’s foundries. Most foundries recognize a relationship between reduced casting
quality, increased process variation, and other molding inefficiencies that result from
using hot molding sands. Studies show that hot sand affects virtually every operation
in the production line.

System sand returned to the Muller for reconditioning with a temperature of 70 °C or

greater is considered to be excessively hot. Return sand ranging from 49 - 70 °C is
hot enough to demonstrate inconsistent properties during mixing and to be very
difficult to control.

Where does it come from?

In a regenerative green-sand system the composition of the sand mixture is

formulated to meet the requirements of the molding method being used and the type
of casting being produced.

The typical system sand consists of varying percentages of sand, clay, organic
additives, and water. The system Muller and molding machine process this mixture
into a finished mold. To form a casting, molten metal is introduced to the mold, and in
the process extensive damage occurs to the mold material (the green sand mixture).
The damage (heat is the primary concern here) will vary according to the location of
the material in the mold.

As molten metal is poured into the mold the sand grains expand - some by more than
10%. During this expansion some sand grains will experience thermal shock and
crack apart. The effect of this shock is the most severe at the mold - metal interface
and diminishes further from the mold face.

As the sand grains at the mold - metal interface are maintained at a high temperature
for a period of time, they may go through a physical modification. The clay additives
in the green-sand mold lose their combined water and structure. At this point the clay
has lost its plasticity and it cannot be regained by subsequent new water addition.
Calcium bentonite is destroyed at 455 °C and sodium bentonite at 620 °C.
The water in the mold evaporates as the temperature in the sand mixture exceeds
100 °C, until all the free water has evaporated.
Some of the water that has evaporated is carried through the mold with hot air and
condenses in a layer behind the mold face. As a result of this overall process, the
green-sand mold now consists of many layers of sand with properties ranging from
the very hot, hard, and brittle layer at the mold face, to the relatively cool, wet, and
plastic layer at the mold back.

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Once the casting cools the sand is separated from the casting at shakeout and re-
enters the sand system. Typically, the hot dry sand is the first part of the mold to re-
enter the system followed by the colder, wetter backing sand. The return sand is
segregated in surges of sand with vastly different properties, in terms of temperature,
moisture content, and clay level.
A sand system may also gain heat from rapid sand system turnover, low sand-to-
metal ratios, or high ambient temperatures. Combinations of all of these factors can
be found in many metal casting plants.

Cooling equipment

There are several types of equipment to cool shakeout sand:

Rotating Cooling Drums

The cooling drum is popular because it’s simple, but its inefficiencies outweigh
its apparent benefits. In the cooling drum, sand is fed into one end of a large,
inclined rotating drum. Often the downhill side of this drum incorporates a
rotary screen. Air is pulled through the drum by an exhaust fan. Because sand
moves slowly through the drum, a major requirement for effective sand cooling
is ignored: the constant exposure of fresh surface area to the air stream in
order to achieve the highest degree of cooling. Plus, due to the slow
movement, the sand actually moves through the drum as a ‘slug’ and
variations of sand are not mixed.
Mixing sand from various zones of the mold, or from unpoured molds, into hot
sand originating from the sand/metal interface is considerably less than
satisfactory. Sand leaving the cooling drum exhibits inconsistent properties
(temperature, moisture content, etc.)

Stationary Cooling Drums with Rotating Paddles

Like the rotary drum, sand enters at one end of an inclined stationary drum
and advances through it by lifting paddles or shelves rotating around a central
shaft. Air is pulled through side openings and exhausted out the top. The
performance is similar to the rotating drums.

Sand Cascades
Hot sand is dropped from cascade towers through a series of baffles; or it is
plowed off stacked shelves, dropping from one shelf to the next lower one. Air
is pulled up through both types of units, counterflow to the direction of sand
travel. Sand cascades are not effective for modern foundries’ cooling
problems.

Vibrating Fluid-Bed Coolers

Fluid-bed coolers are popular with foundries, but a number of factors limit their
effectiveness. Sand is fed to the inlet end of a double-deck vibrating conveyor.
The upper deck consists of a plate perforated with many small holes or a small
opening screen mesh. The sides and lower deck of the conveyor form an air
plenum under the upper deck. Pressurized air is blown into the air plenum and
passes through the upper deck as many small, high-velocity jets. These air

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 jets keep the sand from falling through to the lower deck and act as cooling
and fluidizing air in the sand.

In practice, a number of technical and practical problems occur. A fluid bed, by

definition, processes particulate matter where the particles have identical (or
near identical) diameters. Basic physics explains a critical weakness; if not
suspended, each particle in the bed would fall down under its own weight. The
weight of a particle is proportional to its diameter cubed. In order to have a
fluid bed, air is forced from below through the sand mass and the pressure of
the air on the sand grains keeps them suspended. This forced air is acting on
differing areas, however.

Molding sand does not consist of identically sized particles but rather of
particles in a wide range of sizes. Generally, foundry sand has a grain-size
range of 1:10. An 80-mesh silica particle will be in suspension at an air velocity
of approximately 3,2 m / sec. However, the speed of the air will have to be
higher because material in the 70 and 50 mesh range also must be in
suspension in order that it does not settle out at the bottom.

On the other hand, bentonite (clay less than 20 micron diameter) is already in
suspension at air speeds of approximately 0,3 m / sec. The result is that the
fluid-bed systems tend to segregate and remove a lot of fines and clay that, in
view of foundry economics and process needs, must be retrieved and
reintroduced into the system. As a compromise engineers typically select a
lower air velocity, which then results in the small air inlet holes becoming
clogged with sand, with an associated loss of capacity and cooling effect.

Buderus AG researchers found that in fluid-bed systems the discharged air

“contains considerable quantities of dust (approximately 15 % of the dust from
the foundry sand) ... the high discharge of dust is due to the requirement that
the floor sand moisture must be lower than 1,5 %, which does not have to be
the case with coolers with mixing arms”. The same study documents a 15 %
greater cooling effect by the Multi-Cooler. Fluid-bed coolers’ segregating
tendencies are aggravated by an inability to blend the variations of return
sand.

Cooling in the Muller

Although it provides a degree of relief in some systems, most modern foundry
engineers view cooling in the Muller as an undesirable technical compromise.
The process of adding cooling air and fluidizing the sand mass for effective
cooling is a direct contradiction to the activities necessary for effective final
mixing. At best, mulling cycles will be lengthened and the system mixing
capacity reduced.

Some of this equipment can cool effectively when carefully applied to systems
where the sand properties are well in control and unusually consistent.
However, none of them can “blend out” minute-to-minute fluctuations in sand
temperature, moisture, or degree of additive burnout. None of them can
effectively back-blend the sand leaving the discharge end with incoming sand.

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 Therefore, none can guarantee the control of the moisture, temperature, and
the physical characteristics of the sand being discharged, to provide a uniform
product entering the storage bin ahead of the Mullers.

An ideal system

Simpson Technologies Corp.’s Multi-Cooler was introduced commercially in 1966. It

was conceived as continuous cooler using many of the same principles as the
successful Simpson Multi-Mull continuous Muller.

The Multi-Cooler’s controls add a measured amount of cooling and tempering water
to ensure it continuously discharges cool sand within a controlled moisture range.
Recent advancements include a method for making the bond (bentonite) addition in
the Multi-Cooler, to increase the benefits of premixing. In this system, the Muller
group accepts the sand from the Multi-Cooler and makes the final moisture and
bentonite additions for the optimal sand mixture.

Since the Multi-Cooler averages out variations in temperature, moisture, and degree
of additive burnout, the mixer group following it is fed uniformly cool sand with closely
controlled moisture content and physical properties. The mixer group, also equipped
with sophisticated automatic controls, can develop the maximum potential of the
green sand-mixture without the inefficiency of adjusting to inconsistent charge
materials. The sands’ physical properties can be continuously and automatically
controlled to new levels of quality - with minimum power, time, labor, and capital
investment.

In recent years, the Multi-Cooler’s control capabilities have made it especially popular
with technically advanced, and highly competitive, automotive foundries.

High-speed, automatic, high-pressure molding systems underscore the need for

extreme uniformity in prepared molding sand, but without process control such
operations also generate more scrap. Foundry economics, and competition, demand
continuous reduction in sand-related scrap.

Sand mixtures have to be controlled within very narrow limits. But, that control is
difficult to attain because automatic moisture- and bond-control equipment cannot
compensate for wide fluctuations in sand temperature, moisture, and degree of
additive burnout in returned sand.

Sophisticated, on-line mixer group controls are available, and they are more effective
than conventional mixing systems. Using sensors and control logic, modern on-line
controls quickly and automatically adjust to many return-sand variations and sand-
related casting scrap is reduced. But, even the best controllers cannot adjust to all
the varying return-sand conditions found in most foundries.
To minimize sand-related casting scrap further and optimize the green-sand molding
process it’s necessary to add cooling and pre-mixing technology to the sand plant.
Adding a Multi-Cooler into the system allows the sand-preparation plant to develop
sand qualities to optimum levels.

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The Multi-Cooler makes it possible to place sand of a uniform moisture and
temperature level into the sand system ahead of the critical mixing stage. Sand
cooled to approx. 10 – 15 °C above ambient can discharge from the cooler at 1,5 %
to 2,0 % moisture - and it can be maintained at this level. Minute-to-minute variations
in additive burnout average out and variations in the sand properties are addressed
by pre-mixing. Now, sand delivered to the mixer group is so uniform that on-line
controls in the mixer group can attain a degree of prepared sand uniformity and
strength not possible with conventional sand systems.

The Effects of Hot Sand

Hot sand will effect every aspect of a green-sand molding operation. Depending on
the foundry’s ability to control the sand temperature, the effects may range from
higher scrap rates and casting costs to a complete loss of system control. Most
important, though, are casting defects, such as:

Pin Holes
Cavities in the casting surface, either spherical, flattened, or elongated.

Dirt Inclusions
Surface or sub-surface particles of sand, slag, dross, or oxides which are
embedded in the metal.

Washes
Rough spots and areas of excess metal caused by erosion of the mold.

Rough surface
A casting surface that lacks the required degree of smoothness.

Sand stickiness
Excess metal on the surface of the casting caused by a portion of the mold
face remaining on the pattern.

Broken molds
Molds that are not strong enough to withstand pouring stresses.

Crushes
Indentations in the castings.