Table of Contents

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0

TITLE ........................................................................................................................... 2 OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................. 3 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 4 APPARATUS .............................................................................................................. 6 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES............................................................................ 8 RESULT AND DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................ 9 DISCUSSION.............................................................................................................11 CONCLUSION...........................................................................................................16 RECOMMENDATION..............................................................................................17

10.0 REFERENCES............................................................................................................18

1.0 TITLE
Sand Testing Preparation (GFN)
(FOUNDRY)

2.0 OBJECTIVE
i) ii) iii) iv) To measure the sand grain size. To calculate the Grain Fineness Number (GFN) To enhanced knowledge about the suitability of the sand in casting To understand the advantages and disadvantages of sieve analysis and its application

3.0 INTRODUCTION
3.1 BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
Foundry sand testing is a process used to determine if the foundry sand has the correct properties for a certain casting process. The sand is used to make moulds and cores via a pattern. In a sand casting foundry there are mainly two reasons for rejection of the casting which is metal and sand, each of which has a large number of internal variables. The defects arising from the sand can be prevented by using sand testing equipment to measure the various properties of the sand. Sands are most generally measured by sieving. The basic principle of this technique is as follows. A sand sample of known weight is passed through a set of sieves of known mesh sizes. The sieves are arranged in downward decreasing mesh diameters. The sieves are mechanically vibrated for a fixed period of time. The weight of sediment retained on each sieve is measured and converted into a percentage of the total sediment sample. This method is quick and sufficiently accurate for most purposes. Essentially it measures the maximum diameter of a sediment grain. Sorting can be expressed by various statistical methods. The simplest of these is the measurement of the central tendency of which there are three commonly used parameters: the median, the mode, and the mean. The median grain size is that which separates 50% of the sample from the other; the median is the 50 percentile. A second aspect of sieve analysis is its sorting or the measure of degree of scatter. Sorting is the tendency for the grains to all is of one class of grain size. A third property of a grain size frequency curve is termed "kurtosis" or the degree of "peakedness". Curves which are more peaked than the normal distribution curve are termed "leptokurtic"; those which are saggier than the normal are said to be "platykurtic". The fourth property of a sieve analysis is its skewness, or degree of lopsidedness. Samples weighted towards the coarse end-member are said to be positively skewed (lop-sided toward the negative phi values), samples weighted towards the fine end are said to be negatively skewed (lop-sided toward the positive phi values). In summary the four statistical measurements for sieved samples consist of a measure of central tendency (including median, mode, and mean); a measure of the degree of scatter or sorting; kurtosis, the degree of peakedness; and skewness, the lop-sidedness of the curve. Various formulae have been defined for these parameters the set of formulae we will use will be Folk and Wards (1957).

3.2

THEORY

The grain fineness number (GFN) is a quantitative indication of the grain size and grain size distribution. To calculate the grain fineness number, each sieve has been given a weightage factor which can be obtained from any foundry text book. The amount retained on each sieve is multiplied by the respective weightage factor, summed up, and then divided by the total mass of the sample, which gives that grain fineness number. The same can be expressed as GFN = where; = multiplying factor for the sieve sieve

= amount of sand retained on the

The results are presented in a graph of percent passing versus the sieve size. On the graph the sieve size scale is logarithmic. To find the percent of aggregate passing through each sieve, first find the percent retained in each sieve. To do so, the following equation is used,

%Retained =

100%

where WSieve is the weight of aggregate in the sieve and WTotal is the total weight of the aggregate. The next step is to find the cumulative percent of aggregate retained in each sieve. To do so, add up the total amount of aggregate that is retained in each sieve and the amount in the previous sieves. The cumulative percent passing of the aggregate is found by subtracting the percent retained from 100%. %Cumulative Passing = 100% - %Cumulative Retained.

4.0 APPARATUS

Figure 2: Silica Sand Silica sand is one of the most common varieties of sand found in the world. It is used for a wide range of applications. Silica sand is used in industrial processing, to make glass, as fill, and to create molds and castings.

Figure 3: Digital Scale Balance To measuring the weight of items. Very sensitive to environment and precise data can be determine.

Figure 4: 1 Set of 9 Sieves (53, 75, 106, 150, 212, 300, 425, 600, 850) plus sieve pan and Sieve Shaker

Figure 5: Brush To remove sand particles from the mesh wire.

Technique of separating particles of different sizes. Depending upon the types of particles to be separated. The number shown is represented as the grading of various size in micron, .

4.1

APPARATUS USED IN INDUSTRIES

FIGURE 6 : High capacity sieve shaker Sieve shaker plays an important role in many Quality Control programs. Quality managers from a wide range of manufacturing settings, including those found in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, chemical and food processing industries, rely on mechanized sieve shakers to ensure that the products they produce are of consistent quality and composition, regardless of when or where they are produced. This is because these shakers are the key to conducting effective particle-size analysis using sieve testing methods. Here are 3 Benefits of Using vibrating Sieve Shaker for Particle-Size Analysis: 1. More Consistent and Accurate Results. The first mechanical test sieve shaker was designed to replicate the hand motions used in manual testing scenarios. By automating this process, test sieve shakers are able to provide a much higher level of continuity throughout the testing process. As a result, they can produce more accurate and repeatable results regardless of when or where a test is performed.

2. Increased Efficiency. Manually shaking test sieves is both time consuming and labor intensive. A mechanical sieve shaker is able to replicate and replace the human input needed to perform this type of testing. This means that more material can be tested in less time and with fewer resources invested.

3.

Cost Savings. Employing humans to conduct these tests represents ongoing costs in the form of wages and fringe benefits. In addition, downtime related to illness or personal absences also translates into lost productivity and increased opportunity cost. The modern shaker is both reliable and durable. As a result, it doesn't require a lot of expensive maintenance or need replaced often. Over time, these factors can translate into substantial cost savings.

5.0 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES

i. The screens on the sieves were cleaned carefully by turning the sieve downwards and the rim was stroked evenly on the table. The screen must not be touched be touched with the fingers. The sieve should not be beaten too hard to avoid damage to rim. A 100 grams of sand sample was weighed to an accuracy of 0.01 grams.

ii.

Figure 7: Sand Weighing iii. iv. v. vi. vii. The sieves stack was placed on the Sieve Shaker Octagon 2000 machine. Top of the sieve shaker contains the biggest mesh size. The weighing silica sand was placed in sieve. The sieve was shaken continuously for 15 minutes. The sieves were parted after the shaking operation and left over sand of each sieve was weighed carefully. The silica sand sample was weighed in column (C) of Table 1.

Figure 8: Sand Removal from Sieve viii. The formula given was used to calculate the Grain Fineness Number (GFN)

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6.0 RESULT AND DATA ANALYSIS

NO

A Sieve No

B Opening (Mic)

C Sand mass (g) 0.24 1.13 33.61 21.25 5.58 13.44 13.75 7.24 2.92 0.65 C 99.81

D Sample % 0.24 1.13 33.67 21.29 5.59 13.47 13.78 7.25 2.93 0.65 100%

E AFS Multiplier 10 20 30 40 50 70 100 145 200 300

20 850 1 30 600 2 40 425 3 50 300 4 70 212 5 100 150 6 140 106 7 200 75 8 270 53 9 PAN 10 Total accumulated sand mass (g) Original Mass of Sample before Sieving (g)

F AFS Product (C x E) 2.4 22.6 1008.3 850 279 940.8 1375 1049.8 584 195 F 6306.9

Table 1: Sieve Analysis Data and Calculations

Typical Sand Size: Coarse GFN 40-100 Fine GFN 100-220

Ferrous Cast Typically GFN 70 GFN <50 too coarse poor surface quality in casting GFN >100 too fine low permeability, large surface area

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6.1

CALCULATIONS

GFN = =

x 100% x 100%

= 63.19%

Reading at sieve no. 40. Sand mass (C) AFS multiplier (F) = 33.61g = 30

AFS product (C x F) = 33.61 x 30 = 1008.5

Sample %

= 33.67%

= 0.24 + 1.13 + 33.61 + 21.25 + 5.58 + 13.44 + 13.75 + 7.24 + 2.92 + 0.65 = 99.81 g

= 2.4 + 22.6 + 1008.3 + 850 + 279 + 940.8 + 1375 + 1049.8 + 584 + 195 = 6306.9

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7.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

i. Explain briefly what is GFN. GFN is the measure of particles or grain average size in a sand sample. The AFS Grain Fineness Number (AFS-GFN) is a mean of measuring grain fineness of a sand system AFS-GFN gives the metalcasting facility a mean to verify its molding sand is staying within specification for the castings being produced and avoid conditions that could lead to potential casting problems.

By itself, GFN does not identify if the sand will be a good molding material or produce the qualities needed in a particular metalcasting sand system since GFN represents an average fineness, sands with different grain size distribution may have similar GFN numbers. So, the distribution of sand grains on the screens is another critical factor in effective sand molding. The distribution refers to the quantity of sand retained on each individual sieve, rather than the average of all sand retained on all sieves.

Fineness is important because of its relationship to the surface finish of castings. The finer the grains, the smoother the work produced. Coarse grains in the mold surface allow penetration of metal between grains, thus leaving a rough surface. The selection of molding sand is for the finest grain size possible that allows safe mold ventilation.

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ii.

Based on the GFN value and the distribution obtained, suggest the suitability of the sand for castings. Several factors are important in the selection of sand for molds, and it involves certain tradeoffs with respect to properties. Sand having fine, round grains can be packed closely thus forms a smoother mold surface. Finer grains has lower mold permeability but enhances mold strength. Good permeabilityof mold allows gases and steam to escape easily. The mold should also have good collapsibility to allow shrinkage of casting during cooling thus avoiding defects.

GFN shows the range of the sand size. If the GFN is between 40 and 100 it can be classified as coarse and 100-220 is fine. Typically for ferrous casting the GFN is 70 but it ranges between 50 to 100. This is because if the GFN is below 50 it will result in poor surface quality. Thus if the GFN is above 100, its too fine and gives low permeability and defects might occur due to the large surface area.

Silica sand are suitable for casting because of its high temperature characteristics ans high melting point (refractoriness). This sand is having a fine, round grains can be packed closely and thus, forms a smooth mold surface. Although fine grained sand enhances mold strength, the fine grain also lower mold permeability, good permeability allows gases pass through easily In addition, the sand also should have good collapsibility in order to allow the casting to shrink while cooling during casting, thus avoid defects.

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iii.

Plot the following graphs: a. Between sieve numbers and percentage of mass retained in each sieve

% Mass Retained
40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 20

PERCENTAGE OF MASS RETAINED VS SIEVE NUMBER

30

40

50

70

100

140

200

270

PAN

Sieve Number

GRAPH 1 : Sieve no Vs Sand Mass

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b.

Between sieve numbers and cumulative percentage of mass left in sieve

Sieve no 20 30 40 50 70 100 140 200 270

Cumulative 0.24 1.37 35.04 56.33 61.92 75.39 89.17 96.42 99.35 100

120 100 80 60 40 20 0 20 30 40 50 70 100 140 200 270 PAN

GRAPH 2 : Cumulative percentage Vs Seive No

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8.0

CONCLUSION

From the experiment, we have conclude that the objectives have been achieved. We have determine the objective which is to measure the sand grain size, to calculate the grain fineness number (GFN), to enhanced knowledge about suitability of the sand for casting and to understand the advantages and disadvantages of sieve analysis and its application. All the data and result had shown above. In addition, our percentage error that we get is less than 30% which is preferable. The best characteristics of sand to use in casting are fine, round grains and can be pack closely, thus, forms a smooth mold surface. That is why silica sand is choosen because of its high temperature characteristics and high melting point. Apart from that, fine grain also lower mold permeability (where fluids and gases penetrate through pores). Good permeability of molds allows gases and steam evolved during casting to escape easily.

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9.0 RECOMMENDATION
Some issues have been recommended on how this experiment can be done in well manner and should be more precise than before : 1. Student should aware of the situation and follow the procedure carefully to get precise result. As an example, we must ensure the sieve machine and the apparatus is always clean to avoid error. 2. The machine is needed to be checked and rechecked in order to maintain the performance. 3. The machine which have been used for more than 20 years is necessarily been destroyed and replaced it with the new one which is more precise and accurate. 4. Laboratory environment is a critical situation and the authority should aware of this because the cause could be an effect to the machine itself.

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10.0 REFERENCES

1. Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, Fifth Edition, Serope Kalkpakjian, Steven Schmid 2. P.N.Rao, Manufacturing Technology, Foundry, Forming and Welding, 2nd Edition, Institut Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. McGraw Hill, 1998 3. A Sand Casting Manual For The Small Foundry Vol. 1 by Stephen D. Chastain, 2003 4. Manufacturing Technology (Manufacturing Processes) by R. K. Rajput, 2007 5. A Complet Handbook Of Sand Casting By C. W. Ammen, 1979, Mc Graw Hill

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