iron casting

In metalworking, iron casting involves pouring a liquid metal into a mould, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then is allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a iron casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mould to complete the process. Iron casting is most often used for making complex shapes that would be difficult or uneconomical to make by other methods. The iron casting process is subdivided into two main categories: expendable and non-expendable iron casting. It is further broken down by the mould material, such as sand or metal, and pouring method, such as gravity, vacuum, or low pressure. Iron casting is a solidification process, which means the solidification phenomenon controls most of the properties of the iron casting. Moreover, most of the iron casting defects occur during solidification, such as gas porosity and solidification shrinkage. Solidification in iron casting occurs in two steps: nucleation and crystal growth. In the nucleation stage solid particles form within the liquid. When these particles form their internal energy is lower than the surrounded liquid, which creates an energy interface between the two. Iron casting. The formation of the surface at this interface requires energy, so as nucleation occurs the material actually undercools, that is it cools below its freezing temperature, because of the extra energy required to form the interface surfaces.

iron casting from Nuova Fonderia