The Gating System of Castings

Objective
The gating system is that part of the
mould cavity through which the metal
is

poured

to

fill

the

casting

impression; its design is the principal

means by which the foundryman can
control the pattern of metal flow
within the mould. The importance of
gating technique arises from its fourfold purpose:
1. The rate and direction of metal flow must be such as to
ensure complete filling of the mould before freezing.
2. Flow should be smooth and uniform, with minimum
turbulence. Entrapment of air, metal oxidation and mould
erosion are thus avoided.
3. The technique should promote the ideal temperature
distribution within the completely filled mould cavity, so that
the pattern of subsequent cooling is favourable to feeding.
4. The system can incorporate traps or filters for the
separation of nonmetallic inclusions, whether dislodged in
the gating system or introduced with the metal.
Gating technique must be designed to take account of the weight and
shape of the individual casting, the fluidity of the metal and its relative
susceptibility to oxidation. Although techniques vary widely according
to these conditions, the basic objectives must be achieved at
minimum cost in moulding and fettling time and in metal consumption.

Essential features of gating systems

The gating system, in general, may involve the following components:

pouring basin; Sprue; runner and gates. These components are
shown in the figure.

Type of gating system

There are basically three types of gating system: Top gating; bottom
gating and parting line gating systems.

Gating calculations
The important control parameters for a gating system are the rate of
flow and the pouring time. The rate of flow of metal is usually
determined by a choke. A choke is the portion of any gating system
where the cross-sectional area is the smallest.

The area at the bottom or exit side of the sprue is generally designed
as the choke. (In everyday language, choke is the bottleneck).
Pouring time:
The pouring time is largely determined by experience. It depends on
the fluidity of the metal, casting weight and casting thickness.
Pouring rate:
The Pouring rate should fill the cavity rapidly to avoid the formation of
laps; at the same time the velocity of the metal stream should be low
so that turbulence is reduced and, for sand moulds, sand erosion is
avoided in the sprue, runner, gate or mould; Further the rate of filling
the mould cavity should be higher for metal with lower fluidity and for
a casting with thinner sections to prevent laps. Rapid pouring tends to
minimize the total heat radiated to the top section of the mould cavity
as the metal fills, thereby reducing mould spalling and sand
expansion defects.

There several methods used to calculate the pouring time

(t), of

them using the given figure is the simplest way:

Sometimes the following equations can be used to calculate the

pouring time,

(t),

, where K is constant depends on the

metal fluidity and W is the casting weight plus feeders and gating
(around 40%). Also the following equation can be used:

Where T is the average thichness of the casting and a, b, n are

contants depend on casting materials.

Metal flow rate and velocity calculations:

By using Bernoulli's theorem between point
A and B in the figure:

Where V is the velocity of flow and P is the

pressure. Since VA = 0 and PA=PB=0 and
point B is the datum, then:

It has to be mentioned that

not all potential energy of
liquid at top of sprue is
converted

to

mechanical

energy at casting cavity. In

fact, some potential energy
lost to friction (heat) as
liquid moves against mould
wall

and

liquid

moves

against liquid. This energy

loss due to friction extends mould filling time and must be taken into
account when calculating choke cross sectional area and pouring
time as well as the linear velocity of flow

(V).

coefficient (f) can be calculated from the given figure.

Then

Friction loss

Choke Area:
Choke area is usually the area at the bottom of a tapered sprue as
shown previously. An important step in gating design is calculation of
the choke area. It the sprue is kept full of metal, the effective sprue
height H, is the height of metallic head, from the top of the metal in
pouring basin to the bottom of the casting. The height decreases as
the metal fills the cavity but can be taken as the average value for
a particular design as shown in the figure according to the following
equation:

Different gating system design:

Top gating P = 0, Bottom gating P = C, Parting line gating P

The velocity of metal at the bottom of the sprue.

where g is the acceleration due to gravity,

f is friction loss coefficient

and H is the effective sprue height. The average mass flow rate of
metal is W/ t and the volume flow rate is W/ t, where is the density
of the metal. The volume flow rate is also equal to AxV, where A is
the area and V is the velocity at a given cross-section.
Therefore, A x V =W / t or

Sprue:
This can be of circular or rectangular cross-section. It is tapered
downwards to avoid aspiration of air as shown in the figure.

The cross-sectional area of the

bottom is usually the choke area
A. Therefore, the area at the top
A1 can be calculated from the
sprue taper formula:

where A is the choke area, h

height of metal from top of the pouring basin to the bottom of the
sprue, and h1; is the height from the top of the pouring basin to the
top of the sprue. The previous equation can be derived from the
equation AV=A1V1.
Gating ratio:
The gating ratio refers to the ratio of area of sprue base (choke), total
areas of runner and total area of gates: As : Ar : Ag. There are,
basically two kinds of gating ratios. In pressurized system, the areas
are reduced from the sprue, i.e. Ar and Ag are smaller than As The

pressurized system ensures rapid filling of the mould and sufficient

back pressure is maintained on the sprue. This system is commonly
used for grey iron and steel castings; for instance, for steel, a ratio of
1 : 1 : 07 has been employed.
In non-pressurized or reverse-choke system, the areas of runner
and gates are enlarged after the sprue. The greatest advantage of
this method is that the velocity of the metal is reduced and thereby
turbulence

is

minimized.

This

is

especially

preferred

for'

dross-forming alloys such as light alloys (aluminum and magnesium

base alloys) and for other alloys such as aluminum bronze. The chief
disadvantage is that pouring is rather slow and it is difficult to keep
the sprue filled. This method greatly reduces the casting defects
encountered due to turbulence and mould erosion. The common
ratios for aluminum alloys are 1 : 2 : 2, 1 : 3 : 3 and 1 : 4 : 4.
In the literature, other gating ratios have been suggested, based on
experiments for specific casting methods and metals. For steel,
a ratio of 1 : 2 : 15 has also been recommended. For ductile iron,
a ratio of 1 : 2 : 075 has been suggested. The reasoning is that an
enlarged runner will allow slag or inclusion to rise and be trapped in
the runner. Thus, large variations in the gating ratios are possible,
based on particular experience and practice.

Example Calculate the gating dimensions with a gating ratio

of 1 : 2 : 2 for a ductile iron casting of section thickness 12 mm
weighing 30.6 kg. Assume the effective sprue height (H) of 200 mm.

Given the following data:

- Pouring time

where K = 23 for thickness = 12 mm

and W = casting weight (kg),

- Friction factor f =0.9
- density of iron = 79 x l0-3 kg/cm3
Solution:

Home Work
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Calculate the gating dimensions with a gating ratio of 1 : 1 : 0.75 for a ductile iron
casting of section weighing 50 kg. Assume the effective sprue height (H) of 230
mm and the basin height is 70 mm. Assume that the thickness of casting is 100
mm and bottom gating system is used. Given that density of iron = 79 x l0-3
kg/cm3. Use the figure given in the lecture to estimate pouring time and friction
coefficient. Suppose any missing data
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