Casting defects

 A casting defect is an irregularity in the metal casting

process that is undesired.
 It may sometimes be tolerated, sometimes eliminated with
proper molding practice or repaired using methods such as
welding, metallization etc.
 There are many types of defects which result from
different causes. Some of the remedies to certain defects
may be the cause for another type of defect.
Types of defects
Defects in casting occur due to various causes. Although
it is quite difficult to establish a relationship between
defects and causes, casting defects are roughly broken
down into five main categories.
 Gas defects
 Shrinkage cavities
 Moulding material defects
 Pouring metal defects
 Metallurgical defects
Mismatch or mould shift
The casting that does not match at the parting line is
known as Mismatch or Mould shift.
Causes:
• Worn or bent clamping pins.
• Misalignment of two halves
of patterns.
• Improper location and
support of core.
• Faulty store boxes.
• Loose dowels.
Remedies:
1. Increase strength of mould and
core.
2. Provide adequate support to
core.
3. Proper alignment of two halves
of the pattern.
4. Proper clamping of mould box.
5. Repair or replace dowels and pin causing mismatch.
Misrun and cold shuts
1. When the metal is unable to fill
the mould cavity completely and
thus leaves unfilled cavities, it is
called as misrun defect.

2. When two metal streams meeting

in the mould cavity, do not fuse
together properly, causing
discontinuity or weak spot inside
casting, it is called as cold shut.
Causes:
1. Low pouring temperature.
2. Faulty gating system design.
3. Too thin casting sections.
4. Slow and intermittent pouring.
5. Improper alloy composition.
6. Use of damaged pattern.
7. Lack of fluidity in molten metal.
Remedies:
1. Smooth pouring with the help of
monorail.
2. Properly transport mould during
pouring.
3. Providing appropriate pouring
temperature.
4. Modifying the gating system
design.
Shrinkage cavity
• Shrinkage cavity is a void on
the surface of the casting
caused mainly due to the
uncontrolled and haphazard
solidification of the metal.

Shrinkage defects can be

split into two different types:
1. External shrinkage.
2. Closed shrinkage defects.
Causes:
1. Inadequate and improper gating and risering system.
2. Too much high pouring temperature.
3. Improper chilling.

Remedies:
1. Ensure proper directional solidification
by modifying gating, risering and
chilling system
Blow holes
Balloon shaped gas cavities caused by
release of mould gases during pouring
are known as blow holes.

Causes:
1. Ramming is to hard.
2. Cores are not sufficiently baked.
3. Excess moisture content.
4. Low sand permeability.
5. Excessive fineness of sand grains.
6. Presence of gas producing
ingredients.
Remedies:
1.Baking of cores properly.
2. Control of moisture content in
moulding sand.
3. Use of rust free chills, chaplets and
inserts.
4. Provide adequate venting in moulds
and cores.
5. Ramming the mould less harder.
Porosity
• Porosity is the form of cavities caused due to gas entrapment
during solidification.

Causes:
1. High pouring temperature.
2. Gas dissolved in metal charge.
3. Less flux used.
4. Molten metal not properly degassed.
5. Slow solidification of casting.
6. High moisture and low permeability of
mould.
Remedies:
1. Regulate pouring temperature.
2. Control metal composition.
3. Increase flux proportions.
4. Ensure effective degassing.
5. Modify gating and risering.
6. Reduce moisture and increase
permeability of mould.
Inclusions
• Any undesirable foreign particles present within the metal of a
casting are called as inclusions.
• It may be oxides, sand, slag, dirt etc., which enters the mould cavity
with the molten metal during pouring and weakens the casting and
also spoils the surface of the casting.
Causes:
 Faulty gating and pouring.
 Dissolved gases in molten metal.
 Inferior molding or core sand.
 Soft ramming of mold.
 Rough handling of mold and core.
Remedies:
• Modify gating system.
• Improve pouring to minimize turbulence.
• Use of superior sand of good strength.
• Provide hard ramming.
• Use slag trapping methods for preventing any slag from
entering the mould cavity.
Hot tears or cracking
• Hot tears are ragged irregular internal or external cracks
occurring immediately after the metal have solidified.

Causes:
• Lack of collapsibility of core and mould.
• Hard ramming of mould.
• Faulty casting design.

Remedies:
• Providing softer ramming.
• Improve casting design.
• Improve collapsibility of core and mould.
Metal penetration
• Penetration occurs when the molten metal flows between the
sand particles in the mould.
Causes:
• Low strength of moulding sand.
• Large size of moulding sand.
• High permeability of sand.
• Soft ramming.
Remedies:
• Use of grain with low permeability.
• Appropriate ramming.
Pinholes
• Formation of many small gas cavities at or slightly below
surface of casting are called as pinholes.
Causes:
• Sand with high moisture content.
• Absorption of hydrogen/carbonmonoxide
gas in the metal.
• Alloy not being properly degassed.
• Sand containing gas producing ingredients.
Remedies:
• Reducing the moisture content and increasing permeability.
• Employing good melting and fluxing practices.
Swell
• A swell is enlargement of mould cavity by localized metal
pressure.
Causes:
• Insufficient or soft ramming.
• Low strength mould and core.
• Mould not being supported properly.

Remedies:
• Sand should be rammed evenly and
properly.
• Increase strength of mould and core.
Drop
• Drop is a projection on drag part of casting due fall of its cope
part.

Causes:
 Low green strength of the moulding sand.
 Low mould hardness.
 Insufficient reinforcement of sand projections in the cope.

Remedies:
 Moulding sand should have sufficient green strength.
 Ramming should not be too soft.
Flashes or fins
• A thin projection of metal not intended in casting, usually
occuring at parting line are called as fins.
Causes:
• Inadequately weighted sand.
• Over flexible bottom boards.
• Defective moulding box.
• Loose plating and improper clamping
of flasks.
Remedies:
• Correct assembly of the mould and
cores.
• Keep weights on mould boxes.
Warpage
• Warpage is an undesirable deformation in a casting
occuring during or after solidification due to improper
solidification.
Causes:
 Continuous large flat surfaces.
 No directional solidification of casting.
 Improper cooling rate.
Remedies:
 Follow principle of sufficient directional solidification.
 Make good casting and gating system design.
Bent or twisted casting
 When a casting has wide variation
in its sections, internal stresses are
always set up in it due to
differential cooling in thick and thin
areas. This leads to casting
warpage.
 The remedy is to provide suitable
allowances in pattern, controlling
deformation by performing suitable
ribs and plan for uniform cooling
rate.
Fusion
• When mould sand has no enough
refractioness or metal is poured at
very high temperature or facing
sand is of poor quality, the sand
melts and fuse with the casting
surface.
• The makes difficult to clean
castings and gives them rough
glossy appearance.
• Using sand of enough refractioness
and pouring at suitable temperature
can eliminate this defect.
Runout
• A run out occurs when molten metal leaks out of the mould during
pouring. This is caused by defecting moulding boxes, faulty
clamping and weighing and by casting too near the edge of the box.
• Run out is avoided by modifying the moulding system, providing
proper parting line and providing proper gating system.
Crack
• Crack may arise from locked
up stresses set up on by non
uniform heating and cooling ,
excess sulphur or phosporous
in the metal, and some other
causes.