The Sand Coated Die

Abstract

The sand coated die is composed of a casting and a die which are separated by a layer of variable sand thickness. Increasing sand thickness will reduce the chilling influence of the die and hence augment the solidification time of the casting. A computer model has been developed which accurately predicts the relative solidification time in the sand coated die. This model, validated for several cast metals, is in close agreement with the experimental data of the present research as well as with the ones published previously in literature. At the interface sand-die no perfect conduction contact exists. This may be explained by a simplified model of sand grains packing.