Casting ductile iron in layer moulds made from ecological sands

The article contains the results of tests performed under the target project in Hardtop Foundry Charsznica. The objective of the tests and studies was to develop a technology of making high-quality ductile iron castings, combined with effective means of environmental protection. The studies presented in this article related to castings weighing from 1 to 300 kg made from ductile iron of grades 400-15 and 500-7, using two-layer moulds, where the facing and core sand was the sand with an alkaline organic binder, while backing sand was the sand with an inorganic geopolymer binder. A simplified method of sand reclamation was applied with possible reuse of the reclaim as an addition to the backing sand. The cast iron spheroidising treatment and inoculation were selected taking into account the specific conditions of Hardtop Foundry. A pilot batch of castings was made, testing the gating and feeding systems and using exothermic sleeves on risers. The study confirmed the validity of the adopted concept of making ductile iron castings in layer moulds, while maintaining the content of sand with an organic binder at a level of maximum 15%.