Comparative evaluation of insulation cotton configurations on the investment casting quality of industrial valve parts

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Kao-Yi Chen, Sukhoiri Khoiruddin, Chieh-Fong Lin, Ming-Hsiu Ho, Cheng-Fu Huang, Sheng-Chan Lee, Chien-Wei Chan, Intan Mardiono, Yiin-Kuen Fuh

2024 International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Vol. 134 Issue 3-4 Article Cited by 8 Quartile

Abstract

This study contributed to the comparison of insulation cotton configurations for the investment casting quality of industrial valve parts. Due to the complexity, parts of industrial valve bodies are usually produced by casting. However, the investment casting production process has several problems, such as shrinkage porosity. Currently, the investment casting industry uses cotton configuration to solve the problem of shrinkage porosity. Therefore, this study compared three cotton installation treatments in the mold shell to determine the optimal use of cotton. There are three schemes of the type of cotton installation on the shell that will be observed, including the triangular insulation cotton area denoted as case A installed 55-mm and case B installed 90-mm cotton on the right and left sides, and case C denoted with adding bracket arms on the upper side. In this study, we used RMM (retained melt modulus) and the finite element model to analyze the shrinkage porosity’s location and to monitor the porosity that occurred during the solidification process. The result showed that cotton could reduce shrinkage porosity by 3.30%, 1.95%, and 1.47% for case A, case B, and case C, respectively. Therefore, the best alternative is case C, add the cotton and bracket arm on the upper side, which is the optimal strategy to prevent shrinkage porosity. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2024.

Affiliations

Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Central University, No. 300, Zhongda Road, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, 320317, Taiwan; GlobalTek Fabrication Co., Ltd., Xinwu Factory, Taoyuan City, 327001, Taiwan; Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Terusan Ryacudu Street, South Lampung, 35365, Indonesia