Effect of Process Variables on Sand Mould Properties in EPC Process Using Response Surface Methodology

摘要

Evaporative pattern casting process is a relatively new technology, which is gaining popularity among manufacturers. Sand is a very important variable in the working of the whole process. This paper investigates the effect of process variables such as grain fineness number, amplitude of vibration and vibration time on the silica sand mould characteristic such as bulk density, packing factor, and void ratio. In order to evaluate the effect of selected process variables, the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) has been used to correlate the independent process variables with the desired sand characteristics by a mathematical model. The central composite rotatable design was used to conduct the experiments. The result indicates that bulk density and packing factor of the silica sand increase and void ratio decreases with increase in grain fineness number, amplitude of vibration and vibration time.