Trials with Artificial Sand Products in Steel-Foundries

摘要

Today molds for steel castings are mainly consisting of cold resins bonded quartz sand, which may cause silicosis when the workmen inhale dust-laden air in the foundry. By using corundum sand instead of quartz sand the risk of silicoses can be avoided. Corundum is highly heatproof and its dust does not create specific diseases. However, corundum is causing heavy wearing off and it is expensive. On the basis of special transportation and casting experiments the technical and commercial aspects on the practical use of corundum molding material were to be demonstrated. Pneumatic transportation tests have shown that the wearing off effects--due to extremely low transportation speed--remain within tolerable limits. Casting tests with relatively heavy steel casting have--under certain conditions--resulted in a proper setting of the corundum molds and in marketable castings. The possibility of regenerating the corundum sand has been proven. If by producing the raw material on a large-scale basis the corundum price is lowered, an economical use of the corundum sand in foundries will be possible.