Dynamic measurements of the load on gray cast iron castings and contraction of castings during cooling in furan sand molds

• During solidification, the cast iron casting received a compressive load attributable to the casting expansion.
• After solidification, the load on the casting and the contraction of the casting increased linearly with cooling.
• During A1 transformation, the load on the casting was relieved because of the expansion of the casting.
• After the A1 transformation, the load on the casting and the contraction of the casting increased linearly with cooling again.

After JIS FC300 (almost identical to ASTM 45) gray cast iron was cast in a furan sand mold, both the load on the casting from the sand mold and contraction of the casting were measured dynamically from the beginning of solidification to 200 °C. During solidification, the cast iron casting received compressive load from the sand mold attributable to expansion of the casting. After solidification, the load on the casting and the contraction of the casting increased linearly with cooling. During A1 transformation, the load on the casting was relieved because of the casting expansion. After the A1 transformation, the load on the casting and the contraction of the casting increased linearly with cooling again. When the load on the casting reached approximately 13 kN, the load stayed constant, probably because of the sand mold fracture.