The Effect of Silica Sand Casting Parameters on the Defect Formation of 46MnSi Alloy Steel Scraper Plate Casting Applicable to Remove Sugar Cane Molasses from Roller Teeth (Case at Akaki Basic Metal Industry)

Abstract

The research was conducted to experimentally investigate the effect of casting parameters on the defect formation in 46MnSi steel scraper plate casts produced at Akaki basic metals Industry –Ethiopia, which are used to remove sugar cane molasses from roller teeth. The scraper plate should attain high toughness and be resistant to the roller load. However, due to casting parameters influence various defects attack the scraper plate that weaken the load-carrying capacity of the plate in service. To carry out the research, physical observation, photographic analysis, and experimental methods were employed. A purposive sampling method was utilized and three sample units were cast for analysis. Analysis was carried out using experimental data based on a cause and effect diagram. The key identified process parameters were the molding process, sand properties, metal condition, and gating system design respectively. In the analysis of the cause and effect diagram, it was found that the mentioned parameters seriously affect the quality of the casting. The gating system design and the sand properties show a significant effect on the formation of defects on the scraper plate. The common defects caused by all mentioned parameters were porosities, blowholes, and sand inclusion respectively. From the experimental result, it was understood that 60% rejection of cast scraper was caused by uncontrolled pouring temperature effect and 25% of the rejection was due to mold hardness problem. Therefore, controlling the above-mentioned parameters to meet optimum standard is an essential future task for the factory.