Search Procedure for Optimal Design and Technological Solutions to Ensure Dimensional and Geometric Accuracy of Castings

The object of research in the work is the technology of manufacturing shaped castings in disposable sand molds. The existing problem is that the imperfection of design and technological solutions at the stage of developing the technology of a single sand mold casting leads to deviations in the dimensions and geometry of the castings after their manufacture from the requirements of technological documentation. This can lead to an irreparable shortage of casting. To develop measures to eliminate or minimize the event, which consists in the formation of a shortage of castings in terms of dimensional and geometric accuracy, a procedure for searching for optimal design and technological solutions is proposed. A hypothesis has been put forward that a significant factor that leads to deviations in the dimensional and geometric accuracy of castings from the requirements of technological documentation is the imperfection of the gating system design. It is demonstrated on specific castings how this factor can influence the formation of uneven wall thickness. The proposed procedure, which includes 10 consecutive steps, allows to build a plan for a complete factorial experiment and obtain a regression equation for it, linking the parameters of the gating system with indicators of dimensional and geometric accuracy. The presence of such equations provides the possibility of further experimental optimization and determination of design and technological solutions for the development or improvement of casting systems that minimize the deviations of the dimensional and geometric accuracy of castings from the requirements of technological documentation. This also minimizes the likelihood of an event consisting in the formation of an irreparable shortage of castings. The presented study will be useful for machine-building enterprises that have foundries in their structure, where shaped castings are made in disposable sand molds.