Grain Fineness Test

For carry out grain fineness test a sample of dry silica sand weighing 50 gms free from clay is placed on a top most sieve bearing U.S. series equivalent number 6. A set of eleven sieves having U.S. Bureau of standard meshes 6, 12, 20, 30, 40, 50, 70, 100, 140, 200 and 270 are mounted on a mechanical shaker (Fig. 12.1). The series are placed in order of fineness from top to bottom. The free silica sand sample is shaked in a mechanical shaker for about 15 minutes. After this weight of sand retained in each sieve is obtained sand and the retained sand in each sieve is multiplied by 2 which gives % of weight retained by each sieve. The same is further multiplied by a multiplying factor and total product is obtained. It is then divided by total % sand retained by different sieves which will give G.F.N.

Refractoriness Test

The refractoriness of the molding sand is judged by heating the American Foundry Society (A.F.S) standard sand specimen to very high temperatures ranges depending upon the type of sand. The heated sand test pieces are cooled to room temperature and examined under a microscope for surface characteristics or by scratching it with a steel needle. If the silica sand grains remain sharply defined and easily give way to the needle. Sintering has not yet set in. In the actual experiment the sand specimen in a porcelain boat is p1aced into an e1ectric furnace. It is usual practice to start the test from l000°C and raise the temperature in steps of 100°C to 1300°C and in steps of 50° above 1300°C till sintering of the silica sand grains takes place. At each temperature level, it is kept for at least three minutes and then taken out from the oven for examination under a microscope for evaluating surface characteristics or by scratching it with a steel needle. Copied from A Taxtbook of a Basic Manufacturing Processes and Workshop Technology by Rajender Singh.