INVESTIGATION OF THE FOUNDRY PROPERTIES OF GIREI SAND DEPOSIT IN UPPER BENUE RIVER BASIN FOR CASTING PURPOSES
Foundries for the metal-casting industry use large amounts of the foundry sand. Sand is the most crucial factor in the practice of foundry. It is therefore very essential to have better understanding of this material through the knowledge of its properties. This will greatly assist to determine the sand suitability for foundry use. This article presents an investigation to determine the foundry properties of sand deposit in Girei area of Upper River Benue Basin in Adamawa state, Nigeria. Sand samples containing 8% clay, 4% water and 88% sand were collected and prepared from which 8 specimens were produced and their physical and chemical properties analyzed to determine their suitability for use in casting industries. The results of the study show that the moisture content of the sand is 3.5%, the green shear strength is 1.8 kN/m2, the green compression strength is 13.2, kN/m2 dry shear strength is 40 kN/m2 and the dry compression strength is 290 kN/m2. Clay analysis showed that the percentage of clay in the sand is 5.6%. Sand permeability number was found to be 498 while sieve analysis indicates that the Grain Fineness Number (GFN) is 41.36. These results compare very well with American Foundry man’s Society (AFS) standard for foundry sand. Therefore the Upper River Benue sand can be used in foundries for metal casting.
Authors : Yami, A. M.
Category : Open Access Volume (Issue) : 6(2) Date Uploaded : 12th March 2021