Assessment of properties of natural moulding sands in Ilorin and Ilesha, Nigeria
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Date
2009
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USEP Journal of Research Information in Civil Engineering
Abstract
The mechanical and permeability properties of natural sand deposits at Ilesha (south west) and Ilorin (middle belt) in Nigeria used in the foundry as moulding sand for casting of non-ferrous metals were investigated. The aim was to determine the optimum moisture content (OMC) for appropriate foundry works. The variation of the green strength of the moulding sand with the mixing water content was conducted to establish the OMC of 8% and 9% respectively for Ilesha and Ilorin sands. The corresponding values of the green compression strength of 52kN/m2 and 50kN/m2 , dry compression strength of 285kN/m2 and 300kN/m2 , shatter index values of 38 and 37 and the permeability index of 50 and 47.5 for Ilorin and Ilesha deposits respectively obtained at OMC of 8-9% were found adequate to produce sound casting of non-ferrous metals. The results indicate that with water addition in the range of 8-9%, the natural sands exhibit appropriate casting properties for non-ferrous metals in accordance with the standards and specifications of the America Foundry Society (AFS).
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Keywords
casting, sand moulding, natural sand