LAUSR

Flowability property has a strong influence on the performance of the molding process of green sand. Flowability is the capability of bentonite-bonded green sand for flowing around a model especially in the critical regions during the sand mold-making process. It is a necessary property for obtaining molds without bridge formation and without loss of the energy consumed in the molding process. The old methods are destructive tests usually carried out for measuring flowability of green sand before an actual molding process. Direct tests during the mold-making process are not implemented yet. The new method developed by Bast (Arch Metall Mater 58(3):946–952, 2013) uses two sensors. These sensors are integrated into the template similar to the template of the Orlov test (Mori and Inui in J Jpn Foundrym Soc 44(8):659–666, 1972) for live monitoring of flowability of green sand during molding process. Four mathematical mechanisms have been developed for determining material-dependent flowability based on the sensor’s signals. Effect of compactability, water content and speed of pressing machine on the flowability of bentonite-bonded green sand has been studied.