Density and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Lost Foam Casting by Pressurization during Solidification

Porosity is thought to be severe in aluminum alloy castings produced by lost foam process due to the pyrolysis of the polystyrene foam pattern during pouring, which results in detrimental effect in mechanical property.The slow solidification rate promotes the formation of gassing pin holes, and relative weakness of the thermal gradients can cause micro-shrinkage if the outline of the part complicates feeding in the lost foam casting. One of the methods to eliminate the porosity is to apply high pressure to the molten metal like an isostatic forging during solidification. Fundamental experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of the external pressure on the porosity and mechanical properties of A356.2 alloy bar in the lost foam casting. Solidification time and porosity decreased with increasing the applied pressure during solidification. Applying external pressure was effective in decreasing the porosity and increasing the elongation of the lost foam casting.