An Investigation into the Effect of Process Parameter Settings on Air Emission Characteristics in the Lost Foam Casting Process

The lost foam casting process offers several advantages over traditional green sand casting, most notably the ability to reuse casting sand, thus eliminating the need for costly disposal of contaminated casting sand. The process does, however, produce significant quantities of airborne emissions that can be a danger to both the environment and to the health of workers. This research examines these emissions and considers how several process parameters (e.g., pouring temperature, presence of pattern coating, and pattern surface area to volume ratio) affect emission characteristics. The experimental results provide insight into how the process variables influence air quality measures. This knowledge may be useful for specifying process settings that minimize the environmental impact and also satisfy such traditional performance measures as casting quality and cycle time.