I am getting ready to try my hand at a sand casting: the 1/5 scale Chenery rotary Crankcase in aluminum. I am not convinced that I would need a ‘split pattern’ for this casting. Are there any suggestions on where to sprue / gate pattern this mold? Thanks, Norman
Aluminum sand casting for Chenery Gnome Rotary
- Thread starter albd5a
- Start date
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Opinions on how to approach making a casting for the Chenery Gnome Rotary will vary.
I can offer one way to do it.
A photo of what I think the casting would look like is at post #22 here:
https://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/threads/les-chenery-rotary-engine-1-5.31718/page-2
Assuming the casting is laying flat on its back, with the crankshaft facing straight upwards:
It probably would be easier to split the pattern hozirontally at the centerline of the cylinders, but you can always use a follower board with a one-piece pattern.
I think I would use a 3-piece flask, and let the runner be in the lowest flask.
The runner would be horseshoe-shaped, with a vertical sprue at the center of the horseshoe.
Two long knife gates from the runner, one each side, into the bottom/side of the crankcase.
You could use spin traps at the ends of the runners if desired.
The core in the center would be round, with radial coreprints going out for the cylinder holes.
My 3D model machine is not set up at the moment, so I can't sketch it up.
Extend the bottom of the casting down to allow machining allowance, and to allow the gates to enter the mold cavity.
Then machine the gates off.
You could add a boss on the top of the casting to allow you to grip it, and then machine that boss off.
I would consider using a sodium-silicate bound mold for the cores and mold, since this part seems to be relatively small.
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I can offer one way to do it.
A photo of what I think the casting would look like is at post #22 here:
https://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/threads/les-chenery-rotary-engine-1-5.31718/page-2
Assuming the casting is laying flat on its back, with the crankshaft facing straight upwards:
It probably would be easier to split the pattern hozirontally at the centerline of the cylinders, but you can always use a follower board with a one-piece pattern.
I think I would use a 3-piece flask, and let the runner be in the lowest flask.
The runner would be horseshoe-shaped, with a vertical sprue at the center of the horseshoe.
Two long knife gates from the runner, one each side, into the bottom/side of the crankcase.
You could use spin traps at the ends of the runners if desired.
The core in the center would be round, with radial coreprints going out for the cylinder holes.
My 3D model machine is not set up at the moment, so I can't sketch it up.
Extend the bottom of the casting down to allow machining allowance, and to allow the gates to enter the mold cavity.
Then machine the gates off.
You could add a boss on the top of the casting to allow you to grip it, and then machine that boss off.
I would consider using a sodium-silicate bound mold for the cores and mold, since this part seems to be relatively small.
.
I'm not sure how you can cast it without a split mould unless you are going to investment cast. Pat's link on page 2 looks to show a crankcase cut from solid so it does not have the round bosses that the cylinders screw into or the webs between them.
Just don't feed it via a "cast "surface and at such a small size I would not bother with cores, you don't see it on others. Just a single hole through the middle which does not need a core
There is one up for sale at the moment on ebay and also on MECH forum which may save you the bother
Just don't feed it via a "cast "surface and at such a small size I would not bother with cores, you don't see it on others. Just a single hole through the middle which does not need a core
There is one up for sale at the moment on ebay and also on MECH forum which may save you the bother
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It might be easier to make as a single piece pattern and an oddside board. I also have the possibly mistaken idea that an oddside helps with
registering the mould boxes accurately.
registering the mould boxes accurately.
I have made bound sand pattern halves, and I use snap flasks.
So once the flask is removed, there needs to be something to index the cope with the drag exactly.
There are several ways to do the indexing, but the way I do it is before I remove the flasks, but after the two mold haves have hardened, I drill two 1/4" holes in the mold with a 12" long drill bit, and use 1/4" wood dowls inserted in the holes to get the mold halves to fit back together perfectly.
If you are using a follower board, and green sand, the follower board does not have to register to anything, but when you remove the follower board, and add the 2nd flask half, that flask half must index to the first flask half with dowls/pins.
The follower board just has to be larger than or the same size as the flask.
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So once the flask is removed, there needs to be something to index the cope with the drag exactly.
There are several ways to do the indexing, but the way I do it is before I remove the flasks, but after the two mold haves have hardened, I drill two 1/4" holes in the mold with a 12" long drill bit, and use 1/4" wood dowls inserted in the holes to get the mold halves to fit back together perfectly.
If you are using a follower board, and green sand, the follower board does not have to register to anything, but when you remove the follower board, and add the 2nd flask half, that flask half must index to the first flask half with dowls/pins.
The follower board just has to be larger than or the same size as the flask.
.
If using woodern patterns then a follower board would be considerably harder to make than the actual pattern. Easier if you are 3D printing as it is just a simple boolean subtraction.
Though if in the hole foundry I suppose you could simply scoop away the sand down to the mid line.
Though if in the hole foundry I suppose you could simply scoop away the sand down to the mid line.
