Aging: A gradual change in the properties of a metal or alloy over time, often accelerated by elevated temperatures.
Allowance (Tolerance):The specified difference between mating part dimensions,defining minimum clearance or maximum interference.
Alloy: A metallic material made from two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, with properties that differ from its individual components.
As Cast: A casting in its original state, without heat treatment, machining, coating, or other finishes.
BHN: Brinell Hardness Number.
Blasting (Blast Cleaning): Cleaning or finishing a surface by propelling abrasive media such as grit or shot against it.
Brinell Hardness: A quantitative measure of a material’s resistance to deformation, scratching, or penetration from an external force.
Brittle Fracture: A break that occurs with little or no plastic deformation.
CAD: Computer Aided Design.
CAE: Computer Aided Engineering.
CAM: Computer Aided Manufacturing.
Cavitation: The formation and collapse of bubbles or voids within a liquid.
CMM:Coordinate Measuring Machine.
CNC: Computer Numerical Control machine tools.
Coefficient of Expansion: The amount a material changes in size for a given change in temperature.
Compressive Strength (Yield): The maximum compressive stress a material can withstand before permanent deformation or failure.
Contraction: The reduction in volume that occurs as metals cool and solidify.
Cope: The upper section of a pattern.
Core: A shaped insert, usually made of sand used to create internal cavities or features in a casting.
Core Box: A tooling component used to produce sand cores for metal casting. Contains the shape of the desired core and is filled with bonded sand and a binding system to create a hardened core that forms internal cavities, passages, or complex features within a casting.
Crucible: A heat resistant container used to melt metals.
Crucible Furnace: A furnace in which metal is melted inside a refractory crucible.
Datum Points: Reference points used for measurement, layout, or machining operations.
Defect: A flaw that fails to meet specification requirements.
Degasser: A material or agent used to remove dissolved gases from molten metal.
Degassing: The process of removing unwanted gases from molten metal, often through chemical reactions or inert gas injection.
Drag: The lower section of a pattern.
Fatigue: The progressive weakening of a material caused by repeated loading cycles.
Finish Welding: Production welding performed to achieve a required casting quality.
Flask: A frame used to hold or form a sand mold. The upper half is the cope and the lower half is the drag.
Foundry Returns: Scrap metal, gates, risers, and runners returned to the furnace for remelting.
Frictional Wear: Material loss caused by contact and movement between surfaces.
Gating System: The complete network of sprues, runners, and gates that directs molten metal into a mold.
Heat Treatment: Controlled heating and cooling used to improved specific mechanical properties such as strength.
Impregnation: A sealing process used to eliminate leaks in castings by filling pores with a sealing compound.
Impurity: An unintended element present in a metal or alloy that may affect performance.
ISO: International Standardization Organization.
Ladle: A refractory lined vessel used to transport and pour molten metal.
Liquid Penetrant Testing: A nondestructive inspection method used to detect surface defects.
Machine Allowance: Extra material added to a casting to permit final machining such as tabs.
Mechanical Properties: Characteristics that describe a material’s strength, stiffness,ductility, and behavior under load.
Meyer Hardness Test: A hardness test that evaluates a metal’s tendency to work harden under increasing loads.
Mock-Up: A full scale model built for evaluation, testing, or display.
Mold Cavity: The space within a mold that fills with molten metal to form the casting.
Necking: A localized reduction in cross sectional area caused by tensile stretching.
NFFS: Non Ferrous Founders’ Society.
Nondestructive Testing (Inspection): Inspection methods that evaluate a part without damaging it.
Nonferrous: Describes metals and alloys in which iron is not the primary element.
Open Grain Structure: A defect characterized by a coarse, porous appearance, often associated with shrinkage.
Parting Line:The line where the cope and drag sections of a mold separate.
Pattern: A form used to create the mold cavity.
Pattern Draft: A slight taper added to a pattern to allow easy removal from the mold material.
Porosity: Small cavities or voids within a casting caused by gas entrapment, shrinkage,or process variables.
Pouring: The transfer of molten metal into a ladle or mold.
Process Capability: A measure of process variation.
Profile Tolerances: Tolerance limits applied around an ideal profile to control part geometry.
Quenching: Rapid cooling of a material, typically in water or another medium.
Rigging: The gates, risers, and related components required to produce a sound casting.
Riser: A reservoir of molten metal that feeds a casting as it shrinks during solidification.
Riser Gating: A method of directing molten metal through a riser to promote directional solidification.
Runner: A channel that carries molten metal from the sprue to the mold cavity.
Runner Extension: An extension beyond the last ingate that traps dirt and debris before metal enters the cavity.
Runner Riser: A runner large enough to act as both a flow channel and a feeding reservoir.
Runout: A casting defect caused by molten metal leaking from the mold or failing to completely fill it.
Shakeout: The process of separating a casting from the mold material.
Shot Blasting: A cleaning or surface treatment process using propelled metal shot or grit.
Shrinkage: The reduction in volume or dimensions that occurs during cooling, solidification, or heating of certain materials.
Skimming: Removing slag, dirt, or impurities from the surface of molten metal.
Solidification: The transformation of molten metal from a liquid to a solid state.
Sprue Hole: The opening through which molten metal enters the mold.
Temper: Heat treatment used to improve toughness and reduce brittleness, or the moisture condition of molding sand.
Tensile Strength: The maximum tensile stress a material can with stand before fracture.
Tolerance: The allowable variation from a specified dimension.
Toughness: A material’s ability to absorb energy and deform before severe damaging.
Ultrasonic Testing: A nondestructive inspection method that uses high frequency sound waves to detect internal flaws.
Vacuum Forming: The process used in V process molding where a vacuum holds dry sand in place around a plastic film to create a mold.
Vacuum Process (V-Process): A molding process that relies on a vacuum pressure and dry, unbonded sand to create accurate molds.
Wall Thickness: The distance between opposite surfaces of a casting section, which affects cooling rates, strength, and manufacturability.
Warpage: Distortion that develops in a casting during cooling, heat treatment, or service.
Welding, Arc: Welding performed using an electric arc as the heat source.
X-Ray: High energy electromagnetic radiation used for inspection and internal defect detection.
Yield Strength: The stress level at which a material begins to deform permanently.
Zero-Degree Draft: The ability to produce a casting with 90 degree vertical walls