The traditional method of casting metals is in sand molds and has been used for millennia.
Sand casting is still the most prevalent form of casting; in the United States
alone, about 15 million tons of metal are cast by this method each year. Typical applications
of sand casting include machine bases, large turbine impellers, propellers,
plumbing fixtures, and a wide variety of other products and components. The capabilities
of sand casting are given in Table 11.2.
Basically, sand casting consists of (a) placing a pattern (having the shape of the
desired casting) in sand to make an imprint, (b) incorporating a gating system, (c)
removing the pattern and filling the mold cavity with molten metal, (d) allowing the
metal to cool until it solidifies, (e) breaking away the sand mold, and (f) removing
the casting