Thermal distortion in process control of chemically-bonded sands

A thermal distortion tester, developed at Western Michigan University for examining the thermal properties of chemically bonded sands, is described. It is simple to operate and the test piece is the new "disc transverse strength specimen" used with chemically-bonded sands. The tester can be wed for process control to establish a materials control program and for dimensional control of cores and molds. The tester is another tool that would aid in identifying correct amounts of binder materials and catalysts, and for predicting the behavior of the core and mold material in thermomechanical application. The thermal distortion curves of sand/binder systems are discussed.