Computer Aided Expert System For surface defect Analysis of Sand Casting

Abstract

quotOwing to the increasing demand for metal casting from various sectors, foundry has played a significant role in spurring the global manufacturing market s growth prospects. The foundries have seen overwhelming growth in the past few years and to set up a manufacturing base for both the low-cost and quality production of casting components, India is seen as a potential hub for global companies. Among different casting processes, sand casting is more prone to defect occurrence because of the involvement of numerous stages of the production process such as design, pattern making, moulding, melting, pouring, shakeout heat treatment, etc. newlineThe shortcoming in preserving parameters and methodologies at any stage leads to defective casting and increases the rejection rate. To minimize rejection, diagnosis of the casting defect and rectification steps to eliminate the defect are the two imperative aspects as the casting process deals with countless parameters and methodologies. To redress the myriad casting defects requires empirical knowledge and proficiency cultivated over the years by professionals. Small and medium-scale industries often experience immense problems in acquiring and sustaining professionals. The present research focused on assisting medium and small-scale industries with defect analysis of casting products to drive them self-sustain by the development of an expert system for diagnosis and rectification of the defects that are prone in the industries. The research outlines the defect diagnostic in sand casting and suggests remedies to rectify the casting defect based on a database structure for defect analysis prepared by combining both expertise from industrial and theoretical literature. The diagnosis of defects is carried out based on visual characteristics established through practical exposure in industries and literatures and fed into the database of the Expert System. The newlinerectification steps are categorized and segregated by their susceptibility to the causes of the defect and are fed as a knowle