An Alternative Approach for Sand Casting Process by Replacing of Silica Sand with Stone Dust

Silica sand is significantly used in metal foundry which is one of the essential parts of metal casting process. It is obtained from the riverbank. The demand of natural sand is significantly increasing day by day because of the increase use of casting products. To meet the ever-increasing demand for casting, silica sand is mined in large quantities. Such sand mining from beaches damages its ecosystem and the emissions from transportation of the sand over long distances also emits greenhouse gases, being partly responsible for global warming. To deal with the problem and to attend the demand of natural sand in casting, partial or full replacement of natural sand with stone dust is one of the effective methods. To address these issues, this research investigates into the possibility of fully replacing silica sand by stone dust – a waste product of stones found in local crushers, without compromising the technical specification requirements of the casting process. Stone dust molds were prepared for different compositions of stone dust with respect to different grain sizes, bentonite clay, coal dust, and water. The molds then underwent tests and the essential parameters such as permeability and green strength were tested for each composition. Later on, the best quality silica sand (Allahabad sand) was collected from the Nipha Exports Pvt. Ltd., one of the leading OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) in Eastern India. Then few sand molds were also made and tested the same parameters to compare it with the stone dust mold parameters. An aluminum casting was also made using the proposed stone dust mold and it proved to be successful. This research clearly shows that stone dust can fully replace the widely mined silica sand and thereby neutralize the damages done on the environment.