The Influence of Foundry Sand Type on the Hardening Process of Self-Setting Molding Sands Based on Urea-Furan Binder
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24425/afe.2026.157989Abstract
The article presents the results of investigations on the influence of the type of sand matrix on the binding process of self-setting molding sands with an organic binder. The study encompassed molding sands prepared on matrices of quartz, reclaimed quartz, zircon, chromite, corundum, synthetic, and olivine sand (a “non-compatible” sand). For the preparation of the molding sands, a urea–furan resin Kalthartz U404 was used as the binder, along with an acidic hardener, Activator 100 T3. In the case of matrices compatible with the self-setting molding sand system with an organic binder, the resin content was 1.00 p.p.w., with a constant hardener-to-binder ratio of 50 %. During the study, a sieve analysis of the investigated sand matrices was conducted according to PN-83/H-11076, and the pH value was determined using a method refined by the authors based on BN-81/4021-02. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was performed, along with kinetic studies of the sand binding process using the ultrasonic method, complemented by observations of the resulting binder bridges. During the ultrasonic tests, the influence of the applied sand matrix on the value of the obtained wave velocities (CL) and on the changes in the degree of sand hardening (Sx) during binding was determined. Additionally, the kinetics of the hardening process were determined based on dCL/dt and dSx/dt. All experiments were conducted on an ultrasonic testing station equipped with a temperature-controlled chamber, maintaining an ambient temperature of 20 °C throughout the measurements. Care was taken to ensure that the temperature of the molding sand after mixing all components remained at approximately 20 ± 1 °C.
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