Gas analysis system for studying sand mold’s atmosphere during steel casting

Abstract

The composition of the mold atmosphere plays a critical role in mold-metal interactions during steel casting and is a root cause of certain casting defects. However, studying this atmosphere is challenging due to technical difficulties in extracting gases from sand molds and the harsh condi- tions of the metal casting process. Most of the studies realized in the field uses gas chromatography and mass spectrometry technics to investigate atmosphere in a foundry mold. Single-gas sensors, being readily available nowadays, present a cost-effective alternative to aforementioned technics. In this paper, we present an innovative gas analysis system designed for real-time, in-situ moni- toring of the mold atmosphere. This system has been developed in collaboration between ENSAM Cluny (LaBoMaP) and the industrial partner Safe Metal.