GATE/SPRUE RELATED POROSITY

Gate size and shape are important for low porosity casting. When casting simple designs with rounded shanks and only a few prongs, almost any gate - round or flared, light or heavy will function properly. A proper gate should be round and slightly smaller than the width of the shank.

A gate is designed to supply the molten metal into the pattern cavity. Assuming proper metal and flask temperatures, the gate is critical in properly filling the cavity and allowing a proper solidification. When a gate is too small, it will solidify before the part cavity. This may cause porosity at the gate-part interface. This is usually seen as a roughness or an indentation at the interface. In some circumstances, cracking may also take place, in a similar manner of a hot tear. When oxides are present, as when old metal is used, trapping of the oxides may take place. This appears as a gritty or sandy texture inside the cast part. A flared gate, hammered to expand the gate width is very popular. Flaring a gate makes it easy to engrave style number as well as increase the metal flow rate into the part.

NOTES: When solidification occurs in an angle, the outer edges solidify more rapidly causing a greater shrinkage to take place. The narrower the gate-part interface, the higher the velocity of the supplied metal. Round gates solidify in a more uniform manner than angled gates.