Special Casting (Second Edition)

Author: Lin Bai-Nian / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Since the textbook Special Casting was first published in 1961 by the Casting Teaching and Research Group of Nanjing Institute of Technology, there have been four widely disseminated versions of the Special Casting textbook in China. The most recent version, edited by Zeng Zhao-Zhao and published by Zhejiang University Press in 1990, has been 14 years old. Over these 14 years, significant changes have occurred. In the undergraduate program settings of general universities, the casting major has been abolished, and the teaching of casting knowledge has been integrated into the teaching plan of Materials Forming and Control Engineering. The amount of teaching on casting-related knowledge has been greatly reduced, and the highly practical "Special Casting" course has been removed. This has created a significant deficiency in the training of senior technical personnel for the casting profession.
At the same time, the development of science and technology and the continuous updating of people's lifestyles have placed increasingly new demands on casting production. The technology of the casting industry has also made new advancements, especially in special casting, which has been rapidly expanding in various industries of China's industrial production and continuously improving and updating its technical level. Examples include the establishment of numerous investment casting and die-casting workshops; the emergence of many centrifugal cast pipe factories; the implementation of multiple continuous cast steel, continuous cast copper, and continuous cast aluminum production lines in many metallurgical enterprises; and the introduction and establishment of low-pressure casting machines and differential-pressure casting machines in many factories. These all indicate that society needs a Special Casting textbook with solid theoretical foundations, rich practical content, and the ability to reflect the latest technological achievements, to serve as teaching material for relevant majors (training programs), as a reference for personnel engaged in casting management, scientific research, and technical work for continuous learning, and as an introductory book for university graduates newly entering the casting field, who need foundational knowledge to start their careers. However, the Special Casting published in 1990 is no longer suitable for current requirements.
Therefore, based on a thorough market survey, Zhejiang University Press has bravely decided to discard the old version and invited me to rewrite this book to meet societal needs and promote the development of China's special casting industry. Based on extensive experience in teaching and researching special casting, considering the current development of China's casting industry, the practical conditions for the training and growth of casting professionals, and the needs of those working in special casting, the guiding principles for writing this book are as follows:
1. The main special casting methods described in this book will be those widely used and commonly encountered non-sand mold casting methods, such as investment casting, ceramic mold casting,casting, metal mold casting, low-pressure casting, differential-pressure casting, die-casting, centrifugal casting, continuous casting, extrusion casting, and vacuum suction casting. Slag melting casting, although applied in China, has a narrow scope of dissemination; shell mold casting, whose molding materials and methods can be found in sand mold casting resources, is not covered.
2. The primary readers of this book are: teachers and students of various casting-related majors; personnel engaged in casting production management, casting technical research, and technical management; and individuals aspiring to start careers in the special casting industry.
3. Considering that people's current learning of special casting often requires a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of several specific methods, rather than the general familiarity required in the past, and to accommodate the needs of a broader readership, this book provides detailed descriptions of each special casting method without distinguishing between key and non-key methods. Teachers and students can select and apply relevant chapters based on their teaching and learning objectives. Naturally, if certain content related to a specific casting method has already been discussed in another method, it will not be repeated. Readers can refer to the text for hints in the form of certain prompts.
4. This book primarily describes the essence, basic principles, process characteristics, and specialized materials of the 11 casting methods mentioned earlier. It also provides essential knowledge on the design and special fabrication methods of process equipment, as well as a comprehensive introduction to the specialized equipment used for various casting methods, to broaden readers' perspectives and insights and equip them with the necessary and solid technical knowledge foundation for engaging in the special casting industry.
The writing of this book was supported by the Key Textbook Development Fund of Harbin Institute of Technology. I am grateful for this support. It is inevitable that there may be errors or shortcomings in the content of this book. Your corrections are welcome.
Contributors to the writing of this book also include Wu Yu-Qing, Lin Xiao-Di, Zhang Cheng-Jun, and Han Bo.
Editors