ASM Handbook: Casting

This Handbook on casting technologies is a comprehensive reference for those who specify, manufacture, design, or evaluate cast metal components. This broad-based collection of applied casting knowledge provides a valuable resource for student, educators, practicing engineers, and technical support staff.

The broad scope of this reference covers both the products and processes of casting. From guidelines on the purchase of castings, to the engineering demands of energy efficiency, productivity, and product performance, Volume 15 provides very extensive coverage on the principles, practices, and applications of metalcasting. Molten metal processing, solidification behavior, modeling, molding, foundry practice, and casting properties are covered in detail. The basic steps and equipment associated are described for casting processes, along with their advantages, limitations, and applications.

By a resolution of its Board of Trustees, ASM International has adopted the practice of publishing data in both metric and customary U.S. units of measure. In preparing this Handbook, the editors have attempted to present data in metric units based primarily on Système International d'Unités (SI), with secondary mention of the corresponding values in customary U.S. units. The decision to use SI as the primary system of units was based on the aforementioned resolution of the Board of Trustees and the widespread use of metric units throughout the world.
For the most part, numerical engineering data in the text and in tables are presented in SI-based units with the customary U.S. equivalents in parentheses (text) or adjoining columns (tables). For example, pressure, stress, and strength are shown both in SI units, which are pascals (Pa) with a suitable prefix, and in customary U.S. units, which are pounds per square inch (psi). To save space, large values of psi have been converted to kips per square inch (ksi), where 1 ksi = 1000 psi. The metric tonne (kg × 103) has sometimes been shown in megagrams (Mg). Some strictly scientific data are presented in SI units only.
To clarify some illustrations, only one set of units is presented on artwork. References in the accompanying text to data in the illustrations are presented in both SI-based and customary U.S. units. On graphs and charts, grids corresponding to SI-based units usually appear along the left and bottom edges. Where appropriate, corresponding customary U.S. units appear along the top and right edges.
Data pertaining to a specification published by a specification-writing group may be given in only the units used in that specification or in dual units, depending on the nature of the data. For example, the typical yield strength of steel sheet made to a specification written in customary U.S. units would be presented in dual units, but the sheet thickness specified that specification might be presented only in inches.