Modern techniques of castings production, including moulding sands production, require a strict technological regime and high quality
materials. In the case of self-hardening moulding sands with synthetic binders those requirements apply mainly to sand, which adds to
more than 98% of the whole moulding sand mixture. The factors that affect the quality of the moulding sands are both chemical (SiO2
,
Fe2O3 and carbonates content) and physical. Among these factors somewhat less attention is paid to the granulometric composition of the
sands. As a part of this study, the effect of sand quality on bending strength Rgu
and thermal deformation of self-hardening moulding sands
with furfural and alkyd resin was assessed. Moulding sands with furfural resin are known [1] to be the most susceptible to the sand quality.
A negative effect on its properties has, among others, high content of clay binder and so-called subgrains (fraction smaller than 0,1mm),
which can lead to neutralization of acidic hardeners (in the case of moulding sands with furfuryl resin) and also increase the specific
surface, what forces greater amount of binding agents. The research used 5 different quartz sands originating from different sources and
characterized with different grain composition and different clay binder content.
The presented in the paper investigations were aimed at the determination of the reclaimed material (obtained in the dry mechanical
reclamation process) addition influence on properties of moulding sands with hydrated sodium silicate modified by colloidal suspension
of zinc oxide nanoparticles in propanol. Nanoparticles originated from the thermal decomposition of alkaline zinc carbonate, were used.
The results of the reclamation of the spent moulding sand with hydrated sodium silicate performed in the AT-2 testing reclaimer are
presented in the paper. Both, spent sands from the Floster S technology and from the technology with the modified water-glass were
subjected to the reclamation processes. The following determinations of the reclaimed material were performed: pH reaction, acid demand,
ignition loss and Na2O content. The obtained reclaim was used as a matrix component of moulding sands with water-glass in the Floster S
technology, in which it constituted 60% and 50% of the sand matrix. The strength properties of the prepared moulding sands were
determined (bending strength Rg
u
, tensile strength Rm
u
) after samples storing times: 1h, 2h, 4h and 24 hours.