Justification of the project for modernization of foundry production by transition to cold-hardening mixtures based on energy intensity analysis and regression modeling of the moulding process

Abstract

The paper investigates the transition of a foundry shop from traditional green sand (clay-bonded) mixtures to cold-hardening systems (No-Bake) based on furan resins within the framework of production modernization. The aim of the study is to provide scientific and techno-ecological justification for such a transition, taking into account energy efficiency, mould strength, and environmental constraints. The study applies laboratory testing methods and correlation-regression analysis to evaluate the influence of technological parameters on the properties of moulding mixtures. It is established that the traditional green sand technology is characterized by critical energy intensity: to achieve a residual moisture content of 0–0.02%, thermal drying at 350–400 °C for 600–670 minutes is required, while increasing temperature does not provide a statistically significant acceleration of the process. In contrast, in cold-hardening systems the hardening process occurs at ambient temperature without the use of natural gas, which fundamentally changes the energy balance of production. It is shown that achieving mould strength at the level of 3.0–5.0 MPa is ensured by controlling the resin content within 0.8–1.2%, whereas increasing the catalyst proportion does not affect strength and is technologically unjustified. The possibility of using up to 50 % reclaimed sand without reducing mould strength is also confirmed. The practical significance of the study lies in substantiating the transition to energy-independent foundry production by completely eliminating the drying stage (abandoning gas-fired drying furnaces) and reducing energy consumption, provided that environmental safety is ensured through the implementation of local exhaust ventilation systems