INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 19959

Second edition
2020-03

Steels, nickel alloys and cobalt alloys

investment castings — Visual testing
of surface quality
Pièces moulées par le procédé dit «à la cire perdue» en acier, alliages
de nickel et alliages de cobalt — Examen visuel de la qualité de surface

Reference number
ISO 19959:2020(E)

© ISO 2020
ISO 19959:2020(E)

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 ISO 19959:2020(E)

Contents Page

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ iv
1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
4 Ordering information ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
5 Testing ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
5 .1 Qualificatio n o f p ers o nnel ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
5.2 Conditions of testing .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2
6 Acceptance criteria ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
7 Testing documentation .................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

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ISO 19959:2020(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation o f national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work o f preparing International Standards is normally carried out
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ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters o f
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the di fferent approval criteria needed for the
di fferent types o f ISO documents should be noted. This document was dra fted in accordance with the
editorial rules o f the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso .org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some o f the elements o f this document may be the subject o f
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identi fying any or all such patent rights. Details o f
any patent rights identified during the development o f the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list o f patent declarations received (see www.iso .org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is in formation given for the convenience o f users and does not
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For an explanation o f the voluntary nature o f standards, the meaning o f ISO specific terms and
expressions related to con formity assessment, as well as in formation about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso .org/
iso/foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 17, Steel, Subcommittee SC 11, Steel

castin gs .
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 19959:2005), which has been technically
revised. The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— “Terms and Definition” renumbered as Clause 3 ;
— “Ordering In formation” renumbered as Clause 4;
— new Clause 7 for “Testing documentation”.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing o f these bodies can be found at www.iso .org/members .html.

iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 19959:2020(E)

Steels, nickel alloys and cobalt alloys investment

castings — Visual testing of surface quality

1 Scope
T h i s do c ument s p e ci fie s the accep tance c riteri a for the s ur face e xam i nation o f s te el, n ickel a l loy a nd

cob a lt a l loy i nve s tment c a s ti ngs b y vi s ua l te s ti ng.

2 Normative references
T he fol lowi ng do c u ments are re ferre d to i n the tex t i n s uch a way th at s ome or a l l o f thei r content

con s titute s re qu i rements o f th i s do c u ment. For date d re ference s , on ly the e d ition cite d app l ie s . For

u ndate d re ference s , the late s t e d ition o f the re ference d do c ument (i nclud i ng a ny amend ments) appl ie s .

I S O 9 71 2 , Non-destructive testing — Qualification and certification of NDT personnel

3 Terms and definitions

For the pu r p o s e s o f th i s do c u ment, the fol lowi ng term s and defi n ition s apply.

I S O and I E C mai nta i n term i nolo gic a l datab a s e s for u s e i n s tanda rd i z ation at the fol lowi ng add re s s e s:

— I S O O n l i ne brows i ng pl at form: avai l able at https://www.iso .org/obp

— I E C E le c trop e d ia: avai lable at http://www .org/
. ele c trop e d i a

3.1
surface pit
depres s ion on the s ur face o f the cas ting, the length o f the depres s ion b eing les s than three times its width

3.2
linear discontinuity
depre s s ion on the s u r face o f the c as ti ng , the leng th o f the depre s s ion b ei ng e qua l to , or gre ater than,

three times its width

3.3
positive metal
pro tr u s ion on the s u r face o f the c a s ti ng

3.4
surface roughness
me as u re o f the s u r face cond ition

N o te 1 to entr y: T he s u r face rou gh ne s s i s nor m a l l y de ter m i ne d b y the u s e o f a vi s u a l or tac ti le comp a rato r.

3.5
parting line
s ur face cond ition re s u lti ng from j oi nts i n the to ol or d ie

N o te 1 to entr y: P a r ti n g l i ne s a re no t l i ne a r d i s co nti nu itie s .

3.6
ejector-pin mark
s ur face cond ition c au s e d b y pi n s u s e d to remove the p attern from the d ie

© ISO 2020 – All rights reserved 1

ISO 19959:2020(E)

3.7
gate stub
positive metal remaining a fter the removal o f the gate used to direct molten metal into the mould

4 Ordering information
The enquiry and order shall speci fy:
a) the area o f the sur face to be examined;
b) the number o f castings to be examined;
c) the acceptance level required (di fferent acceptance levels may be specified for di fferent sur faces o f
the same casting; i f no acceptance level is specified, level IV applies); and
d) any sur face conditions that are not acceptable.

5 Testing

5 . 1 Q u a l i fi c a ti o n o f p e r s o n n e l

Testing shall be per formed by qualified personnel. Qualification o f personnel shall be according to
ISO 9712. The qualification level o f the personnel shall be agreed between the manu facturer and the
purchaser at the time o f acceptance o f the order.

5.2 Conditions of testing

The testing shall be carried out with no greater than 3x magnification.

6 Acceptance criteria

6.1 Levels o f acceptance for visual testing are given in Table 1 .

6.2 Castings shall not exhibit linear discontinuities. Surface conditions that are less than 0,25 mm are
non-relevant.

6.3 Any surface roughness and surface pits that will be removed by subsequent machining are
acceptable.

6.4 Surface features not addressed in this document shall be agreed between the purchaser and
manufacturer at the time o f the enquiry and order.

7 Testing documentation
The manu facturer shall, i f requested by the purchaser at the time o f enquiry and order, keep a record o f
the inspection and provide a report.
The records o f the manu facturer shall contain the following:
a) the identification o f the casting;
b) the name and qualification o f the person undertaking the test;
c) the re ference o f the comparator used;
d) the designated category and level o f each area checked for the sur face quality.

2 © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

 Table 1 — Visual testing acceptance criteria a
© ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Surface feature Level I Level II Level III Level IV

0,75 mm dia. × 0,40 mm deep 0,75 mm dia. × 0,40 mm deep 1,50 mm dia. × 0,75 mm deep 1,50 mm dia. × 0,75 mm deep
Surface pits b,c,d with no more than one per with no more than one per with no more than one per with no more than four per
625 mm 2 625 mm 2 625 mm 2 625 mm 2
Linear discontinuities None permitted None permitted None permitted None permitted
Positive metal c,d
1,0 mm dia. × 0,25 mm high with 1,50
with
mm dia. × 0,40 mm high
no more than one per
3,00 mm dia. × 0,75 mm high
with no more than one per
3,00 mm dia. × 0,75 mm high
with no more than four per
2
no more than one per 625 mm 625 mm 2 625 mm 2 625 mm 2
Parting line and
0,10 mm 0,25 mm 0,50 mm 1,00 mm
ejector-pin mark heighte
Gate stub height 0,25 mm 0,40 mm 0,75 mm 1,15 mm
Apparent surface
R
roughness, a d
1,6 µm 2,5 µm 3,2 µm 6,3 µm
NOTE dia.: diameter
a Sur face conditions in excess o f the level specified are not acceptable.
b Maximum sur face-pit depth shall not violate the required minimum wall thickness.
c Sur face pits, linear discontinuities or positive metal less than 0,25 mm shall be considered non-relevant.
d Evaluated by visual testing using a visual or tactile comparator, for example: BNIF 359-01, Plate 3/0S1(R a 1,6 to 3,2 µm approximately), Plate 2/0S1 (R a 6,3 µm approximately).
e Applies to protrusions. Depressions shall meet sur face pits requirements.

ISO 19959:2020(E)
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ISO 19959:2020(E)

Bibliography

[1] BNIF 359 — Recommandation technique du Bureau de Normalisation des Industries de la

Fonderie — Caractérisation d'états de sur face des pièces moulées — Utilisation des échantillons
types de 110 × 160 mm, available from CTIF, 44 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92310 Sèvres,
France; www.ctif-editions .com
[2] GAR, available from GAR Electro forming, P.O. Box 340, Danbury, CT 06813-0340, USA; www
.garelectro forming.com/

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ISO 19959:2020(E)

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