Whitepaper

Improving the Efficiency

of the Blind Riser

Proceedings of the SFSA –

T&O Conference, December 2007
Chicago, Illinois

Our Innovation. Your Advantage.

Abstract
Blind risers, or closed risers, are often selected by A vacuum pocket (depressurized zone) is sometimes
foundrymen to feed various sections of the casting. created at the top of the blind riser due to the fact
Although there is a general consensus in the industry that their top front of metal is not exposed to the
that blind risers are less efficient than open risers, atmosphere. In order to prevent the formation of such
the complex configuration of the casting makes their depressurized zone it is of utmost importance that
usage indispensable in some cases. In general, blind the liquid contained by the blind riser maintain a free
risers are located in the lower sections of the casting communication with the outside atmosphere.
or just hidden at a level below the top risers.
This paper describes a novel technique to vent risers and
Just like open risers, blind risers act as reservoirs of offers a simple and practical solution to this problem.
molten metal capable of supplying liquid metal into
the casting as the casting contracts on solidification. Vasile Lonescu
They also allow gases to escape the mould cavity as Bradken (Formerly AG Anderson Ltd)
the metal rises into the mould. When compared to London, Ontario and Canada
open risers, that break through the cope to the top
of the mould and are entirely exposed to the outside
atmosphere, blind risers are somewhat handicapped.

Foundrymen from around the world are consistently confronted with

challenges to improving their operations by producing higher quality
castings, decreasing the delivery time while lowering costs.

One way towards achieving these expectations Also known as Additive Manufacturing (AM) of sand
is to continuously be involved with the industry moulds and cores, the technology enabled the direct
advancements and take advantage of the latest production of cores and moulds without the need of
developments. The 3D printing technology has a core box or a pattern. AM allows cores and moulds
been around for more than three decades. to be produced by selectively spraying binder over
thin layers of foundry sand. The technology is quite
Initially adopted for the production of prototypes, amazing and it can offer substantial benefits when
this technology became increasingly embraced by used selectively with a full understanding of its
manufactures for the mass production of goods. advantages and its limitations.
In recent years the popularity of the 3D printing was
extended to the foundry industry in the form of 3D
sand printing technology.

01 Whitepaper | Improving the Efficiency of the Blind Riser

 Previous Work
It has been well established that the vacuum pocket created at the top
of the blind riser is the root cause for sporadic shrinkage observed
sometimes in sections of castings even when blind risers are properly
placed and sized.
Figure 1 shows the formation of such a cavity due to the fact that the metal is not flowing downward
from the feeder head. It has been over twenty years since Williams cores have been designed and used
in conjunction with blind risers in order to overcome this limitation. Their role is to aid feeding, firstly by
creating an overheated zone at the top of the riser capable of preventing the metal from freezing and
secondly by creating a passageway for the ingress of air and promoting a free downward flow.
Figures 2 and 3 show examples of Williams cores used on top of dome risers or in conjunction with sand
covers for tube risers.

Figure 1 – Formation of a cavity in Figure 2 – Williams cores on simple and double spherical domes
a casting due to lack of metal flow
downward from the feeder head

Figure 3 – Examples of sand covers for cylindrical (tube) risers

02 Whitepaper | Improving the Efficiency of the Blind Riser

Following the Williams core principle, in 1989 Foseco
patented the Williams riser sleeve. The new riser sleeve
incorporated an elongated member, in the shape of an
inverted cone, extending from the top of the riser sleeve
to a central point within the riser. Figure 4 shows the
added feature as an “upside-down cone” located at the
top of an insulating dome riser sleeve and extending
downwards to the thermal centre of the riser.
The supporting theory for the new design was that
the inverted cone, now an integral part of the riser
sleeve, prevents the formation of a layer of frozen
metal at the top of the riser and keeps an air passage
open towards the solidifying riser assuring that the
somewhat colder riser bottom still receives liquid
metal from the top. Practical results and Magma
simulations (Figure 5) confirmed that the inverted
cone, when long enough to reach the thermal centre
of the riser, does in fact create an overheated zone at
the top of the riser.
Even in small risers, thermal currents bring hotter
(less dense) liquid to the top, helping the top portion
remain liquid. The second part of the theory, however,
which claims the inverted cone creates a passage to
atmospheric air was offered as a hypothesis rather than
a proven theory. Variables, such as sand permeability
and placement of blind riser within the mould, were not
considered.
Depending on its position in relation with the top or
the edge of the mould, the blind riser is subjected Figure 4 – Pre-shaped insulating blind riser sleeve
to an uneven and limited exposure to atmospheric
pressure. Mould, core, mould wash and even sleeve
permeability must also be considered when assessing
the exposure of the liquid metal inside the riser sleeve
to the atmospheric air.
It is not reasonable to assume that a blind riser covered
by four or five feet of sand has the same exposure to
atmospheric pressure, through sand permeability, as a
riser placed close to the top of the mould and covered
by just 2 or 3 inches of sand.

Figure 5 – Magma Simulation of Williams riser sleeve

during solidification

03 Whitepaper | Improving the Efficiency of the Blind Riser

Current Practice
Routinely, as a common foundry practice, blind
risers are only provided with 1 or 2 vents, drilled
or moulded from the closed end of the riser to
the top of the mould. These vents, or pop-offs,
only allow gasses to escape mould cavity as
the metal rises into the mould.
The metal entering the pop-off passageway
solidifies almost instantaneously blocking the
communication between the metal in the riser,
still in liquid state, and the atmospheric air.
Often, the pop-off metal freezes even before
reaching the top of the mould.
Figure 6 – Venting chambers moulded on top of blind riser sleeves
Pop-off vents are not to be regarded as a
significant aid to feeding, as they do not
offset the negative feeding pressure created At Bradken (Formerly AG Anderson Ltd), venting
at the top of the riser. chambers are made in a multiple cavity box using the
isocure process. Figure 7.

The Venting Chamber

The innovative aspect of the project described in
this paper consists of a venting chamber moulded
on top of a riser sleeve (Figure 6). Chambers can A B
be made of sand using either the no bake or the
isocure process. Figure 7 – (A) 3” dia. venting chambers made using the isocure
process in a six cavity core box (B) Core box
They have the shape of cups with 2”– 3” diameter
and a wall thickness of approximate 3/8”. Before
the sand is packed into the mould the chamber In order to offset the potential backpressure caused
is placed on top of the blind riser sleeve. A 3/8” by an air pocket entrapped at the top of the riser
diameter dowel penetrates the top of the chamber sleeve, after the removal of the pattern a 3/8” dia.
but does not penetrate the riser sleeve. pop-off passage is drilled from the inside of the
riser sleeve through the cope making sure that the
After the sand is cured the dowel is removed drill doesn’t wander into the cavity of the venting
leaving an unobstructed passage between the chamber. Figure 8.
cavity of the chamber and the top of the mould.
With the chamber-vent system in place, the only
remaining obstruction between the liquid metal
inside the blind riser and the atmosphere is the
actual riser sleeve, but the high permeability of the
sleeve together with the hot zone at the top of the
feeder make this obstruction negligible.
Practical results showed that the downward
A B
movement of the liquid metal from the feeder
head is significantly improved when the venting Figure 8 – (A) Pop-off hole drilled through sleeve and cope
chamber is used. (B) Top of the mould. Pop off hole and chamber vent

04 Whitepaper | Improving the Efficiency of the Blind Riser

Experimental and Figure 9a shows how the riser that was not assisted
by a venting chamber failed to feed properly, as a skin

Practical Results of metal formed prematurely on its surface. The riser

moulded with a venting chamber (Figure 9b), remained
open at the top allowing the atmospheric pressure to act
In order to validate this process, an extensive through the chamber-vent system against the liquid front
comparison study was carried out and the results of metal at the top of the riser. To better understand
showed significant improvement of feeding when the behaviour of the liquid metal and the extent of the
venting chambers were used on blind risers. feeding improvement, the two risers were RT-ed and
Figures 9 and 10 show some of the results. then sectioned longitudinally (Figure 10).

A B

Figure 9 – (A) Blind riser moulded without a venting chamber (B) Blind riser moulded with a venting chamber

Figure 10 – The riser unassisted by a venting chamber (left) has a skin of metal formed at the top and shows an insignificant amount of
metal loss. The riser assisted by a venting chamber (right) is open at the top and shows significant metal loss.

05 Whitepaper | Improving the Efficiency of the Blind Riser

Effect of the New System
on Casting Yield and Quality
The major metal loss that occurred in the properly weight of 15,500 lbs. After the addition of a venting
vented riser demonstrates the effectiveness of the chamber to each blind riser and the complete method
venting chamber in improving the efficiency of a blind reconfiguration, some risers were reduced in size and
riser when properly provided with an unobstructed others completely eliminated.
passage to the atmospheric air.
The same diffuser is now poured using 12,000 lbs.
The results of this study and the obvious improvements of metal. Casting yield improved from 51% to 66.7%.
noticed on castings made with properly vented blind This example is of a particular importance at Bradken
risers made the use of the venting chamber system a (Formerly AG Anderson Ltd) since the foundry makes
common practice at Bradken (Formerly AG Anderson two of these diffusers a week. For this casting alone,
Ltd). Since the initiation of the process, the methoding the metal saving over one-year period is 364,000
on some jobs was reviewed and many of the risers, now lbs., which represents the weight equivalent of 30
assisted with a venting chamber, were reduced in size. diffusers. The overall benefit of the new venting system
As a result, the overall casting yield was significantly becomes even more substantial when considering
improved. energy savings and savings incurred as a result of the
reduction of upgrade and riser removal hours as well
Concurrently, the more efficient blind riser resulted in as the significant savings generated by the pour weight
a considerable reduction of riser removal and upgrade reduction.
hours. Before the implementation of the new venting
system a 8,000 lb. steel diffuser had a pouring Table 1 and Figure 11 illustrate the reduction of
upgrade and riser removal hours in the case of the
above mentioned diffuser.
Table 1 – Moulding, riser removal, cleaning and upgrading hours

Shop Order # Cores & Moulding Riser Removal Cleaning Weld Repair

36560 35.50 20.50 16.50 78.82

36224 44.00 32.00 12.25 216.50
36561 41.75 29.75 12.75 157.80
36462 16.00 27.75 11.25 43.00
36465 32.25 31.75 17.50 181.40
Castings made
before the new 36692 38.25 33.50 12.00 56.16
riser venting 36289 39.00 39.00 17.75 93.16
36693 36.25 25.00 19.50 41.00
36956 35.00 28.50 20.50 64.50
36957 35.25 26.50 23.25 89.00
Average 35.33 29.43 16.33 102.13
37612 48.50 17.25 21.00 24.75
37703 28.66 17.00 17.25 44.75
37702 34.25 19.25 24.75 25.75
38077 32.25 20.25 12.00 47.50
38078 26.75 19.25 18.00 23.00
Castings made
using the new 38147 29.25 32.50 11.75 6.50
venting system 38148 46.75 18.00 20.50 35.75
38149 35.75 10.25 15.25 40.50
38150 28.00 23.50 14.25 58.25
38796 30.75 12.75 15.00 21.25
Average 34.09 19.00 16.98 32.80

06 Whitepaper | Improving the Efficiency of the Blind Riser

 BEFORE AFTER

120.00

100.00

80.00
Hours

60.00

40.00

20.00

0.00
Moulding Riser Removal Cleaning Weld Repair

Operation

Figure 11 – Average of moulding, riser removal, cleaning and upgrading hours

Venting Chamber – A More Advanced Approach.

So far it has been illustrated how the venting chamber
assists the blind riser by providing free passage
between the liquid metal in the riser and atmospheric
air at the top of the mould. The chamber, however,
cannot always prevent the premature freezing of the
surface of the feeder head.
The solid skin formed on the surface of the riser can
lead to the formation of secondary cavities often
penetrating into the casting. The venting chamber
method can be slightly modified in order to further
increase the temperature gradient of the feeder
towards the top. By simply filling the chamber with
ordinary exotherminc hot topping the venting chamber
becomes a “hot venting chamber”.
Figure 12 shows that shortly after the metal reaches
the top of the riser, the sleeve below the chamber
collapses under the superheat allowing the exothermic
material to flow into the riser and float over the top of
the liquid metal. The hot topping initiates an additional
exothermic reaction that encourages the metal at the
top of the riser to remain in a liquid phase even longer.
This exothermic reaction contributes to the caloric
exchange between the molten metal and the riser
sleeve making the blind riser act as an open riser, well
covered with hot toping and exposed to atmospheric
pressure, while still retaining the practical convenience
of the blind riser. The hot chamber method can
be successfully adopted when casting yield is of
significant importance or when casting configuration
imposes the use of smaller risers. Figure 12 – Hot venting chamberhours

07 Whitepaper | Improving the Efficiency of the Blind Riser

Venting Chamber
and Core Venting Further Work
Venting chambers can also be used for core The techniques described above are meant to
venting. When moulded on top of core prints, increase casting yield and quality by improving
the chambers capture high amounts of core- the functionality and performance of the blind
generated gases allowing them to escape riser. The feeding distance, which is strictly
unobstructedly (Figure 13a). The ends of the nylon controlled by the casting wall thickness, is not
vents, often used inside cores for core venting, can affected by the use of the venting chamber.
be captured under the venting chamber placed on Previous studies have shown that by applying
the core print (Figure 13b). pressure over the liquid front of metal at the top
Core venting through a venting chamber is highly of the riser, the amount of feed metal supplied
recommended in situations where large cores through the solidifying wall will increase. The
(mainly split and glued cores) are surrounded by pressure improves the ability of the metal to
heavy walls of metal. Proper core venting is an flow through the partially solidified casting and
important step in producing a gas-free casting and reach areas away from the riser. The principle
the use of the venting chamber method for core of increasing the feeding distance by the use of
venting becomes a key to success particularly pressurized risers has been experimentally proven
when dealing with heavy walled castings. but it has never been adopted as an industrial
solution due to its limited practicality. It was difficult
to find a practical method to apply continuous and
controlled pressure from a source through the
mould and inside a riser sleeve right in the area
where the metal is still liquid.
The use of a venting chamber with a slightly
modified venting system can become a more
practical approach to riser pressurization. The
venting chamber could be connected to a source
of nitrogen or compressed air by using copper
or even flexible plastic tubing. In this case the
venting chamber becomes a pressure chamber
that receives the gas from the line and transfers
it into the riser. A basic sketch of the proposed
design is illustrated in Figure 14. This will make
the subject of future work.

Figure 13 – Core venting through venting chambers Figure 14 – Schematic of a proposed pressurized blind riser.

08 Whitepaper | Improving the Efficiency of the Blind Riser

Conclusions

The efficiency of blind risers becomes comparable to that

of open risers when venting chambers are employed.

The casting yield increases significantly when risers are Today, when the foundryman is confronted with
provided with an adequate air passage to atmospheric escalating prices of raw material and increased energy
air and with a hotter top front of metal. costs, solutions like this aimed at improving yield
and reducing labour and energy costs deserve full
Whether the venting chamber is used to improve the consideration. There is nothing wrong with going back
communication with the atmospheric pressure, to to the basics every once in a while and re-evaluating
increase the temperature gradient at the top of the sound and simple techniques such as “the lost art of
riser sleeve or as an aid to core venting, the methods venting”.
presented here are simple and relatively inexpensive
solutions to limitations frequently encountered by
foundries when conventional methods are applied.

References
(1) Richard Hardin, Tim Hays and Christoph Beckerman,
“Pressurized Riser Casting Trials”, SFSA Technical and
Operating Conference Proceedings, 2001.
(2) D. R. Kononow, “Compressed Air Risers”, Hochwertiger
Stahlguss, V.E.B. Verlag Technik, Berlin, 1955
(3) W. P. Desnizki, “The Application of Risers with High
Atmospheric Pressure”, Iron & Steel, Feb. 1958.

09 Whitepaper | Improving the Efficiency of the Blind Riser

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for your business.

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