Full-Scale Demonstration of a Hybrid Hydrolyzed Collagen-Alkali Silicate Core Binder

A novel core binder system has been devised that is comprised of hydrolyzed collagen and alkali silicates. Cores that employ this hybrid binder were tested in a full-scale demonstration at a partner foundry. Among the 244 iron castings manufactured at this facility while using these hybrid binders, none of the iron castings were rejected as scrap due to core-related defects. The core regions of these iron castings exhibited no deformation, veining, or erosion from molten iron exposure. Moreover, these hybrid silicate-collagen cores demonstrated satisfactory shakeout during full-scale demonstrations. This hydrolyzed collagen-alkali silicate binder yielded cores that achieved a higher tensile strength and less hot distortion than conventional phenolic urethane binders.