Research on coatings and infiltration to strengthen ceramic lost cores used in high pressure die casting processes

Lost cores used to manufacture complex aluminium components through High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) processes need to withstand very high pressures. Conventional sand cores used in other casting processes, such as sand casting or low pressure die casting, do not support these pressures, so advanced ceramic cores must be used. These cores must be strong enough to withstand the casting process and, at the same time, have enough porosity to be easily removed to obtain the finished part. Due to this porosity, aluminium penetrates the core surface during the casting process. In this work, two research lines have been followed to address this problem: application of coatings to seal the surface and infiltration with silica.