Quality Control
During the production, samples may be taken from the metal and poured into small molds. A chill wedge is often poured to monitor the iron quality. These small, approx 18 mm (3/4") wide x 38 mm (1-12") tall triangular shaped pieces are allowed to cool until the metal has solidified. They are then extracted from the sand mold and quenched in water, wide end first. After cooling in the manned the wedges are fractured and the metal coloration is assessed. A typical fracture will have a whitish color towards the thin area of the wedge and grayish color towards the wide end. The width of the wedge at the point of demarcation between the white and gray areas is measured and compared to normal results for particular iron tensile strengths. This visual method serves as a control measurement.
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