GATE 2023 ME – Question 25
In a metal casting process to manufacture parts, both patterns and moulds provide shape by dictating where the material should or should not go. Which of the option(s) given correctly describe(s) the mould and the pattern?
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Correct answer: (A) Mould walls indicate boundaries within which the molten part material is allowed, while pattern walls indicate boundaries of regions where mould material is not allowed.; (B) Moulds can be used to make patterns.; (D) Patterns can be used to make moulds.
Explanation
The mould cavity is the space the molten metal fills, so the mould walls bound the region where the part material is allowed (A is correct and C has this the wrong way round). The pattern is a replica of the part around which the mould is packed, so the pattern walls mark where the mould material may not go. A pattern is used to make a mould (D). A mould can also be used to make patterns, for example wax patterns for investment casting are cast in a metal mould (B).