Determination of application possibili- ties of microwave heating in the curing process of water glass molding sands with fluid esters. Part 2

This article, constituting continuation of the subject discussed in the first part, presents results of the experimental trial of water glass molding sands' curing method modification with application of fluid esters and innovative microwave heating. The research objective was to determine possibilities of microwave application for curing of water glass molding sands prepared with addition of hardening agents sold under the trade name of Mach. After initial chemical curing molding sands, prepared with addition of the above mentioned hardeners, have been heated with microwaves in order to determine their influence on changes of basic technological and strength parameters of the sands, and indirectly on the quality of quartz grains binding. Studies aimed at determination of water content changes in the sands have also been undertaken. As our studies demonstrated, microwave heating allows for quick reduction of water content, thus resulting in im- provement of strength parameters such as bending and tensile strength. Application of the combined methods of ester curing and innova- tive microwave heating facilitates production of high quality foundry moulds and cores, while simultaneously improving mould and core preparation procedures at the foundries and as a result reduces their time to an indispensable minimum.