Graduate Research Papers

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Open Access Graduate Research Paper

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to investigate the potential of Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a rapid, non-destructive method for identifying key additives such as seacoal and red iron oxides in foundry green sand. Samples comprised of silica sand with bentonite (DC2), seacoal, and/or red iron oxide were prepared. NIR spectra were acquired using an Avantes spectrometer with an Avasphere attachment. To ensure robust results, high-repeatability data was obtained from twelve replicates of two control mixtures.

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the spectral data showed that the first principal component (PC1) explained 99.23 % of total variance for Seacoal and 97.85 % for R I O, clearly separating base sand from additive-containing samples. This confirmed that NIR spectroscopy can distinguish between Seacoal and Red Iron Oxide mixtures. The consistent clustering of replicate spectra demonstrated excellent measurement repeatability. In parallel, Area Under Curve (AUC) analysis further supported these findings by quantifying distinct differences in total absorbance intensity across additive types and concentrations. The AUC values increased consistently with both additive and DC2%, ranging from ≈ 200 to 509 a.u. for Seacoal and ≈ 102 to 323 a.u. for R I O. Two-way ANOVA results indicated that both DC2 % and additive % had statistically significant effects on spectral responses (p < 0.01).

The results demonstrate that NIR spectroscopy can reliably identify the presence of seacoal and iron oxide additives based on their unique spectral fingerprints, highlighting its potential as a fast and reliable qualitative tool for foundry quality control.

Year of Submission

2025

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Applied Engineering and Technical Management

First Advisor

Srikant Revuru

Date Original

2025

Object Description

1 PDF file (44 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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