Increasing the Life Cycle and Production Safety of Shake-Out Foundry Grids in Construction Industry Enterprises

Abstract

Introduction . An analysis of the current state of the air environment in large industrial centers has led one to the conclusion that construction industry enterprises are considered to be one of the major pollution sources. In turn, some of the most significant technological sections of such enterprises is the casting section of artistic metalworking using die-casting grates causing a negative impact predominantly due to the dust from burnt molding sand with a SiO 2 content of more than 70%, on the one hand impacting the workers, and, on the other, directly the technological equipment, i.e., shake-out foundry grids. The effect of such dust on the structural elements of the shake-out foundry grid leads to increased abrasive wear, which causes a significant reduction of their service life and, thereby, the entire life cycle of the knockout grate as a technological equipment.Therefore the authors have identified the need to increase the service life of the casting sections of construction industry enterprises, as well as to improve their environmental and industrial safety by means of improving the technology and developing autonomous engineering solutions for dust control as a scientific issue.The aim of the study is to increase the life cycle of the casting sections of construction industry enterprises by means of reducing the dust concentration to the regulatory values in the air of operating areas and preventing the release of dust into the air of industrial sites, while enhancing the efficiency of dust suppression based on its study and development of an appropriate highly efficient engineering technology. Materials and Methods . The authors based their study on analytical methods, physical modeling, mathematical description, and statistical processing of experimental data. Research Results. The study has identified that:- the scientific justification and description of air pollution in the operating area of the knockout grate can serve as the foundation for a step-by-step study of pollution reduction, and thereby ensuring the regulatory dust content in the operating area and preventing the release of dust into the air basin of the industrial site for foundry sections of construction industry enterprises;- the physical and energy scientific concept previously set forth by the authors allows for describing dust pollution and its reduction from the standpoint of ensuring sanitary and hygienic requirements and environmental protection making it possible to develop a highly efficient and cost-effective dust suppression device;- the results of the experimental studies performed in laboratory conditions allowed the authors to make it possible to ensure there are no dust-laden air emissions into the air of the industrial site. Discussion and Conclusion . It should be noted that the recirculation of air flows in the area where dust suppression is implemented implies there are no polluted air emissions into the environment, and therefore significantly increases the efficiency of the said process while contributing considerably to ensuring environmental safety while operating blowout grates in construction industry enterprises. The research results enable one to conclude that the integrated efficiency of dust suppression of burnt molding sand can be up to 98.5 % if the developed device is in use due to the optimization of the sequence, methods, and parameters of the main stages of dust suppression.