As some may recall from last year's experiment, attempts at using Volume/Surface Area (V/A) via Chirnov's equation to predict a good casting was clouded by the chosen system temperatures being too high. This resulted in almost all castings being poor regardless of what the V/A was. This year, I will use much lower temperatures so the effects of the V/A will be measurable. I will also look at several gating shapes and sizes to see if certain myths are true or just that, myths. Finally, I will explore earlier results that seemed to show that the gate becomes more of a factor as the volume-to-surface area ratio increases. The end result will attempt to determine if Chirnov's equation has any use for us in the manufacture of precious metal components.

Author: Constantino Volpe