A water soluble mold for high melting point alloys such as cast steels, may make the removal of mold very easy and the foundry environment free of noise and dust. Water soluble molds consisting of alumina as a base material and some metal oxides or hydroxides as a binder were studied as a candidate for mold in steel casting. The molds formed from a mixture of alumina (Al
2O
3), barium hydroxide (Ba(OH)
2) and water, and dried at 200°C, showed the transverse strength of above 30kg/cm
2 over a temperature range of 20°C−1,300°C, and of above 15kg/cm
2 over a range of 1,400°C−1,500°C. Heating of the mold, up to 900°C, caused the reaction of Al
2O
3 and Ba(OH)
2 resulting in the formation of barium aluminum oxide (BaAl
2O
4). BaAl
2O
4 is very stable and diffusion of Ba into Al
2O
3 and evaporation of BaO is small during solidification of steel. Therefore, BaAl
2O
4 can remain in the binding layer of the mold and the layer can be easily decomposed by water. After decomposition of the mold, alumina can be separated, and BaAl
2O
4 can be recovered as Ba(OH)
2·8H
2O and BaAl
2O
4·6H
2O. From these results, the mold consisting of alumina and barium compounds may find a possible use as a mold for steel casting.
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