Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
...with a binder such as water and clay is packed around a pattern to form the mold. The pattern is removed, and on top of the cavity is placed a similar sand mold containing a passage (called a gate) through which the metal flows into the mold. The mold is designed so that solidification of the casting begins far from the gate and advances toward it, so that molten metal in the gate can...
We welcome your comments. Any revisions or updates suggested for this article will be reviewed by our editorial staff. Contact us here.
Regular users of Britannica may notice that this comments feature is less robust than in the past. This is only temporary, while we make the transition to a dramatically new and richer site. The functionality of the system will be restored soon.