Definition

Noun: 1. A foundry mold for pig iron: A "pig bed" is a shallow, sand-lined trench or mold used in a foundry. Molten iron is poured into this bed from a larger furnace. The bed contains multiple parallel channels. The central channel, into which the iron is poured, is called the "sow." The smaller, perpendicular side channels are the "pigs." Once the iron cools and solidifies, the individual "pig iron" ingots are broken off from the central "sow."

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The molten metal flowed from the blast furnace into the long, sand-filled pig bed.
  • After cooling, the workers broke the solidified pigs of iron away from the sow in the pig bed.

Advanced Usage

• Technical/Historical Context: The term "pig bed" is primarily used in historical or technical descriptions of traditional iron smelting and casting processes. It is not common in everyday modern English.
• The origin of "pig iron": The word "pig bed" explains the etymology of the term "pig iron", which is the crude iron produced in this mold. The iron in the side channels resembled piglets suckling from a sow.

Variants and Related Words

• Pig iron (n): The crude, high-carbon iron that is cast in a pig bed.
• Sow (n): In this context, the central channel of a pig bed.
• Ingot (n): A general term for a block of cast metal; a "pig" of iron is a type of ingot.

Synonyms

• Foundry mold (general term)
• Sand mold (general term for this casting method)

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "To pig" or "to run the pigs": Historical foundry slang for the act of casting iron into a pig bed.
  • The furnace is ready; it's time to run the pigs.

Noun

1. mold consisting of a bed of sand in which pig iron is cast