Based on the characteristics of the lost foam casting (LFC) and the artificial neural network technique, a mathematical model for the simulation of the melt-pattern interface movement during the mold filling of LFC has been proposed and experimentally verified. The simulation results are consistent with the experiments in both the shapes of melt front and filling sequences. According to the calculated interface locations, the fluid flow and the temperature distributions during the mold filling and solidification processes were calculated, and the shrinkage defect of a lost foam ductile iron casting was predicted by considering the mold wall movement in LFC. The simulation method was applied to optimize the casting design of lost foam ductile iron castings. It is shown that the model can be used for the defects prediction and for casting design optimization in the practical LFC production.
Fengjun LI, Houfa SHEN and Baicheng LIUDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
The mold filling and solidification simulation for the high pressure die casting (HPDC) and low pressure die casting (LPDC) processes were studied. A mathematical model considering the turbulent flow and heat transfer phenomenon during the HPDC process has been established and parallel computation technique was used for the mold filling simulation of the process. The laminar flow characteristics of the LPDC process were studied and a simplified model for the mold filling process of wheel castings has been developed. For the solidification simulation under pressure conditions, the cyclic characteristics and the complicated boundary conditions were considered and techniques to improve the computational efficiency are discussed. A new criterion for predicting shrinkage porosity of Al alloy under low pressure condition has been developed in the solidification simulation process.
