Sensitivity study of IHTC on solidification simulation for automotive casting

Abstract

Interface heat transfer coefficient values between the mould/metal interfaces need to be precisely determined in order to accurately predict the thermal histories at different locations in automotive castings. Thermo-mechanical simulations are carried out for Al–Si alloy casting processes using a commercial code. The simulation results are verified with experimental data from the literature. Sensitivity studies show that the choice of the initial value of the interface heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) between chill/metal as well as the sand mould/metal interfaces has a marked effect on the cooling curves. In addition, having chosen an initial value of the IHTC, the analyses also show differences in the solidification rate of the casting alloy near the sand/metal and chill/metal interfaces, upon further cooling. The gap formation, which results in a change in IHTC from the initial value, does not affect the cooling curves in the vicinity of the sand/metal interface due to lower thermal conductivity of sand. However it is found to have a considerable effect in the chill/metal interfacial regions due to higher thermal conductivity of the chill. Based on these studies we recommend initial IHTC values of 3000 and 7000 W m^–2 K^–1 for sand/metal and chill (steel)/metal interfaces respectively, for application in casting simulations.     

A Free Thermal Contraction Method for Modelling the Heat-transfer Coefficient at the Casting/Mould Interface

Abstract

This study is intended to explore a simple and inexpensive method that is able to model the variation and distribution of the heat transfer coefficient at the casting/mould interface. It has been assumed that, in a rigid mould, the magnitude of interface gap size primarily depends on the thermal contraction of cast metal as it solidifies. Consequently, a free thermal contraction method has been developed to describe the thermal contact phenomena at the casting/mould interface, based on the above assumptions. This method has been used in the solidification simulations for three sand castings of different shapes. The numerical solutions of the simulations agree closely with the experimental results of the thermocouple measurements in the castings and their moulds. For the casting and mould materials involved, the empirical parameters in the equation of the heat transfer coefficient are the same for each of these cases, i.e. independent of the geometric shape of the castings.     

Effect of cooling rate on air gap formation in aluminium alloy permanent mould casting

Abstract

Displacements of the casting surface and the mould surface at the casting/mould interface were experimentally measured during the solidification of aluminium alloys in a permanent mould. Temperatures of the casting and mould surfaces at this interface were also recorded and correlated with displacement measurements. Four different commercial Al–Si alloys were investigated at varying cooling rates. These results are compared with available data on the effect of cooling rate on solid fraction evolution and consequently strength development during solidification. The temperature of the casting surface at the moment of air gap initiation was found to decrease with increasing cooling rate, although this relationship was confirmed at the 95% confidence level for only one of the alloys, AC601, for which sufficient data points were available. The solid fraction at the casting surface at gap initiation in this alloy is shown not to change with cooling rate. In all hypoeutectic alloys, the gap formed before the solid fraction at the casting surface reached 1·0 at slow cooling rates. For the near eutectic alloy BA401 it occurred at almost 1·0. Casting surface contraction rates following gap formation are also presented both as a function of time and casting surface temperature. It is shown that contractions predicted using the linear thermal expansion coefficient provide a reasonable approximation.     

The evolution of the growth morphology in Mg–Al alloys depending on the cooling rate during solidification

The comprehensive microstructural evolution of Mg–3, 6 and 9 wt.% Al alloys with respect to the solidification parameters such as thermal gradient (G), solidification velocity (V), cooling rate (G·V) and solute (Al) content were investigated in the present study. Various solidification techniques, including directional solidification, wedge casting, sand and graphite mould casting, gravity casting in a Cu mould and water quenching, were employed in order to obtain wide ranges of cooling rates between 0.05 and 1000 K s^–1. The microstructural length scales of Mg–Al alloys, such as secondary dendrite arm spacing and primary dendrite arm spacing, were determined experimentally and compared with published models. In addition, the solidification parameters of morphological transitions such as cellular to columnar dendrite and columnar to equiaxed dendrite were also determined. Based on all the experimental data and the solidification model, a solidification map was built in order to provide guidelines for the as-cast microstructural features of Mg–Al alloys.     

用颗粒推移模型模拟Al-Si/SiCp复合材料微观组织

对搅拌铸造法制备SiC颗粒（SiCp）增强Al-7．0%Si（质量分数）复合材料的微观组织形成过程进行了模拟研究，建立了常规凝固条件下相应的宏观传热、等轴枝晶形核生长以及颗粒推移的二维计算模型，采用一种改进的CA（cellular automaton）方法与有限差分法耦合进行数值计算，研究了不同铸造方式对复合材料微观组织以及颗粒分布的影响．为了验证模拟结果，浇注了阶梯形金属型和砂型试样、结果表明，模拟得到的复合材料颗粒分布及微观组织与实验结果吻合良好．     

Measurements and modelling of air gap formation in Cu-based alloys

Abstract

The formation of an air gap has been experimentally studied during solidification of pure Cu, Cu–Te and Cu–6%Sn in a cylindrical mould. The displacements of the casting and the mould causing an air gap have been measured during solidification and cooling of the casting. The temperature distribution was measured simultaneously. Mathematical modelling has been performed to increase the understanding of the solidification process and the shrinkage of the casting leading to air gap formation. A model, which has been tested in earlier work showing good results for aluminium based alloys, has been applied here to describe air gap formation during solidification of copper based alloys. The model includes the effect of the formation and condensation of vacancies on the solidification process as well as on the material shrinkage resulting in air gap formation. The results from the modelling show a reasonable agreement with the experimental measurements.     

CAE技术在改善球墨铸铁轮毂缩孔中的应用

利用华铸CAE软件对球墨铸铁叉车轮毂铸造工艺的凝固及充型过程进行了数值模拟,以期对该工艺进行优化.通过模拟,分析了液态金属充型的动态过程,以及凝固过程可能产生的缺陷,提出了铸造工艺的优化方案,避免了轮毂铸造过程中的缩孔缩松缺陷.结果表明,计算机数值模拟为工艺方案的评价和改进提供有效地参考依据,消除了缩孔缩松缺陷,保证了铸件质量,缩短了产品设计和试制周期.     

Investigation on heat-transfer-coefficient between aluminum alloy and organic/inorganic sand mold based on inverse method

A kind of cylinder sand mold was designed to investigate the heat-transfer-coefficients(HTCs) between aluminum alloy and organic/inorganic binder bonded sand mold during the solidification processes. Temperature during the solidification process was recorded and input into the simulation software. The inverse model of MAGMA was used to calculate the HTC based on the actual temperature. Results show that the temperature of the inorganic sand mold increased faster than the organic sand mold; while the temperature of the casting part with the inorganic sand mold decreased faster. The optimal HTCs between Al and the organic/inorganic sand mold are confirmed to be 300 to 700 and 1000 to 1800 W·m~(-2)·K~(-1), respectively, along with the change of solid-liquid phase line. The simulated temperature curves show the same trend as the measured ones. The maximum deviation between the two temperature curves are 17.32 °C and 18.77 °C for castings by inorganic and organic sand molds.     

Bidirectional solidification of radial-type porous magnesium

Abstract

By use of the bidirectional solidification process of metal-gas eutectics, at an atmosphere of high-pressure hydrogen or gas mixture of hydrogen and argon, a special type of porous metal with radial pore distribution can be fabricated. During the bidirectional solidification of metal-gas eutectics, the volume of the solidifying metal expands due to the evolution of gas pores. This volume expansion leads to a severe transverse convection in front of the solidification interface. This paper studies the effect of solidification condition on porosity, pore size and distribution, and the depression and/or elimination of transverse convection. The results show that during the solidification, the transverse convection in front of the solidifying interface will affect the growth direction of the gas pores, promote gas bubble escaping, and degrade the uniformity of gas pore distribution. These effects of convection are influenced by the structure of casting mould. By properly designing the structure of the casting mould, the severe transverse convection in front of the solidification interface can be depressed or limited to a lower level, and high quality radialtype porous magnesium with uniform pore distribution can be obtained.     

Interfacial heat-transfer between A356-aluminium alloy and metal mould

The interracial heat-transfer coefficient at casting/mould interface is a key factor that impacts the simulation accuracy of solidification progress. At present, the simulation result of using available data is comparatively different from the practice. In the current study, the methods of radial heating and electricity measurement under steady-state condition were employed to study the nature of interfacial heat-transfer between A356 Aluminum alloy and metal mould. The experimental results show that the interracial heat-transfer between A356 Aluminum alloy and the outer mould drops linearly with time while that of A356 aluminum alloy and the inner mould increases with time during cooling. The interracial heat-transfer coefficient between A356 aluminum alloy and mould is inversely proportional to the electrical resistance.     

Mechanical properties and microstructures of AlSi7 alloy cast in sand and in polystyrene-containing sand moulds

Experimental work has been undertaken to study the effects of polystyrene pattern material on the mechanical properties and microstructures of cast aluminium alloys. This paper reports results obtained using Al—Si 7% (LM25) alloy. Rectangular tensile test-pieces of various thickness were cast at different pouring temperatures into standard resin-bonded sand moulds. The experiments were then repeated with polystyrene patterns placed into the sand mould cavities. A direct comparison of the effects of polystyrene pattern material on the properties of the cast test-pieces with those obtained under identical conditions by a standard sand casting method has thus been obtained. Ultimate tensile strength, elongation, Vickers hardness, porosity volume, and dendrite arm spacing (DAS) values relating to both methods were evaluated for a range of casting section thickness (4–16 mm) and pouring temperature (690–780 °C). The microstructural differences observed between the test pieces obtained, with and without polystyrene patterns, were verified by the changes in the solidification cooling curves recorded simultaneously for both methods.

The results obtained show that an expanded polystyrene pattern contained within a sand mould, under the experimental conditions used, does not have an adverse effect on the as-cast mechanical properties of LM25 alloy. On the contrary, the presence of polystyrene in the sand moulds resulted in higher rather than lower tensile properties. These findings have been supported by microstructural observations which reveal finer microstructures and lower volumes of porosity in the test pieces produced with the use of polystyrene, rather than in the absence of it. These observations are further supported by the evidence obtained from the cooling curves which reveal that the presence of polystyrene in the sand mould results in a faster casting cooling rate compared with that when no polystyrene is present.     

Solidification studies on sand cast Al 6061–SiCp composites

Most of the automotive components are cast and their performance depends very much on the solidification phenomenon. Solidification is primarily a process of achieving solid crystals from the liquid melt by promoting zones possessing very high cooling rates to ensure super cooling of the melt. Till date enormous data is available as regards the solidification behaviour of popular light alloys such as Al 6061 and A 356 with regard to the casting process, mould materials used and other important processing parameters. Effect of chills on the solidification behaviour of the above materials has also been reported suggesting chills to be an important promoter of directional solidification. Directional solidification results in minimized solidification defects. However, there is a lack of information regarding the effect of chills on solidification behaviour of aluminium based metal matrix composites which are currently the most potential candidate materials in automotive industries as a replacement for conventional light alloys. In the light of the above, this work is aimed at experimentally studying the solidification behaviour of Al 6061–SiC_p castings in sand mould using copper and mild steel chills. Further, commercially available finite element analysis (FEA) software has been used to predict the cooling curves with and without the use of chills for the developed composite. The experimental and predicted cooling rates of the developed composites are not in good agreement. Use of copper chills resulted in promoting higher cooling rates during the solidification of developed composites.     

Prediction of burn-on and mould penetration in steel casting using simulation

Abstract

Burn-on and penetration defects in steel casting are principally caused by localised overheating of the sand mould or cores. Such overheating can cause liquid metal to compromise the mould surface and entrain onto the surface of the mould. A method has been developed to predict likely burn-on and penetration defect locations as part of a standard casting simulation. The method relies on determining, from simulation results, the locations where the mould is above a certain critical temperature. The critical temperature is generally above the temperature at which the steel is fully solidified. By measuring the time periods during which these locations in the mould are above the critical temperature, burn-on and penetration defects can be predicted. The method is validated through comparison with previous experimental data. Several parametric studies are conducted to investigate the sensitivity of the predictions to the choice of the critical temperature, the interfacial heat transfer coefficient between the steel and the mould, the pouring temperature, and the mould material. The results of one case study are presented where burn-on or penetration defects observed on a production steel casting are successfully predicted.     

Effect of mould baffle technology on stray grain formation in single crystal blades by integral fabrication based on 3D printing

Stray grains, the most serious casting defect, mainly occur in the platform because of the abrupt transition of the cross-section in the directional solidification of superalloy single-crystal blades. A new mould baffle technology based on 3D printing and gelcasting is proposed herein to reduce the formation of stray grains in the platform. The influence of the proposed mould baffle technology on the temperature field in the platform during solidification was investigated by simulation and experiment. The numerical simulation results indicate that the proposed mould baffle technology can effectively hinder the radiation and heat dissipation at the platform extremities, and therefore, reduce undercooling in the platform and the formation of stray grains during directional solidification. Casting trials of a hollow turbine blade were conducted using CMSX-4 superalloy. The trial results demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach for manufacturing single-crystal superalloy blades.

     

Graphite degeneration in surface layer of ductile iron castings

Abstract

In the furan resin moulding technique sulphur in P-toluenesulphonic acid (PTSA), usually used as the hardener, has been identified as an important factor causing graphite degeneration at the metal/mould interface, especially at lower graphite nodularity levels. The greatest surface layer thickness and the lowest graphite nodularity, and shape factors, were obtained with irons solidified in moulds coated with an S bearing material. Uncoated moulds provided better results, but employing a MgO type coating effectively neutralised the sulphur migrating from the mould. In the present solidification conditions, the application of an active mould coating also influenced the graphite phase characteristics in the entire section of the casting, up to its centre. Negative effects were observed using an S bearing coating and positive effects from an MgO based coating.     

Effect of section thickness and modification on thermal analysis parameters of A357 alloy

Abstract

Thermal analysis technique relies on the cooling curve obtained when the sample is cooled in a sampling cup. This may not represent the cooling behaviour of the real casting. The microstructure developed during solidification depends not only on the nucleation and modification potential of the melt but also on the thermal gradient imposed during solidification by the mould. The factors affecting the thermal gradient are the mould material and casting section thickness. In the present investigation the effect of modification melt treatment, cooling rate and casting section thickness on the thermal analysis parameters of A357 alloy was studied. It is found that the dimensionless heat flux parameter is high for small section thickness castings. The metal/mould interfacial heat flux is high in a copper mould. Thermal analysis parameters of A357 alloy are found to be affected significantly by the combined action of modification, chilling and section thickness.     

横向翻转浇注工艺铸造耐压外壳铝合金铸件

从铸造工艺、工装设计上进行改进创新,采用横向翻转浇注工艺铸造耐压外壳铸件。铸件在凝固过程中能从冒口不断地得到液态金属的补充,实现定向凝固。减少铝液二次氧化带来的夹渣,使铝液充型过程平稳,不易发生紊流。解决了铸件法兰密封面弥散性针孔和铸件轴密封处及凸台因壁厚不均产生缩松造成气密性差的问题。在实际铸造过程中通过对模具预热温度、合金浇注温度、翻转速度进行控制,提高了铸件整体质量。通过几年批量生产验证,一次检漏合格率达到99．8％。     

铸件热应力模拟中铸件/型(芯)相互作用的研究进展

铸造过程热应力分析是当前铸件数值模拟领域的研究重点和热点之一.其中铸件/型(芯)之间的相互作用的处理直接影响铸件铸造过程热应力分析的准确性.介绍了国内外处理铸件/型(芯)热力相互作用的研究进展,接触单元法是三维复杂铸件应力模拟发展的趋势.文章还介绍了砂型材料高温力学性能的研究情况.     

The Horizontal Ohno Continuous Casting Process: Process Variables and Their Effects on Casting Stability

Abstract

Temperature profile measurements within a heated mould have been made during continuous casting of pure tin rod of 8.5 mm dia in an attempt to obtain an understanding of the influence of process variables on the position of the solidification front. It has been established that process variables such as casting speed, mould temperature and cooling position have a sensitive effect on the position of the solidification front. It varies linearly with casting speed for a given cooling position and mould temperature. The change in position of the solidification front in turn exerts a significant effect on the surface quality of the cast strand. It has been demonstrated that the solidification front should be brought well within the mould in order to obtain good dimensional and casting stability.