On the optimum plunger acceleration law in the slow shot phase of pressure die casting machines

The objective of this paper is to analyse a plunger acceleration law that is expected to minimize air entrapment in the slow shot phase of pressure die casting in horizontal cold chambers, and thus to reduce porosity in manufactured parts. The study is carried out using results from an analytical model of the flow of molten metal in the shot sleeve, which is based on the shallow-water approximation, and whose predicted optimum acceleration parameters are in good agreement with available experimental results. The results for the surface profiles of the wave formed during plunger movement using plunger acceleration laws which are typically used in pressure die casting are compared with those corresponding to the proposed law. Some analytical predictions for the wave profiles and for the mass of trapped air are compared with numerical results obtained from a finite-element code, which solves momentum and mass conservation equations. The limiting values of the initial filling fraction required for appropriate operating conditions are determined for wide ranges of acceleration parameters and pouring hole locations.