Integration of die casting process design and computational fluid dynamics

Time：2024-08-28 08:47:03 / Popularity： / Source：

I. Introduction

In today's market environment, most companies are faced with pressure of old and perfect systems and new rapidly growing economic demands. Globalization of market forces companies to find ways to maintain competitive advantages, rapid development of Internet technology and free exchange of information will be main factors that allow companies to maintain competitive advantages. One way for companies to stay ahead of curve is to shorten time it takes to bring innovative technologies to market. In order to shorten development time of die-casting process, using FLOW-3D CAST for modeling and simulation analysis has become an integral part of engineering department of Shiloh Industries.
At Shiloh Industries, every new project needs to be reviewed starting from conceptual design of gate and runner system, pressure chamber speed-stroke estimation, pressure chamber diameter, minimum exhaust area, and pressure required for process. Numerical simulation analysis was used to develop optimal flow pattern and minimum air entrainment design. After completing flow channel design, conduct heat transfer analysis to help determine configuration of cooling water path.
The most attractive feature of FLOW-3D CAST is its ability to run separate analyzes for each stage of development process. It allows users to help determine best pressure chamber stroke setting, gate design, and waterway configuration in a short time. Then use a single flow-heat transfer coupling calculation to verify that all designs work perfectly. In addition, GMO model using FLOW-3D CAST can also truly simulate movement of punch during injection stage of pressure chamber. For project development, part design has been converted from a separate product to real mass production.

2. Case description

Figure 1 Casting
Casting in Figure 1 is a difficult product for casting process. Main key lies in protruding rib features on casting, which will cause difficulties in flow and solidification of molten metal, making it difficult to balance quality of casting. Rib features will cause thermal stress concentration during solidification and cooling stages, causing unknown deformation of casting.
In initial design stage, developers proposed twenty-one different flow channel designs and used FLOW-3D CAST to verify all flow modes. Figure 2 shows three flow channel designs among twenty-one solutions.

Figure 2 Flow channel design
In design verification of flow channel plan, flow pattern is the key factor that determines success or failure of flow channel plan. After initial flow channel design time was over, it was decided to use second and third designs in Figure 2 for continued analysis.

Figure 3 After completion of the first stage, two flow channel design options decided to adopt
Second stage of verification analysis is solidification analysis. At this time, temperature distribution of casting will be the key factor that determines quality of solution. Figure 4 shows temperature distribution results at the end of solidification stage when design scheme on the right of Figure 3 is adopted.

Figure 4 Temperature distribution results of castings at the end of solidification

3. Conclusion

So far, Shiloh Industries has been able to use FLOW-3D CAST as a standard die-casting process analysis tool, has proven that FLOW-3D CAST can assist development department in providing accurate and reliable prediction results. These analysis results reliably correlate with actual casting defects, temperature distribution, and flow patterns.
Shiloh Industries uses FLOW-3D CAST not only as a die-casting process simulation tool, but also as a computational fluid dynamics verification tool. If during product development process, design changes need to be proposed based on customer needs, FLOW-3D CAST allows us to quickly and reliably evaluate these changes. Not only can we provide customers with effective design change plans, but we can also provide customers with impact on part performance after design changes.

Gud Mould Industry Co., Ltd