Based on the characteristics of the lost foam casting (LFC) and the artificial neural network technique, a mathematicalmodel for the simulation of the melt-pattern interface movement during the mold filling of LFC has been proposed andexperimentally verified. The simulation results are consistent with the experiments in both the shapes of melt frontand filling sequences. According to the calculated interface locations, the fluid flow and the temperature distributionsduring the mold filling and solidification processes were calculated, and the shrinkage defect of a lost foam ductileiron casting was predicted by considering the mold wall movement in LFC. The simulation method was applied tooptimize the casting design of lost foam ductile iron castings. It is shown that the model can be used for the defectsprediction 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 Iow pressure die casting(LPDC) processes were studied. A mathematical model considering the turbulent flow and heat transfer phenomenonduring the HPDC process has been established and parallel computation technique was used for the mold fillingsimulation of the process. The laminar flow characteristics of the LPDC process were studied and a simplified modelfor the mold filling process of wheel castings has been developed. For the solidification simulation under pressureconditions, the cyclic characteristics and the complicated boundary conditions were considered and techniques toimprove the computational efficiency are discussed. A new criterion for predicting shrinkage porosity of Al alloy underIow pressure condition has been developed in the solidification simulation process.
