Diagnosis parameters of mold filling pattern for optimization of a casting system

For optimal design of a gating system,the setting of diagnosis parameters is very important.In this study,the permanent mold casting process was selected because most of the other casting processes have more complicated factors that influence the mold filling pattern compared to the permanent mold casting process,such as the surface roughness of mold,gas generation from the mold wash and binder of sand mold,and the gas permeability through a sand mold,etc.Two diagnosis parameters(flow rate difference and arrival time difference) of molten metal flow pattern in the numerical simulation are suggested for design of an optimum casting system with a permanent mold.The results show that the arrival time difference can be used as one important diagnosis parameter of the complexity of the runner system and its usefulness has been verified via making aluminum parts using permanent mold casting(Fig.9).

Optimized DISA system parameters of a thin-wall malleable iron pipe casting by numerical simulation

The filling and solidification of a malleable iron pipe casting manufactured by DISA casting mold line with different design parameters were calculated by using software MAGMASOFT. Then the shrinkage porosity was predicted by thermal criterion. Based on the simulation results, the influences of the runner ratio and feeder position on the porosity were discussed. The results show that synchronization of injection can be significantly influenced by the size of downsprue section, and an de-sign structure of DISA gating system was used to solve the problem of flow imbalance in the filling procegs. At the same time, the riser was designed on the hotspot for feeding shrinkage. At last, the optimizated gating system and feeding system were ac-complished to eliminate shrinkage porosity.

Intelligent casting:Empowering the future foundry industry

Emerging technological advances are reshaping the casting sector in latest decades.Casting technology is evolving towards intelligent casting paradigm that involves automation,greenization and intelligentization,which attracts more and more attention from the academic and industry communities.In this paper,the main features of casting technology were briefly summarized and forecasted,and the recent developments of key technologies and the innovative efforts made in promoting intelligent casting process were discussed.Moreover,the technical visions of intelligent casting process were also put forward.The key technologies for intelligent casting process comprise 3D printing technologies,intelligent mold technologies and intelligent process control technologies.In future,the intelligent mold that derived from mold with sensors,control devices and actuators will probably incorporate the Internet of Things,online inspection,embedded simulation,decision-making and control system,and other technologies to form intelligent cyber-physical casting system,which may pave the way to realize intelligent casting.It is promising that the intelligent casting process will eventually achieve the goal of real-time process optimization and full-scale control,with the defects,microstructure,performance,and service life of the fabricated castings can be accurately predicted and tailored.

Gating system optimization of low pressure casting A356 aluminum alloy intake manifold based on numerical simulation

To eliminate the shrinkage porosity in low pressure casting of an A356 aluminum alloy intake manifold casting, numerical simulation on fi lling and solidifi cation processes of the casting was carried out using the ProCAST software. The gating system of the casting is optimized according to the simulation results. Results show that when the gating system consists of only one sprue, the fi lling of the molten metal is not stable; and the casting does not follow the sequence solidifi cation, and many shrinkage porosities are observed through the casting. After the gating system is improved by adding one runner and two in-gates, the fi lling time is prolonged from 4.0 s to 4.5 s, the fi lling of molten metal becomes stable, but this casting does not follow the sequence solidifi cation either. Some shrinkage porosity is also observed in the hot spots of the casting. When the gating system was further improved by adding risers and chill to the hot spots of the casting, the shrinkage porosity defects were eliminated completely. Finally, by using the optimized gating system the A356 aluminum alloy intake manifold casting with integrated shape and smooth surface as well as dense microstructure was successfully produced.

Development of a magnesium alloy with good casting characteristics on the basis of Mg–Al–Ca–Mn system,having Mg–Al2Ca structure

Application of calcium as alloying element for magnesium alloys has been considered according to literature data.Mg–7%Al–4%Ca–0.5%Mn casting alloy was offered,which possesses the low propensity to the hot brittleness and good castability.The alloy has the moderate strength(σu=150 MPa)and the satisfactory percentage elongation(δ=3%).It is shown,that calcium-containing alloys smelting of Mg–Al–Ca–Mn system is preferable with the application of low-chloride flux FL10(20%MgCl_(2);29%KCl;12%BaCl_(2);23%CaF2;15%MgF2;1%B2O3).The alloy smelting in the atmosphere of argon and SF6 mixture results in the increased shelling and waste of calcium.The heat treatment is offered for the developed alloy,which is directed to the Al_(2)Ca phase spheroidizing.The developed magnesium alloy,alloyed with calcium,is perspective for the industry production of low-cost moulding.

Gating system optimization of high pressure die casting thin-wall AlSi10MnMg longitudinal loadbearing beam based on numerical simulation

High pressure die casting(HPDC) is a kind of near net shape manufacturing method. However, air entrapment in HPDC parts has serious effects upon the casting quality. In order to reduce the air entrapment defects in a AlSi10 MnMg alloy thin-wall longitudinal load-bearing beam produced by HPDC, different gating systems were designed and simulated by software Flow-3D to evaluate the entrapped air. Simulation results showed that when the beam is produced by the original designed gating system with a middle ingate, there exist obvious air entrapments in the critical area; the volume of air entrapment was reduced by replacing the middle ingate to an overflow well, and the filling of molten metal became more stable. When the middle ingate was removed for further improvement, the volume of air entrapment was decreased drastically. The parts with glossy surface and good microstructure have been successfully produced by using the final optimized gating system based on simulation results.

Optimization of steel casting feeding system based on BP neural network and genetic algorithm

The trial-and-error method is widely used for the current optimization of the steel casting feeding system, which is highly random, subjective and thus ineff icient. In the present work, both the theoretical and the experimental research on the modeling and optimization methods of the process are studied. An approximate alternative model is established based on the Back Propagation(BP) neural network and experimental design. The process parameters of the feeding system are taken as the input, the volumes of shrinkage cavities and porosities calculated by simulation are simultaneously taken as the output. Thus, a mathematical model is established by the BP neural network to combine the input variables with the output response. Then, this model is optimized by the nonlinear optimization function of the genetic algorithm. Finally, a feeding system optimization of a steel traveling wheel is conducted. No shrinkage cavities and porosities are induced through the optimization. Compared to the initial design scheme, the process yield is increased by 4.1% and the volume of the riser is decreased by 5.48×10~6 mm3.

Effect of Structure Parameters on Power and Magnetic Field in Electromagnetic Soft-Contact Continuous Casting System

To design a power source system and mold for electromagnetic soft-contact continuous casting process and to theoretically estimate the heat losses from the charges and the system power, the effect of structure parameters on system power and magnetic flux density distribution was calculated using finite element method. The results show that as for electromagnetic soft-contact continuous casting system with partial-segment type mold, the power consumption is much more than that with a full-segment type mold; about 62% of electric power is dissipated in the mold, and the effective acting range of magnetic field is relatively narrow. Optimizing mold structure is a crucial measure of remarkably reducing mold power consumption and saving electric energy. Increasing slit number, width, and length can remarkably increase the magnetic flux density in the mold and can reduce the electric energy consumption. Among structure parameters, slit number and slit width are relatively more effective to reduce energy consumption. For a round billet electromagnetic continuous casting system with diameter of 178 ram, the reasonable slit number, width, and length are about 24--32, 0. 5--1.0 mm, and 160 mm, respectively.

New filling system design for bolster casting and computer simulation

The new filling system is smooth filling without gas gap. It works well in avoiding the generation of defects such as porosity and inclusion. The pouring basin, sprue, runner and the gate of the bolster casting were designed according to the principle of the new filling system. The filling and solidifciation process of the bolster casting were also simulated. It was found that the filling process was smooth, and air entrapment and shrinkage were avoided. Finally, a further validation of the new filling system of bolster casting was carried out in a foundry.

Design and Verification of an Auxiliary System for High Vacuum Die Casting

Vacuum die casting is the optimal method to produce high quality aluminum alloy components.At present,there are still very few systematic studies on vacuum die casting theory and equipment design.On the basis of the existing theories of the vacuum die casting pumping and venting systems,a simplified model is established in this research.The model has an aggregate unit consisted of ＂vacuum pump ＋ buffer tank＂ and a cylindrical container（including the shot sleeve,cavity and exhaust channel）.The theoretical analysis is carried out between the cavity pressure and the pumping time under different volume models.An auxiliary system for high vacuum die casting is designed based on the above analysis.This system is composed of a vacuum control machine and a new vacuum stop valve.The machine has a human-computer control mode with ＂programmable logic controller（PLC） ＋ touch screen＂ and a real-time monitoring function of vacuum degree for buffer tank and die cavity.The vacuum stop valve with the ＂compressed gas ＋ piston rod ＋ labyrinth groove＂ structure can realize the function of whole-process vacuum venting.The new system shows great advantages on vacuuming the cavity with a much faster speed by making tests on an existing die casting mold and a 250 t die casting machine.A die cavity pressure less than 10 kPa can be reached within 0.8 s in the experiment and the porosity of castings can be greatly decreased.The systematic studies on vacuum die casting theory and equipment have a great guiding significance for high vacuum die casting,and can also be applied to other high vacuum forming in related theoretical and practical research.

Optimal design of feeding system in steel casting by constrained optimization algorithms based on InteCAST

The traditional foundry industry has developed rapidly in recently years due to advancements in computer technology. Modifying and designing the feeding system has become more convenient with the help of the casting software, Inte CAST. A common method of designing a feeding system is to first design the initial systems, run simulations with casting software, analyze the feedback, and then redesign. In this work, genetic, fruit fly, and interior point optimizer(IPOPT) algorithms were introduced to guide the optimal riser design for the feeding system. The results calculated by the three optimal algorithms indicate that the riser volume has a weak relationship with the modulus constraint; while it has a close relationship with the volume constraint. Based on the convergence rate, the fruit fly algorithm was obviously faster than the genetic algorithm. The optimized riser was also applied during casting, and was simulated using Inte CAST. The numerical simulation results reveal that with the same riser volume, the riser optimized by the genetic and fruit fly algorithms has a similar improvement on casting shrinkage. The IPOPT algorithm has the advantage of causing the smallest shrinkage porosities, compared to those of the genetic and fruit fly algorithms, which were almost the same.

Pressurization control system for low pressure crucible casting

A new compact pressurization control system of the low pressure casting machine for crucible pressure casting has been developed. It is especially designed for the production of high-quality aluminum or magnesium alloy parts with low input cost. This machine with such a system has the virtue of economical and compact, and combines the Fuzzy-PID technology and achieves accuracies of ±2.5 mbar. At present, this machine has been adopted by several users in China for the production of aluminum alloy castings with high property requirements. Furthermore, for magnesium alloy castings, this machine can be used with the gas protect unit.

Semi-continuous casting of magnesium alloy AZ91 using a filtered melt delivery system

A 3-D numerical simulation of an industrial-sized slab caster for magnesium alloy AZ91 has been carried out for the steady state operational phase of the caster.The simulated model consists of an open-top melt delivery system fitted with a porous filter near the hot-top.The melt flow through the porous filter was modeled on the basis of Brinkmann-Forchimier-Extended non-Darcy model for turbulent flow.An in-house 3-D CFD code was modified to account for the melt flow through the porous filter.Results are obtained for four casting speeds namely,40,60,80,and 100 mm/min.The metal-mold contact region as well as the convective heat transfer coefficient at the mold wall were also varied.In addition to the above,the Darcy number for the porous media was also changed.All parametric studies were performed for a fixed inlet melt superheat of 64℃.The results are presented pictorially in the form of temperature and velocity fields.The sump depth,mushy region thickness,solid shell thickness at the exit of the mold and axial temperature profiles are also presented and correlated with the casting speed through regression analysis.©2015 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.on behalf of Chongqing University.

An optimization of injecting system in die casting

After many years of development, die casting technology of metallic materials has been matured. In this paper,the lower-support and its injecting system were created with commercial software. And then the simulation softwareFLOW3D was applied to study the flow behavior of the melt during injection filling process. Both temperature field anddefect distribution were simulated. Based on these results, the better injecting system with two additional overflows wasadopted.

Graded coal-its role in iron casting production from greensand systems

Coal has often been regarded as a problem additive to solve and improve the surface finish of iron castings,but at the same time causes other issues such as increased loss on ignition,total fines and moisture in system sands.Although many altermatives have been tried,there is no real substitute for thw all round properties of this wonderful natural resource.With the correct choice of coal,the combination of low ash,high volatile and swell index properties coupled with the key element of grading size,ensures castings are produced free from metal penetration and surface related problems.By careful selection,safe handling and processing coal continues to offer a good simple cost effective solution.Coal is subject to regulations in storage,processing and transportation and then further subjected to safe handling and use by the foundry.Despite these handicaps,it is still economical to the end user and modern processing and grading methods ensure it is used in the optimum condition to help produce quality castings.

Gating System Design for a Magnesium Alloy Casting

The gating system of a cylindrical magnesium casting has been designed by using multiple objective optimiza- tion and Taguchi method.Mold filling and solidification processes were simulated by using MAGMASOFT（？）. The simulation results indicate that the gating system design has a significant effect on the quality of magne- sium castings.In an effort to obtain the optimal design of gating system,the signal-to-noise （S/N） ratio was used to analyze the effect of various gating designs on cavity filling and casting quality by using a weighting method based on the design of an orthogonal array.Four gating system parameters,namely,ingate height, ingate width,runner height,runner width,were optimized with a consideration of multiple objective criteria including filling velocity,shrinkage porosity and product yield.

An integration system for investment casting mould design of aeroengine turbine blade

An integration system was developed to satisfy the need of information integration in the process of designing, investment casting and monitoring aero-engine's turbo blade. The general architecture is detailed presented in this paper. The system mainly comprises of product master model, design information management, anti-deformation design of mould cavity, intelligence mould design and blade testing. The developed system can manage mould design and blade test data flow, optimize mould design process and achieve the goal of integration design.

Effect of Injection Velocity on Structure Part Characteristic in A50 Die Casting Process with High Vacuum System

When diecasting large and thin Mg alloy parts,material defects occur,which include porosity,nonuniform mechanical properties,irregular surfaces,and incomplete filling.To resolve these problems,it is necessary to have uniform injection velocities and temperatures as well as control the melt.This study investigated the feasibility of producing large and thin components using a die caster by attaching a high vacuum system.In particular,the effects of injection velocity on surface quality and the mechanical properties of the products were investigated.Hence,an injection velocity scheme and a die structure capable of casting in a vacuum were proposed.As a result,it was found that the critical low injection velocity was 0.2 m/s to produce large thin Mg alloy structures having good mechanical properties.

Strength and elastic modulus enhancement in Mg-Li-Al matrix composites reinforced by ex situ TiB2 particles via stir casting

A novel Mg^(-1)0Li-3Al(wt.%,LA103)matrix composite reinforced by ex situ micron TiB_(2) particles was developed in the present study.The ball milling and cold pressing pretreatment of the reinforcements made it feasible to prepare this material under stir casting conditions with good dispersion.The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites prepared by different pretreatment methods were analyzed in detail.The TiB_(2) particles in the Al-TiB_(2)/LA103 composite using the pretreatment process were uniformly distributed in the microstructure due to the formation of highly wettable core-shell units in the melt.Compared with the matrix alloys,the Al-TiB_(2)/LA103 composite exhibited effective strength and elastic modulus improvements while maintaining acceptable elongation.The strengthening effect in the composites was mainly attributed to the strong grain refining effect of TiB2.This work shows a balance of high specific modulus(36.1 GPa·cm^(3)·g^(-1))and elongation(8.4%)with the conventional stir casting path,which is of considerable application value.

Data-driven casting defect prediction model for sand casting based on random forest classification algorithm

The complex sand-casting process combined with the interactions between process parameters makes it difficult to control the casting quality,resulting in a high scrap rate.A strategy based on a data-driven model was proposed to reduce casting defects and improve production efficiency,which includes the random forest(RF)classification model,the feature importance analysis,and the process parameters optimization with Monte Carlo simulation.The collected data includes four types of defects and corresponding process parameters were used to construct the RF model.Classification results show a recall rate above 90% for all categories.The Gini Index was used to assess the importance of the process parameters in the formation of various defects in the RF model.Finally,the classification model was applied to different production conditions for quality prediction.In the case of process parameters optimization for gas porosity defects,this model serves as an experimental process in the Monte Carlo method to estimate a better temperature distribution.The prediction model,when applied to the factory,greatly improved the efficiency of defect detection.Results show that the scrap rate decreased from 10.16% to 6.68%.