Study on Numerical Simulation of Mold Filling and Heat Transfer in Die Casting Process

A 3-D mathematical model considering turbulence phenomena has been established based on a computational fluid dynamics technique, so called 3-D SOLA-VOF (Solution Algorithm-Volume of Fluid), to simulate the fluid flow of mold filling process of die casting. In addition, the mathematical model for simulating the heat transfer in die casting process has also been established. The computation program has been developed by the authors with the finite difference method (FDM) recently. As verification, the mold filling process of a S-shaped die casting has been simulated and the simulation results coincide with that of the benchmark test. Finally, as a practical application, the gating design of a motorcycle component was modified by the mold filling simulation and the dies design of another motorcycle component was optimized by the heat transfer simulation. All the optimized designs were verified by the production practice.

Synergistic effects of composition and heat treatment on microstructure and properties of vacuum die cast Al-Si-Mg-Mn alloys

The purpose of this study was to prepare high-quality Al-Si-Mg-Mn alloy with a good combination of strength and ductility employing the vacuum-assisted high-pressure die cast process. An orthogonal study of heat treatments was conducted to design an optimized T6 heat treatment process for both Al-10%Si-0.3%Mg-Mn and Al-11%Si-0.6%Mg-Mn alloys. The results demonstrate that no obvious blisters and warpage were observed in these two alloys with solid solution treatment. After the optimal T6 heat treatment of 530°C×3 h + 165°C×6 h, Al-11%Si-0.6%Mg-Mn alloy has better mechanical properties, of which tensile strength, yield strength and elongation reached 377.3 MPa, 307.8 MPa and 9%, respectively. The improvement of mechanical properties can be attributed to the high density of needle-like β″(Mg_5Si_6) precipitation after aging treatment and the fine and spherical eutectic Si particles uniformly distributed in the α-Al matrix.

Interfacial heat transfer behavior at metal/die in finger-plated casting during high pressure die casting process

Heat transfer at the metal-die interface has a great influence on the solidification process and casting structure. As thin-wall components are extensively produced by high pressure die casting process(HPDC), the B390 alloy finger-plate casting was cast against an H13 steel die on a cold-chamber HPDC machine. The interfacial heat transfer behavior at different positions of the die was carefully studied using an inverse approach based on the temperature measurements inside the die. Furthermore, the filling process and the solidification rate in different finger-plates were also given to explain the distribution of interfacial heat flux(q) and interfacial heat transfer coefficient(h). Measurement results at the side of sprue indicates that qmax and hmax could reach 9.2 MW·m^(-2) and 64.3 kW ·m^(-2)·K^(-1), respectively. The simulation of melt flow in the die reveals that the thinnest(T_1) finger plate could accelerate the melt flow from 50 m·s^(-1) to 110 m·s^(-1). Due to this high velocity, the interfacial heat flux at the end of T_1 could firstly reach a highest value 7.92 MW·m^(-2) among the ends of T_n(n=2,3,4,5). In addition, the q_(max) and h_(max) values of T_2, T_4 and T_5 finger-plates increase with the increasing thickness of the finger plate. Finally, at the rapid decreasing stage of interfacial heat transfer coefficient(h), the decreasing rate of h has an exponential relationship with the increasing rate of solid fraction(f).

Effects of heat treatment on the microstructures and mechanical properties of a new type of nitrogen-containing die steel

Nitrogen can increase the strength of steels without weakening the toughness and improve the corrosion resistance at the same time. Compared with conventional nitrogen-free die steels, a new type of nitrogen-containing die steel was developed with many superior properties, such as high strength, high hardness, and good toughness. This paper focused on the effects of heat treatment on the microstruc- tures and mechanical properties of the new type of nitrogen-containing die steel, which were investigated by the optimized deformation process and heat treatment. Isothermal spheroidal annealing and high-temperature quenching as well as high-temperature tempering were ap- plied in the experiment by means of an orthogonal method after the steel was multiply forged. The mechanical properties of nitro- gen-containing die steel forgings are better than the standard of NADCA #207-2003.

Heat Treat ment of Die and Mould Oriented Concurrent Design

Many disadvantages exist in the traditional die design method which belongs to serial pattern. It is well known that heat treatment is highly important to the dies. A new idea of concurrent design for heat treatment process of die and mould was developed in order to overcome the existent shortcomings of heat treatment process. Heat treatment CAD/CAE was integrated with concurrent circumstance and the relevant model was built. These investigations can remarkably improve efficiency, reduce cost and ensure quality of R and D for products.

Determination of interfacial heat transfer coefficient and its application in high pressure die casting process

In this paper,the research progress of the interfacial heat transfer in high pressure die casting(HPDC)is reviewed.Results including determination of the interfacial heat transfer coefficient(IHTC),influence of casting thickness,process parameters and casting alloys on the IHTC are summarized and discussed.A thermal boundary condition model was developed based on the two correlations:(a)IHTC and casting solid fraction and(b)IHTC peak value and initial die surface temperature.The boundary model was then applied during the determination of the temperature field in HPDC and excellent agreement was found.

APPLICATION OF RARE EARTH IN SURFACE HEAT TREATMENT OF HOT-WORKING DIE STEELS

This paper studies a compound treatment. i. e. liquid S , N,C co-diffusing with rare earth (RE) and then oxidization , for hot-working die steels , and the effect of RE on thermal fatigue behavior of the diffused layer. XRD and SEM energy spectrum prove that trace RE element actually penetrates into the surface layer of steels. The result shows that RE can reduce the gradient of change of hardness in diffused layer, improve the morphology and distribution of compounds , and reduce the degree of surface alligator crack for thermal fatigue. The behavior of thermal fatigue of hot-working die steels is raised by 70% or so after the application of RE. The effect of RE is analysed according to the theory.

Different aging behaviors at surface layer and central region of a die-casting A380 alloy during heat treatment

Microstructural and hardness evolutions of a vacuum-assistant die-cast A380(Al-8.67 wt.%Si-3.27 wt.%Cu) alloy during heat treatment were investigated. Isothermal DSC test at 200 °C revealed that the precipitation reaction in the surface layer was faster than that in the central region. This corresponded with the hardness evolution that the surface layer hardened faster. The hardness increment in the surface layer was higher than that in the central region. Further experimental evidences indicated that the differences were due to the different amounts of heterogeneous nucleation sites for precipitation in the two parts. The influence of the characteristic as-cast microstructure on the artificial aging process is analyzed and discussed in detail.

Heat shock behavior of permanent die during non-solid near-net forming process

Heat shocks caused by alloy melt and coat spraying are the main reason of die plastic deformation and early fracture. Based on theoretical analysis of heat shock phenomenon, two characteristic parameters of die damage caused by heat shock were proposed, which are heat shock plastic deformation index (HSPI) and heat shock crack index (HSCI). The effect of heat shock on die plastic deformation and fracture behaviors was described quantitatively by these two parameters. HSPI represents approaching of heat shock stress to die yield stress. Plastic deformation will happen on a die if this index reaches 1. HSCI represents approaching of heat shock stress to die tensile strength. Die fracture will happen if this index reaches 1. According to theoretical analysis of heat transfer, theoretical models of HSPI and HSCI were established. It is found that, the smaller the interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) is, the higher the pouring temperature and die temperature are before heat shock, and the greater the HSPI and HSCI are, which can be fitted as exponential curves, linear and cubic curves.

Heat Transfer between Casting and Die during High Pressure Die Casting Process of AM50 Alloy-Modeling and Experimental Results

A method based on die casting experiments and mathematic modeling is presented for the determination of the heat flow density （HFD） and interfacial heat transfer coefficient （IHTC） during the high pressure die casting （HPDC） process.Experiments were carried out using step shape casting and a commercial magnesium alloy,AM50.Temperature profiles were measured and recorded using thermocouples embedded inside the die. Based on these temperature readings,the HFD and IHTC were successfully determined and the calculation results show that the HFD and IHTC at the metal-die interface increases sharply right after the fast phase injection process until approaching their maximum values,after which their values decrease to a much lower level until the dies are opened.Different patterns of heat transfer behavior were found between the die and the casting at different thicknesses.The thinner the casting was,the more quickly the HFD and IHTC reached their steady states.Also,the values for both the HFD and IHTC values were different between die and casting at different thicknesses.

LOW CYCLE FATIGUE BEHAVIOR OF AZ91HP ALLOY IN AS HIGHP RESSURE DIE CASTING

Fully reversed total strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue tests were conducted at room temperature in air to study the fatigue behavior of AZ91HP magnesium alloy in as high pressure die casting and subsequently heat treatment. All the specimens in different heat histories exhibit cyclic strain hardening in different degrees. It is difficult to distinguish the fatigue behavior of the die casting specimens from that of the solution aging specimens. The solution treated specimens show longer fatigue life at high strain amplitude and shorter fatigue life at low strain amplitude than the die casting and solution aging specimens though they have the lowest yield strength with higher strain hardening. Fatigue fracture surfaces for strain amplitude larger than 0.005 show very similar to those found by monotonic tensile tests. The SEM examination reveals that the regions of fatigue crack growth and final fracture can be characterized by quasi-cleavage mechanisms, but some shallow dimples, slip bands and secondary cracks are found on the fracture surface in the fracture crack growth areas.

DIEVAR模具钢的真空热处理工艺

研究了淬火工艺、冷处理和回火工艺对DIEVAR模具钢硬度和力学性能的影响。试验结果表明,经1020℃、4.5×10~5 Pa真空气淬的DIEVAR钢的力学性能最好;与未经冷处理的DIEVAR钢相比,经-100℃×2 h冷处理的DIEVAR钢硬度较高,但冲击韧度较低。DIEVAR钢产生二次硬化的回火温度为520℃左右。

Strengthening technology and mechanism for semi-solid die casting of aluminum alloy

Combined with theoretical evaluation, an optimized strengthening process for the semi-solid die castings of A356 aluminum alloy was obtained by studying the mechanical properties of castings solution treated and aged under different conditions in detail, then, the semi-solid die castings and liquid die castings were heat treated with the optimized process. The results show that the mechanical properties of semi-solid die castings of aluminum alloy are superior to those of the liquid die castings, especially the strengthening degree of heat treated semi-solid die castings is much greater than that of liquid die castings with the tensile strength more than 330 MPa and the elongation more than 10%, and this is mainly contributed to the non-dendritic and more compact microstructure of semi-solid die castings. The strengthening mechanism of heat treatment for the semi-solid die castings of A356 aluminum alloy is due to the dispersive precipitation of the second phase（Mg2Si） and formation of GP Zone.

The Invalidation Analysis of a Working 5CrMnMo Forging Die and Ways of Precaution

The paper introduced the 5 CrMnMo steel, including the chemical composition, the heat treatment technology, the forging die working condition, and the invalidation form （such as the cavity arris wear, the cavity subsidence, the cold and the heat fatigue crackle）. Then gave some precautions for prolonging the mould life by improving the heat treatment technology.

钛合金薄壁构件快速加热冷模热冲压成形技术进展

为了解决钛合金薄壁构件热成形效率低、成本高、组织性能控制难度大等问题,近年来钛合金冷模热冲压成形技术受到关注。在该新技术中利用室温模具对加热后的钛合金板材进行快速冲压成形和模内快速冷却,由于取消了模具加热,可以变革性地提高钛合金薄壁构件成形效率、降低成本。然而,与传统等温成形不同,在冷模热冲压成形过程中,钛合金板材温度不断下降,这对钛合金成形极限、回弹及组织性能等的控制提出了全新的挑战。分析了钛合金薄壁构件冷模热冲压成形技术特点及存在的问题,归纳了快速加热对钛合金组织性能的影响规律,综述了钛合金薄壁构件快速加热冷模热冲压成形工艺进展,最后对该技术未来的发展方向进行了展望。

铝车轮铸造模具水冷界面换热系数反算求解

铝车轮低压铸造过程中,模具温度场是影响铝液凝固的重要因素。水冷作为铸造模具的主要冷却方式,对模具温度场的影响机理仍不明晰,有待深入研究。本文以铝车轮铸造模具的边模水冷模块为研究对象,设计水冷降温实验并采集水冷过程中的模具温度数据。通过ProCAST及ANSYS分析冷却水流动状态,以实测温度数据为基础进行软件反求解,基于Beck非线性估算法,建立界面换热数值模型。通过对比分析两种界面换热系数求解方式,并正向求解以验证两种求解方式的准确性,以期为铝车轮低压铸造模拟验证提供数据支撑,有望获取冷却水与模具的真实换热系数,并揭示其传热行为和换热机理。

LB/M复相热处理工艺对冷作模具钢DC53组织和力学性能的影响

本文研究了不同预淬火温度的QTA(Quenching-Tempering-Austempering)复相热处理工艺(Q为1030℃,30 min;T为520℃,2 h;A为250℃,3 h)对冷作模具钢DC53的微观组织和力学性能及摩擦磨损性能的影响,并与常规淬火-回火(Quenching-Tempering,QT)热处理工艺(Q为1030℃,30 min;T为520℃,2 h)进行对比。结果表明,QT工艺得到的组织以回火马氏体为主;QTA工艺可以得到下贝氏体/马氏体(Lower Bainite/Martensite,LB/M)为主的复相组织,这些复相对原奥氏体晶粒的分割产生的细晶强化作用部分抵消了LB和残余奥氏体(A_(R))的弱化作用,并且,这些复杂的微观组织极大提升了DC53钢的冲击韧性;当QTA的预淬温度为100℃时,其硬度仅比QT工艺低1.4HRC,但是冲击吸收能量却是QT工艺的2.44倍。因此,优化的QTA工艺可以得到较高的强韧综合性能。

FEA technique of hot plate forming process using cell-typed die with cooling device

Hot plate forming using a cell-typed die is a process for forming a large thick plate with a spherical shape for the manufacture of a large spherical LNG tank.Cell-typed upper and lower dies made of a framework of steel plates fitted to make a grid pattern are used in this process,and an air-cooling device is separately installed inside the lower die.A finite element analysis (FEA) technique was developed,which included hot forming,air flow,cooling and thermal deformation analysis for the hot plate forming process using the cell-typed die.Further,the convective and interface heat transfer coefficients were used to reproduce analytically the effects of the cooling device in the hot plate forming analysis.A small-scale model test of the process was conducted to verify the FEA technique.The analysis results show that the curvature of the final plate agrees well with that of the designed experiment within a maximum relative error of 0.03% at the corner of the plate.

Cu含量和热处理工艺对Al-Si-Mg-Mn-xCu铸造铝合金显微组织和力学性能的影响

采用三维X射线显微镜、光学显微镜、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜及硬度测试系统研究Cu含量及热处理工艺对真空压铸Al-Si-Mg-Mn-xCu合金显微组织和力学性能的影响。研究发现,虽然Cu含量增加会提高铸锭中气孔的密度和尺寸,但是Cu添加将促进凝固过程中含Cu初生相(Q-Al_(5)Cu_(2)Mg_(8)Si_(6)和θ-Al_(2)Cu)的形成,从而提高合金性能。合金中形成5种不同结构的初生相,包括共晶Si、α-Al(Fe,Mn)Si、β-Mg_(2)Si、Q-Al_(5)Cu_(2)Mg_(8)Si_(6)和θ-Al_(2)Cu相。随着Cu含量增加,θ相的面积分数迅速增加,α-Al(Fe,Mn)Si相面积分数首先降低,随后缓慢增加,而Q相的变化趋势与α-Al(Fe,Mn)Si相相反。这些初生相在热处理过程中会出现不同的演变规律。在随后的时效处理过程中,Q'和θ'相的协同析出能显著提高合金的时效硬化潜力。

压铸模3D打印材料分析与应用

新能源汽车的发展萌生了一体化压铸技术,为压铸模发展带来生机,压铸模是一个热交换器,模具热平衡是眼下最关心的问题。本文以3D打印在压铸模异形水路制作为基础,围绕打印材料应用,介绍了压铸模基本概况与模具成型加工时热平衡的重要性,提出了3D打印模具异形水路是解决模具热平衡的重要手段之一,分析了压铸模3D打印材料分析与使用情况,对目前常用几种打印材料作出了逐一阐述,列举应用案例,3D打印在压铸模异形水路能为模具热平衡管理提供坚强支持。