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.

Microstructural characteristics of near-liquidus cast AZ91D alloy during semi-solid die casting

Near-liquidus cast ingot was reheated to semi-solid firstly, and then a bracket of motor was prepared by die casting the semi-solid ingot into mould. The microstructural characteristics of AZ91D alloy in these processes were investigated. In the process of near-liquidus casting, primary α-Mg grains tend to be rosette-like because of the increase of plentiful quasi-solid atom clusters in molten alloy with the decrease of pouring temperature. These rosette-like a-Mg grains in ingots fabricated by near-liquidus casting are fused off and refined into near-globular structure owing to the solute diffusion mechanism and the minimum surface energy mechanism during reheating. After semi-solid die-casting, a-Mg grains, located in biscuit, impact and connect with each other; α-Mg grains, located in inner gate, congregate together; while α-Mg grains, located in component, distribute uniformly and become into globularity or strip. Because the inner gate limits the flowing of semi-solid slurry, and the pressure acted on the semi-solid slurry decreases gradually along the filling direction of semi-solid slurry in Cavity, microstructural segregation of unmelted a-Mg grains appears along this direction. Shrinkage holes in casting are caused by two different reasons. For biscuit, the shrinkage holes are caused by the blocked access of feeding liquid to the shrinkage zone for the agglomerated unmelted α-Mg grains. For component, the shrinkage holes are caused by the lack of feeding of liquid alloy.

Mold Wear During Die Forging Based on Variance Analysis and Prediction of Die Life

A process parameter optimization method for mold wear during die forging process is proposed and a mold life prediction method based on polynomial fitting is presented,by combining the variance analysis method in the orthogonal test with the finite element simulation test in the forging process.The process parameters with the greatest influence on the mold wear during the die forging process and the optimal solution of the process parameters to minimize the wear depth of the mold are derived.The hot die forging process is taken as an example,and a mold wear correction model for hot forging processes is derived based on the Archard wear model.Finite element simulation analysis of die wear process in hot die forging based on deform software is performed to study the relationship between the wear depth of the mold working surface and the die forging process parameters during hot forging process.The optimized process parameters suitable for hot forging are derived by orthogonal experimental design and analysis of variance.The average wear amount of the mold during the die forging process is derived by calculating the wear depth of a plurality of key nodes on the mold surface.Mold life for the entire production process is predicted based on average mold wear depth and polynomial fitting.

Effects of process parameters on morphology and distribution of externally solidified crystals in microstructure of magnesium alloy die castings

During the cold-chamber high pressure die casting(HPDC) process, samples were produced to investigate the microstructure characteristics of AM60B magnesium alloy. Special attention was paid to the effects of process parameters on the morphology and distribution of externally solidified crystals(ESCs) in the microstructure of magnesium alloy die castings, such as slow shot phase plunger velocity, delay time of pouring and fast shot phase plunger velocity. On the basis of metallographic observation and quantitative statistics, it is concluded that a lower slow shot phase plunger velocity and a longer delay time of pouring both lead to an increment of the size and percentage of the ESCs, due to the fact that a longer holding time of the melt in the shot sleeve will cause a more severe loss of the superheat. The impingement of the melt flow on the ESCs is more intensive with a higher fast shot phase plunger velocity, in such case the ESCs reveal a more granular and roundish morphology and are dispersed throughout the cross section of the castings. Based on analysis of the filling and solidification processes of the melt during the HPDC process, reasonable explanations were proposed in terms of the nucleation, growth, remelting and fragmentation of the ESCs to interpret the effects of process parameters on the morphology and distribution of the ESCs in the microstructure of magnesium alloy die castings.

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.

Effect of Deformation Condition on Axial Compressive Precision Forming Process of Tube with Curling Die

The effect of the deformation condition on the axial compressive precision forming process of tube with curling die was investigated by using a rigid-plastic FEM. The results show that the forming accuracy depends mainly on geometric condition rp/d0, little on tube material properties and friction condition; the relative gap △/2rp of double-walled tubes obtained decreases with Increasing rp/d0, and there is a parameter k for a given to/do or rp/t0, when rp/d0 >k, △/2rp< 1, otherwise △/2rp>1.

Properties of 3Cr2W8V Die Steel With Striations Processed by Laser

The striations on the surface of 3Cr2W8V die steel were processed by laser. The microstructure, hardness, wear resistance and thermal fatigue behavior of the specimens processed by laser were measured. The appearance and mechanism of thermal fatigue crack propagation in the zone processed by laser were observed and discussed. The results show that the wear resistance and thermal fatigue resistance of materials processed by laser are all better than those of the unprocessed material. The processed zone by laser plays a role in baffling wearing process and crack propagation. The pile-nail effect of processed zone is the main factor for improving the wear resistance and thermal fatigue resistance of material.