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.

Numerical simulation of flow and heat transfer in a random packed bed

Random packed beds have more complex interior structure than structured beds and are widely used in industry and engineering. CFD simulation was carried out to investigate and analyze the local flow and heat transfer in a 120-sphere random packed bed. 3D Navier-Stokes equation was solved with a finite volume formulation based on the Chimera meshing technique. Investigation was focused on low Reynolds number flow （Re=4.6-56.2）, which typically occurs in packed bed reactors in bio-chemical fields. Detailed temperature field information was obtained. Inhomogeneity of flow and heat transfer due to the non-uniform distribution of void fraction was discussed and analyzed.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of friction stir welding:A comparative study on different frictional boundary conditions

Numerical simulation based on computational fluid dynamics （CFD） is a useful approach for quantitatively investigating the underlying thermal-mechanical conditions during FSW, such as temperature field and material deformation field. One of the critical issues in CFD simulation of FSW is the use of the frictional boundary condition, which represents the friction between the welding tool and the workpiece in the numerical models. In this study, three-dimensional numerical simulation is conducted to analyze the heat transfer and plastic deformation behaviors during the FSW of AA2024. For comparison purposes, both the boundary velocity （BV） models and the boundary shear stress （BSS） models are employed in order to assess their performances in predicting the temperature and material deformation in FSW. It is interesting to note that different boundary conditions yield similar predictions on temperature, but quite different predictions on material deformation. The numerical predictions are compared with the experimental results. The predicted deformation zone geometry by the BSS model is consistent with the experimental results while there is large difference between the predictions by the BV models and the experimental measurements. The fact that the BSS model yields more reasonable predictions on the deformation zone geometry is attributed to its capacity to automatically adjust the contact state at the tool/workpiece interface. Based on the favorable predictions on both the temperature field and the material deformation field, the BSS model is suggested to have a better performance in numerical simulation of FSW than the BV model.

Impacts of Previous Winter Kuroshio SSTA on Summer Rainfall in China

The relationship of Kuroshio sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in theprevious winter and summer rainfall in China was analyzed based on observational studies andnumerical simulations. Observational results indicate that there is a close relation betweenKuroshio SSTA and precipitation in China. When Kuroshio SSTA is positive, the western Pacificsubtropical high will be stronger and extend farther westward in, the following summer, with Asiansummer monsoon weaker and the frontal precipitation further southward. As a result, summerprecipitation increases (decreases) in the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River (in North andNortheast China), and vice versa. Conclusions drawn by NCAR-CCM3 testify the observational results.

Multiphase Flow and Thermo-Mechanical Behaviors of Solidifying Shell in Continuous Casting Mold

The metallurgical phenomena occurring in the continuous casting mold have a significant influence on the performance and the quality of steel product.The multiphase flow phenomena of molten steel,steel/slag interface and gas bubbles in the slab continuous casting mold were described by numerical simulation,and the effect of electromagnetic brake（EMBR） and argon gas blowing on the process were investigated.The relationship between wavy fluctuation height near meniscus and the level fluctuation index F,which reflects the situation of mold flux entrapment,was clarified.Moreover,based on a microsegregation model of solute elements in mushy zone with δ/γ transformation and a thermo-mechanical coupling finite element model of shell solidification,the thermal and mechanical behaviors of solidifying shell including the dynamic distribution laws of air gap and mold flux,temperature and stress of shell in slab continuous casting mold were described.