Computer Simulation of Mould Filling and Solidification of Castings

A finite volume based 3-D computer code which can simulate fluid flow during mould filling coupled with heat transfer as well as solidification has been developed in WTCM Foundry Center. The code can predict cold shut during mould filling, shrinkage defects during solidification and aid designing the casting system. Several experiments of filling vertical plate castings have been carried out. A heat resistant glass window has been used to observe the liquid metal flow behavior. Although the plate casting has a very simple geometry, the associated flow behavior is quite complex. Mould filling experiments carried out identical conditions never produce exactly the same results. The simulated results of the mould filling sequence and the temperature distribution have been compared with experiments. A good agreement has been achieved. The code has been used in foundries. A real application example is given which illustrates how to use computer simulation to aid designing the casting system. Sound castings based on computer aid designing have been produced. The process of designing castings by using simulation is completely different from the traditional way. The computer aided casting design offers the possibility to obtain a sound casting from the first time.