F2008-12-286
Physics-Based Construction of New Model for Casting CAE
In recent years, the use of lightweight auto-parts is accelerating aimed for automotive economy. Therefore, many of engine parts have shifted to use aluminum, and aluminum die-casting becomes the mainstream for a manufacturing method instead of iron gravity casting. Die-casting is one of the most excellent casting processes in the point of high productivity and the process compaction. On the other hand, the control of the molten metal is very difficult because the filling and solidification of that is remarkably fast, and they have to fill up molten metal to a cavity having a complicated shape. As a result, die-casting is at great risk of generating defects inside of products. So, in most of production spots, they remove air in the die with vacuum pump through the vent hole before filling of molten metal (what is called, vacuum die-casting process) and improve the quality of casting products. However, because it is difficult to achieve the complete sealing of complicated parts of die-casting machine or die cavity (for example, the interspace between sleeve and plunger chip, parting line of die, and so on), air leak with the vacuum occurs in such a part. And it is expected that this leak has influence to molten metal behavior and the quality of products. In this study, we observed phenomenon occurred in those parts (what we call, precedence flow) by using the visualization system utilizing X-ray and non-contact molten metal sensor utilizing eddy current and clarified the influence that it gave quality. And then, we formulated new physical model based on that phenomenon to improve the precision of casting CAE. By this physics-based constraction of new model for casting CAE, we can optimize the casting condition, and it could be expected that the decreasing of casting defects which is caused by molden metal flow.
This abstract is supplemented by a PDF, which can be viewed here.
Session: Powertrain