Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow and Solidification in the Casting of an automotive Flywheel Part

The fluid flow and solidification sequences in the casting of an automobile flywheel part were simulated in three dimensions using the commercial, general purpose, CFD code FLOW-3D. The solid models of different parts of the automatic sand casting system including the casting, gating system and filter were discretised with a multi-block design. The mould roughness and contact angle were applied to the model based on the properties of the casting mould used. The turbulent flow was simulated using the two-equation k- turbulence model. The D’Arcy model was used to analyze the fluid flow throughout the ceramic filter positioned in the gating system. The proper boundary conditions were assigned in the model so that the simulated filling time was achieved compared to the real experimental observations. The simulated flow pattern showed that the first gate of each casting in the multiple-mould is not working properly as it remains half-filled and therefore could enable the melt to absorb air causing porosity formation in the cast parts. A smaller first gate was suggested to make it fully-filled throughout the casting. The solidification behaviour of the system revealed the same cooling pattern for all cast parts in the mould as well as a suitable casting performance in terms of weight of the gating system.

کلیدواژه ها:

Simulation ، Casting ، Solidification ، Finite Volume Method ، Automotive Part