Partner

India - Software for simulation of metal casting

Reading time: min

Thiruvananthapuram - Testing out new designs and process innovations in metals presents a formidable challenge to <link _top>foundries, especially in an era when the application potential of metals is touching new dimensions.

Metals <link _top>shrink on <link _top>solidification, leading to <link _top>cavities in <link _top>casting. So, <link _top>foundry practice insists on providing extra metal in the form of <link _top>feeders. It is not enough that the <link _top>feeders are provided; in order to be effective there are a number of design conditions that they have to fulfil.

Proper design of <link _top>feeding has been, over the years, considered an art rather than a science and <link _top>feeder design for a new <link _top>casting is usually finalised by trial and error.

Researchers at the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) have developed a <link _top>software for <link _top>simulation of metal <link _top>casting. Named ‘Virtual <link _top>Casting,’ the <link _top>software makes it possible to shift the trials from the shop floor to the computer, saving time, effort, energy and material.

The package predicts where <link _top>shrinkage defects are likely to occur in a given design. The inputs to the <link _top>simulation include <link _top>specific heat, <link _top>thermal conductivity, <link _top>pouring temperature of the <link _top>molten metal, <link _top>initial temperature of the <link _top>mould and a <link _top>solid model of the rigged <link _top>casting. Targeted at the small and medium-scale <link _top>foundries, it helps <link _top>foundry men to design the <link _top>feeding system before submitting the design to <link _top>simulations . Students can use it as a virtual laboratory for experimenting with different process variables.

[0]