ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY MADE SIMPLE:

Metal Flow and Solidification Simulation with FLOW

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Thousands of new castings are developed every day in
foundries all over the world. To achieve the desired
quality with high yield, most of the foundries rely on
shop-floor trials. Un-optimized methods design
however, leads to wastage of valuable resources
including materials and energy, in producing defective
castings and foundry returns (recycled feeders and
gating). If prevention is indeed better than cure, why
cant we use simulation technology for optimizing
every casting?
The answer lies in the computational
complexity and human interface of the casting
simulation technology. The earliest programs were
developed in academic institutes for research
purposes. While they have evolved over the last three
decades, and presently give more accurate results in a
shorter time, the performance improvements are
mainly driven by more powerful computers available
today. There are no fundamental changes in the user
inputs, mathematical models, and numerical
computational techniques. Their user interface
assumes a high level of technical knowledge for
preparing the necessary inputs, and in interpreting
the simulation results. Overall, casting simulation
programs are as difficult to use today as they were ten
years back. This has severely limited their widespread
use, since most foundries cannot afford to recruit and
retain simulation engineers.
The above limitations can be overcome by
developing next-generation intelligent software that
require minimal inputs from novice users, yet allow
experienced users to leverage their knowledge. Both
phenomena: metal flow and solidification, need to be
coupled, and solved simultaneously as well as
efficiently. This will enable even large castings with
thin walls to be successfully simulated on standard
computers. The latest computational models and
software engineering techniques need to be
employed to take advantage of the current hardware
architectures and operating systems. A multi-
disciplinary team comprising mechanical engineers,
material scientists and software experts from IIT
Bombay, CSIR-NIIST Trivandrum and 3D Foundry Tech
took up this challenge. This led to the birth of FLOW
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,
an advanced yet simple software module for metal
casting simulation. It has been incorporated inside
AutoCAST-X1, giving users a single integrated
environment for casting methods design, quick
simulation, advanced simulation, and design
optimization.
The simulation solver generates the results of
coupled simulation of mold filling and casting
solidification and saves them in steps of 1% for
viewing later. If storage space is limited, user can
change the file storage frequency to 2% or 5%. All
other inputs, including thermo-physical properties of
casting, mold, core and other materials, and
coefficients of interfacial heat transfer between them
are taken from a database. If really needed,
experienced users can edit the database.
Four types of results can be visualized: mold
filling, casting solidification, liquid fraction and
solidification time (cooling rate). These can be
displayed as animations with play and pause. The
instantaneous values such as flow front velocity,
percentage volume filled and percentage volume
solidified are continuously displayed. The simulation
results are further processed to display the location
and extent of potential defects, including cold shut,
shrinkage (macro and micro) and hard zones. Each
result comes up after only a few mouse clicks.
AutoCAST allows a casting engineer to design,
model and quickly simulate several layouts in a single
day. FLOW
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adds a new dimension, enabling double-
check by advanced simulation. This reduces the need
for foundry trials, mainly to ensure that the actual
methoding is the same as the one simulated.





The author is an Institute Chair Professor at IIT Bombay. More
information about the software is available at autocast.co.in.
Dr. B. Ravi



Left: Part model imported, right: methods design (feeder and gating)


Mold filling simulation (left: 60% fill, right: 100% fill)


Left: Casting temperatures at 60% of solidification time, right: just solidified


Left: Liquid fraction, right: solidification time


Left: Shrinkage porosity (dark-macro, light-micro), right: hard zones