optimized casting designs
TRANSCRIPT
O P T I M I Z E C A S T I N G
D E S I G N S W I T H
H I G H L Y - A C C U R A T E
F I L L I N G A N D
S O L I D I F I C A T I O N
S I M U L A T I O N S
FLOW-3D Cast provides metal casters with highly-accurate insights allowing you to explore design concepts quickly and efficiently.
Cover image courtesy of BMW Group
O P T I M I Z E D W O R K F L O W S
D E S I G N F L O WIntuitive interface lets users set up highly-accurate
simulations quickly and correctly.
C L E A R M O D E L I N P U TTop-down workflow ensures that all aspects
of model setup are addressed. Models and
parameters are defined using casting terminology.
F A S T M E S H I N GMeshing captures complex parts and molds
with minimal user input. Casting designs
can be imported and meshed in minutes.
P O W E R F U L S O L V E RWide range of integrated physical models
capable of modeling casting processes
and providing solutions to filling and
solidification defects.
M A T E R I A L D A T A B A S EMaterial properties for alloys, molds,
cores and filters. Customizable database
with imported materials.
FLOW-3D Cast is available in three configurations, depending on your modeling needs:
BASIC, EXTENDED, ADVANCED.
S T R E A M L I N E D M E S H I N GF O R C O M P L E X P A R T S
FLOW-3D Cast’s unique meshing methodology, FAVORTM,
handles complex geometry within a structured mesh.
FAVOR allows FLOW-3D Cast to maintain highly-accurate
flow calculations around complex geometries.
This technique is referred to as free-gridding because
the mesh and geometry can be changed independently
of each other, greatly simplifying the meshing process
and saving significant time during simulation setup.
REDUCE
SETUP TIME WITH
FAVOR™, OUR UNIQUE
STREAMLINED MESHING
METHODOLOGY
P O W E R F U L V I S U A L I Z A T I O N
FlowSight™, an integrated state-of-the-art postprocessor, offers powerful visualization for identifying casting defects.
• Portable results
• Report generation
• Batch postprocessing
• Multiple iso-surfaces
• 2D-slicing through results
• Multiple views of simulation results
• Simultaneous stress and fluid flow view
• Extensive annotation capabilities
• Read and plot data from external sources
• Interactive probing
• Texture mapping
• Definable viewpoints
• Volume rendering
• Flipbook
• Vent flow rates
D E S I G N O P T I M I Z A T I O N
OX I D E F O R M AT I O N
FLOW-3D Cast’s defect
tracking capabilities help
predict where oxides are
likely to occur during the
filling process. FLOW-3D
Cast accurately tracks these oxides and their final locations.
A I R E N T R A I N M E N T
The air entrainment model
in FLOW-3D Cast is used
to estimate the amount of
entrained air that occurs in
metal casting systems during
filling. This model is an excellent predictor of porosity.
M I C RO P O RO S I T Y
FLOW-3D Cast predicts
microporosity occurring
late in the solidification
stage, letting you make design adjustments quickly, avoiding critical and costly defects.
SOLIDIFICATION AND SHRINKAGE
FLOW-3D Cast has a
complete suite of tools
for modeling solidification
and pinpointing areas of
excessive shrinkage or
porosity, allowing you to
determine placement of risers to assure such defects are alleviated.
T H E R M A L S T R E S S
FLOW-3D Cast’s thermal
stress model enables you
to predict precisely where
stresses will occur and how a
casting distorts. Stresses are simultaneously computed in the mold and in the solidifying metal.
D E F E C T P R E D I C T I O N
F O U N D R Y A P P L I C A T I O N S
I R O N S O L I D I F I C A T I O N
The iron solidification model describes the
eutectic and near-eutectic solidification of
cast irons capturing the formation of austenite, graphite and carbide and the density variations
that occur during the cooling process as
these different phases form.
C O R E G A S G E N E R A T I O N
The core gas model predicts the effects of gas
generation during the pouring and solidification
process for resin-bonded cores. The core gas
model predicts the location and quantity of
gas defects and helps to design core venting that will safely evacuate the binder product gas from the cores.
D I E C A S T I N G A P P L I C A T I O N S
C O O L I N G C H A N N E L S Cooling channels are used in die casting
and permanent mold casting for thermal
management to prevent the overheating
of the die and to control solidification.
FLOW-3D Cast’s cooling channel model includes time-dependent temperature and heat transfer coefficients and thermocouple-controlled activation
for cooling and heating.
D I E E R O S I O N
One of the causes of die erosion is cavitation,
which occurs when metal pressure drops below
a critical level due to flow separation and high
velocities. This unsteady flow can be very
damaging to dies. FLOW-3D Cast’s cavitation potential model helps you determine where cavitation-induced die erosion might occur and make adjustments before casting.
D I E C A S T I N G C O L D C H A M B E R O X I D E D E F E C T A N A L Y S I S
The engineering team at H E L L E B U S C H TO O L & D I E ran a series of high
pressure die casting filling simulations to identify possible defects in
a steering wheel casting to see whether the casting design needed
modification. The simulation results show that the majority of the oxides
were trapped in the overflows. The top and bottom of the back of the
steering wheel indicate locations where overflows could be placed
to capture oxides to further improve the casting quality.
H E L L E B U S C H T O O L & D I E
COURTESY H E L L E B U S C H TO O L & D I E
I D E N T I F Y P O T E N T I A L
C A S T I N G D E S I G N
I S S U E S B E F O R E
P A R T P R O D U C T I O N
H I G H P R E S S U R E D I E C A S T I N G
T H E R M A L D I E C Y C L I N G Die cycling simulations are an essential component
for high-pressure die casting. Simulations must
provide accurate temperature distributions in a die
throughout multiple die cycles. With FLOW-3D Cast, the temperature distributions for thermal die cycles are calculated for solidification,
die opening, spray, air blow, and die closing.
FLOW-3D Cast provides highly-accurate solutions for die casters.
L A D L E P O U R I N G & S H O T S L E E V EFLOW-3D Cast’s moving objects model accurately
captures the fluid motions throughout the process,
giving you insights from the actual ladle pour to the
fast shot. Test designs quickly by changing only a few parameters and compare optimized results easily with FlowSight.
Courtesy of Buhler
ACCURATELY MODEL ALL
STAGES OF HIGH PRESSURE
DIE CASTING: THERMAL DIE CYCLING,
SPRAY COOLING, SHOT SLEEVE
OPTIMIZATION, FILLING
AND SOLIDIFICATION.
G R A V I T Y C A S T I N G S O L U T I O N S
Filling of a gravity casting using the Moving Objects model to
simulate a moving ladle with a prescribed motion that matches
the actual machine setup. Filters are used in the runners in order
to control the flow. The small viewport on the top left illustrates
a vertical section of the mold.
T E K S I D S.P.A.
Courtesy of Teksid S.P.A.Post processed with EnSight®.
F O U N D R Y
G R AV I T Y P O U R C A S T I N GPart quality can be affected by entrainment of air
from overly-turbulent filling and by shrinkage-
induced defects. FLOW-3D Cast accurately tracks
the movement of the metal front, the location
of potential defects and the evolution of
temperatures during the filling process.
After filling is complete, the solidification
of the metal, and its resulting shrinkage,
can also be modeled.
LO S T F OA M C A S T I N GFLOW-3D Cast’s special models simulate the entire
lost foam process, predicting where folds or other
defects associated with trapped foam products
are located. FLOW-3D Cast provides engineers
with the insight necessary to determine filling
process parameters, such as pour temperature
and pressure, gate sizes and locations.
C E N T R I F U G A L C A S T I N GThe higher pressure associated with centripetal
acceleration in centrifugal castings, forces defects
towards the rotational axis. FLOW-3D Cast’s
non-inertial reference frame model can prescribe
this rotation with the ability to modify its speed.
This allows you to easily visualize and locate
potentially-costly defects.
I N V E S T M E N T C A S T I N GFLOW-3D Cast’s powerful numerical models can
simulate the complex investment casting process,
allowing users to analyze wax injection, metal
filling, and metal solidification as well as accurately
predict defects. This analysis helps casting
companies improve component design,
reduce defects, and shorten development time.
FLOW-3D Cast provides highly-accurate filling and solidification solutions for foundry processes.
NEW All-Electric Car BMW i3
B M W G RO U P
Previously, structural parts in cars were made of steel metal. Several advanced
auto manufacturers have succeeded in manufacturing these parts as complex
thin-walled light metal castings that are considerably lighter than the steel
designs. This reduction in weight is especially important for electric cars that
have to carry heavy batteries. Casting such complex and large parts is a very
demanding task and requires fine tuning of many parameters such as location
and dimension of ingates, vents, overflows, shot curve, casting and die
temperatures. The use of simulation early on in development enables BMW
engineers to optimize the HPDC process so that they can produce premium
quality parts according to the specification of their new car designs.
Courtesy of BMW Group
• Multi-block meshing, up to 5 mesh blocks
• Filling, including viscous turbulence and surface tension effects
• Solidification and heat transfer
• Expandable database for cast alloys, molds, etc.
• Chills, isolating sleeves and exothermic reactions
• Temperature-dependent properties
• Filters for flow control
• Track oxide formation and defects
• Identify filling & solidification related porosity
• Natural convection of molten metal before solidification
• Cast iron solidification
• Flow tracers
• Particle modeling
• Unlimited mesh blocks for accurate
and efficient simulations
• Filling and solidification analysis for
high pressure die castings
• Trapped gases and venting effects
• Thermal die cycling to determine
mold temperature distribution
and cooling line optimization for
temperature control
• Optimize shot sleeve performance
and apply motion to simulations
• Lost foam castings and foam defects
• Locate cavitation to determine where
die erosion may occur
• Permeable mold model for modeling
air escape during filling
• Six-degrees-of-freedom motion for
prescribed shot sleeve and complex
ladle pouring motion
B A S I C E X T E N D E D
• Thermal- and mechanically-induced
stresses and distortions
• Binary segregation
• Complete sand core suite
• Capture core gas release
and associated defects
• Sand core blowing
• Model moisture drying in molds and cores
• Vents
• Enhanced viscous effects including
non-Newtonian viscosity, shear thinning/
thickening and thixotropic flows
• Heating due to viscous shear
A D V A N C E D
ALL FLOW-3D CAST PACKAGES FEATURE
F LO W - 3 D C A S T PAC K AG E S A R E AVA I L A B L E
W I T H E S C A L AT I N G L E V E L S O F M O D E L I N G P O W E R :
B A S I C , E X T E N D E D a n d A DVA N C E D.
A l l B A S I C f e a t u re s , p l u s : A l l E X T E N D E D f e a t u re s , p l u s :
H I G H LY- A C C U R AT E F L O W A N D S O L I D I F I C AT I O N R E S U LT S
A U T O M AT I C M E S H I N G F O R E A S Y M O D E L S E T U P
M AT E R I A L L I B R A R I E S F O R M E TA L S , M O L D S , F I LT E R S A N D R I S E R S
A C T I V E S I M U L AT I O N C O N T R O L
F L O W S I G H T P O S T P R O C E S S O R
S U P P O R T
T R A I N I N G
U S E R S S I T E
Flow Science’s team of highly-experienced CFD support engineers prides itself on offering same day,
expert support by phone, email and live chat for the metal casting industry. Our dedicated support
team is committed to the timeliness of your projects and successful implementation of FLOW-3D Cast.
Explore a variety of resources on the Users Site, such as:
• Metal casting CFD checklists
• Live chat
• Example simulations
• Software updates
• FAQs, validations and hints & tips
• Presentations, workshops and tutorials
In order to access the Flow Science Users site, you need an active license and maintenance contract.
Flow Science offers comprehensive training classes for FLOW-3D Cast in Santa Fe, NM.
The 2-1/2 day training classes give attendees a solid, working understanding of the software
as well as hands-on experience with real-world simulations. We encourage potential users in addition
to new and existing users to attend. One-on-one consultation is available; please call for details.
C O M P A N Y
In 1963, while at the Los Alamos National Laboratory,
Dr. C. W. “Tony” Hirt pioneered several landmark fluid
dynamics methods, stability enhancing procedures
and a unique free surface tracking technique—the
“Volume of Fluid” or VOF method. In 1980, Dr. Hirt left
LANL to form Flow Science, Inc., with the mission to
develop a new generation of fluid dynamics modeling
capabilities for industrial and scientific applications.
Flow Science now supports a worldwide customer base
of commercial, academic and government users.
Our staff of scientists and engineers constantly
strives to make innovative and useful improvements
to our product suite.
L E A R N M O R EF L O W 3 D . C O M / C A S T
683 Harkle Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
(505) 982-0088
L E A R N M O R E
F L O W 3 D . C O M / C A S T