Analysis of the solidification process of castings depending on their configuration and material of the mold

Abstract

Control of the formation of the structure and specified properties of castings in foundry production processes is inextricably linked to the thermal conditions of solidification of the castings in the mold. The nature of the thermal interaction between the casting and the mold is largely determined by the configuration of the castings as well as the properties of the cast alloy and mold material. The analysis performed in this work shows that the numerical models and empirical formulas used to calculate casting solidification parameters can be divided into three groups. The first group of models and empirical formulas gives values approaching the results of calculations by the square root law. The second group includes models and formulas, the calculation of solidified skin thickness by which exceeds the results of calculations by the square root law. The third group includes models and empirical formulas, which provide calculated data close to the theoretical curves of solidification of classical bodies. According to the results of the analysis of calculated data on the basis of the considered models, a hypothetical mechanism of the solidification process of castings has been proposed, which explains the stages of formation of their structure and the nature of the deviation of experimentally obtained values of solidification parameters from the square root law.