Interactive casting simulation assistant for conceptual design of permanent moulds

Casting simulations evaluate the physics in the cavities, up to micro-physics in the formation of porosities, metallurgical structures and mechanical properties. As a limit in this procedure, a 3D CAD model of the mould is required, which is very time consuming to deliver. Therefore, the simulations can be little exploited in the initial conceptual phase and the equipment layout must be defined mainly based on the experience of practitioners. This research studies a Casting Simulation Assistant tool for Gravity Die Casting and Low Pressure Die Casting in order to calculate the simulation parameters and to deliver the simulation results as fast as possible. The paper discusses the necessary simplifications, the input and output data, the modelling technique, the software structure and the user interface. In particular, a mould is modelled as a thermal machine, with in- and out-flows of matter and energy. The tool is evaluated against the results from a commercial software, first on theoretical cases and then also on four real moulds. The Casting Simulation Assistant calculates the performance of the mould in a few seconds, allowing design parameters to be modified and recalculated interactively. The results can be used for the evaluation of the main performance of the mould as feasibility analysis, for production costs estimation, for the rapid comparison of different design variants in the conceptual design phase and to give a first assessment of a set of parameters in order to save time in the following simulations.