A fast simulation of transient metal flow and solidification in a narrow channel. Part II. Model validation and parametric study

The numerical algorithm developed in Part I is applied to a problem involving transient flow and solidification of a molten metal in a narrow gap, especially in the ventilation channels of die-cast dies. The presented algorithm is based on the lubrication approximation where the 2-D in-plane equations are obtained after integrating the 3-D flow equations. Applying heat balance over the control volume yields the accompanying temperature equation. These equations were applied to approximate flow and solidification in the narrow sections of a die-cast die. The numerical algorithm was verified by comparing the results with the ones obtained from the commercial software FLOW3D®, and the actual die-cast parts. Solidification characteristics were verified by measuring SDAS (secondary dendrite arm spacing). A parametric study explored the dependence of the metal flow-length in the channel on factors such as channel thickness, entrance metal velocity, and wall temperature. The presented algorithm was successfully implemented with significant savings in CPU time.