Evaluation of a heat flux sensor for spray cooling for the die casting processes

During the die casting process, lubricants are sprayed in order to cool the dies and facilitate the ejection of the casting. In this paper, a new technique for measuring the heat flux during lubricant application is evaluated. Data from experiments conducted using water spray are first presented. Water spray experiments were conducted for different initial plate temperatures. Measurements were conducted for the application of two different lubricants, of dilution ratios of 1/15 and 1/50 of lubricant in water. The measurement uncertainties were documented. The results show that the surface temperature decreases initially very fast. Numerical simulation results confirmed that the abrupt temperature drop is not an artifact but illustrates the thermal shock experienced by the dies during the initial stages of lubricant application. The lubricant experiments show that the sensor can be successfully used for testing die lubricants with typical dilution ratios encountered in the die casting process.