Modeling and simulation of heat transfer phenomena during investment casting

Determining the heat transfer phenomena during casting processes is an important parameter for measuring the overall performance of process. It gives information about the properties of the metal being casted and its possible behavior in the mold during casting process. Improper determination of heat transfer phenomena and use of improper molding materials and casting conditions leads to defects such as misruns, cold shuts, shrinkage, pin holes, air holes and porosity in final product. A mathematical model was developed using standard transport equations incorporating all heat transfer coefficients to calculate the time for solidification of metal in casting and computer simulation of the model was carried out in C++ to validate the model. The metal used was pure iron casted in investment molds of silica sand with zircon coating. It was shown that airflow near the mold surfaces was partially restricted due to geometry of the molds and arrangement of the pieces around a tree. So, the changes in heat transfer coefficient also contribute towards time of solidification. The time calculated was found to be in good agreement with experimental values.