Numerical simulation and mathematical modeling of the casting process for pearlitic spheroidal graphite cast iron

Abstract

Fluidity, an essential parameter in casting operations, is influenced by the thermal properties of the alloy and the mold, pouring temperature, modification, and inoculation of the alloy. In this work, pearlitic spheroidal graphite cast iron (PSGI) was studied in terms of fluidity characteristics. The sand mold used had different section thicknesses. The alloy was cast at pouring temperatures changing between 1,360–1,480°C. Liquid metal quality ranged between 10 and 90% where the section thickness was changed from 1 to 5 mm. FlowCast simulation tool was used for the modeling of the tests. The analysis of variance results of the response surface model constructed between certain casting parameters and fluidity length have shown that the reduced regression equation is very accurate in terms of statistical indicators (predicted R 2: 0.99). The sensitivity analysis has shown that the section thickness is the most dominant parameter on the fluidity, while metallurgical quality is the least. The proposed model was also compared with the studies in the literature and it was seen that the results are well-matched. Therefore, it was suggested to use the proposed equation in order to estimate the fluidity results of PSGI without the need for real casting operations.

Keywords

• box–behnken design
• response surface method
• mathematical modeling
• fluidity
• casting parameters