INTERACTION OF CASTING PROCESS SIMULATION AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS IN ORDER TO OPTIMIZE AN AUTOMOTIVE ALUMINUM CASTING AND ITS PRODUCTION CYCLE

摘要

During the development phase of aluminum cast components, Teksid Aluminum widely applies process simulation codes like Magmasoft or Flow 3D aimed to analyze all casting production phases, from filling and solidification dynamics, to defects and residual stress prediction both on casting and mold. For their in-service life, Finite Elements codes like Abaqus or MSC Nastran are adopted. Interaction between process simulation and FEM analysis allows to carry process output data (i.e. temperatures, residual stress values) from Control Volume mesh to Finite Element mesh. This paper describes mold thermal analysis for a rear control arm produced in Low Pressure Die Casting (LPDC) and the following evaluation, by means of FEM codes, of stresses due to thermal cycles and fatigue life prediction in the mold most critical areas (i.e. ingates). A good match between simulation results and experimental evidence had been noticed.