The basic characteristics of the finite volume method (FVM) are reviewed. These are the usage of an arbitrary shaped mesh and the application ofthe conservation law at the level ofa discretized control volume. The options offered by the FVM for simulating the casting process are examined and compared with the classical finite difference method (FDM) and the finite element method (FEM). Two options have been chosen for further study. The first is a hybrid method that combines an orthogonal grid with mixed control volumes. In the second method, control volume vertices are moved to the boundaries creating non-orthogonal hexahedra. Here too, control volumes may be mixed with two different materials. Both FVMs utilize a structured mesh. This allows to apply an implicit technique to solve the set of algebraic equations. The two methods as well as the classical FDM have been validated by comparing simulation results with an analytical solution. Other test cases are the cooling of a body in a sand mold and in a metallic die. Both FVMs produce very accurate results. This is in contrast with the classical FDM, which gives only acceptable results for the cooling of a body in a sand mold. Mold filling simulations have been carried out for a casting with a curved gating system. The hybrid method allows to predict the filling time independent of the mesh size. This is not the case for the FDM. Since accurate finite volume enmeshments are possible using relatively few control volumes, mold filling calculation times can be reduced by a factor of 25 of more, as compared to the classical FDM.
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