Development of suitable processes to harness the high specific strength and stiffness capabilities of magnesium (Mg) for fabricating light-weight structural components has been undertaken by researchers worldwide. Concerns about quality of thin-walled castings made of Mg have led to an option of low pressure casting (LPC). The LPC process focuses on die filling against gravity and has the reputation of producing high quality aluminium (Al) components with thin walls to near-net-shape. Adoption of LPC process for Mg alloy castings may widen the spectrum of high quality Mg components. However, the challenging part is the optimisation of process parameters because the oxidation of the Mg melt makes the conventional trial and error methods hard to apply. Accepting this challenge, CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram has indigenously designed and developed a LPC facility exclusively for Mg alloys. The casting method has been demonstrated with production of thin-walled automobile components having 2-3 mm thickness with superior quality. Moreover, a computational model has also been formulated for better understanding of the fluid flow behaviour and mould filling characteristics of the melt during the casting process using the commercial code FLOW 3D.
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