Analysis of the Influence of Gating System Parameters on Anvil Casting: A Case Study

Abstract

Casting an aluminum anvil-shaped workpiece has proven challenging for the project team, as identified by its study of metal casting technology. The problems identified include air pockets, flash, incomplete casting, shrinkage cavities, and porosity. These issues are typically resolved through experience and trial-and-error casting to inspect and identify defects. This paper aims to design and analyze the gating system of an anvil-shaped aluminum casting using computer simulation to model the flow behaviour, solidification time, and shrinkage porosity formation of the cast workpiece, which aids in analysis. The software used for casting simulation is CAST-DESIGNER. Research is conducted to design the gating system of an anvil-shaped cast workpiece, which is cast in a sand mold from aluminum grade ADC12. Compared are the results of two aspects of gating system design: the cross-sectional area ratio of the ingate and the ingate's cross-sectional shape. The researcher designed three cross-sectional shapes of the ingate: rectangular, semicircular, and trapezoidal, with differences in the cross-sectional area ratio of the liquid metal (Sprue: Runner: Ingate) at 1:2:2 and 1:2:4, and the runner length is 20 millimeters.

According to the experiments, ingate cross-sectional area ratio had the highest impact on shrinkage porosity formation. Increasing the cross-sectional area ratio from 1:2:2 to 1:2:4 tends to reduce the formation of shrinkage porosity in the cast workpiece by 0.368 percent. Moreover, the shape of the ingate affects the flow characteristics of liquid metal. It is also possible for shrinkage porosity to occur when the flow is highly turbulent.