A thermal-stress modelling methodology in ABAQUS for fundamentally describing the die/casting interface behaviour in a cyclic permanent die casting process

Abstract

This manuscript describes a novel method for thermal-stress modelling of a cyclic, permanent die casting process in the commercial software package ABAQUS. The key element in this method is that it updates the casting's geometry according to the deformed die at elevated temperature before filling the die cavity. Using this method, the evolution of gap and/or pressure at the die/casting interface has been predicted. This in turn has allowed for a more fundamental and less empirical description of the evolution in resistance to heat transfer at the interface during a casting cycle. The new methodology has been compared to a previously published methodology, and the comparison shows a noticeable difference between the two approaches in predicting the temperature field in the die and the casting and prediction of areas prone to shrinkage-based porosity. This methodology also predicts the stress distribution in the die in the cyclic steady-state operation, which may be of value in predicting die fatigue life.