EFFECTS OF AIR-COOLING-HOLE GEOMETRIES ON A LOW-PRESSURE DIE-CASTING PROCESS

Abstract

A significant precondition for the production of high-quality castings is keeping an optimum temperature of the respective parts of the die cavity surface. This temperature depends on the temperature of the material, the quantity of metal, the method of cooling the casting die, the thermal conductivity of the die material, and the time during which the casting remains in the die. In addition, the cooling characteristics of alloy steel dies, used in the production of aluminum-alloy wheels with the low pressure die casting (LPDC) method, have critical effects on the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the product. Ducted air coolers are widely used for the cooling of these alloy steel dies. However, the geometrical designs of the air-cooling holes are limited. In this study, we define the effects of the geometry of the cooling holes on the cooling power of the die, the efficiency of the air consumption with the Full Factorial Experimental Design method and to determine the optimum values for LPDC. Pilot production has been carried out on an industrial scale to verify the data obtained by experimental design. The experimental and real data were compared based on the values of the yield strength and the secondary dendrite arm spacing in the microstructure.