Simulation for Oil Pan Production against Its Porosity, Shrinkage, and Niyama Criterion

Abstract

High-pressure die casting (HPDC) casting technology is one of the most widely used casting processes to produce automotive components with aluminum alloy as raw material. The advantages of HPDC are high-scale component production rates and the ability to cast thin components, having complex geometries, and the ability to produce good tolerance values. The most common casting defects that occur in HPDC castings are shrinkage and porosity. Aluminum alloys can shrink between 3.5% and 6% during the freezing process, and the porosity where molten aluminum easily absorbs gases and forms cavities during freezing. Porosity in HPDC occurs due to the trapping of gas and air due to turbulent metal flow during the filling phase, where this process can result in a decrease in casting quality. Some of the designs and developments of HPDC castings are still being carried out through experimental methods (trial and error) based on heuristic knowledge, where the results obtained are still less than scientific calculations and analysis. Casting simulation methods can help to optimize designs, predict casting failures, and improve the sustainability of casting product yields. Prediction of casting failures or defects that occur can be done with a casting simulation process before actual casting is carried out. Simulation using the finite element method (FEM) is currently the most technically efficient and inexpensive technology for analyzing and evaluating metal casting processes. The use of FEM in metal casting simulations is carried out to predict any porosity and shrinkage defects that may occur due to nonuniform metal flow and the presence of eddies during liquid filling in the mold cavity, and to predict casting defects will involve the Niyama criterion in order to see the contours of the formation of casting defects.