Casting Simulation Methods

Metal casting has grown from an art several thousand years back to a technology a few hundred years to an applied science since a few 10 of years. The science of alloy solidification has seen rapid strides in the recent past through the development of mathematical models and verification under controlled, observable experimental conditions. However, the extension of these models to practical metal casting simulation has not kept pace with it. Full-scale simulation for industrial castings requires an understanding of metal-mold interface heat transfer and the capability to handle multi-scale phenomena involved in industrial metal casting. In spite of the developments in computational technologies so far, it may take a couple of decades for simulation of real castings is made available to industries. This chapter is an attempt to summarize the important developments in alloy solidification modeling and casting simulation methods. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.