A benchmark experiment of the mold filling of a cast iron plate by lost foam casting

Abstract

In lost foam casting (LFC), the presence of an expanded polystyrene (EPS) inside the mold leads to new features for the filling of the melt. The burning of the EPS pattern has great effect on its filling. To provide benchmark experiments for the modeling and numerical simulation of the mold filling process for LFC, a vertical plate with a window was selected. The window was designed in variation of sizes and distances to the borders so as to investigate the melt filling of a series of narrow paths in LFC. The designed EPS pattern were made and the corresponding molds were prepared and melt cast iron was poured. The measurement system of liquid metal filling based on modified contact time method (METM) was used. The filling of measured points was illustrated by an array of light-emitting diodes (LED) arranged resembling the shape of the casting, with the lightening of each diode representing the filling time instant of the measurement point. The filling times of all the points were obtained by the image analysis of recorded movie. The filling profiles and filling velocity during filling process were obtained. The filling results provide support for numerical simulation of LFC. Keywords: Lost foam casting (LFC), mold filling, modified contact time method, LED display, plate casting, cast iron