Improvement of Molten Metal Fluidity in Casting Process by Ultrasonic-Assisted Vibration
Loading...
Date
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering(MPE), Islamic University of Technology(IUT), Board Bazar, Gazipur-1704, Bangladesh
Abstract
The fluidity of the molten metal during the casting process greatly affects the final cast
components' overall quality, surface smoothness, and structural integrity. In addition to speeding
up production, increased fluidity also smooths surfaces and lowers the likelihood of casting flaws,
including cold shuts, misruns, and shrinkage voids. Due to its capacity to lower flow resistance
and encourage smooth metal flow, ultrasonic vibration has become one of the most successful and
energy-efficient methods for increasing fluidity. By reducing surface tension in the molten metal,
ultrasonic waves minimize flow disruptions and enable smooth and complete mold filling. This
work explores the impact of ultrasonic vibration on fluidity and the decrease in defects using the
numerical simulation of molten metal movement in casting molds. ANSYS Fluent was used to
create a solid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that included solidification, heat
transport, and molten metal flow characteristics. The impact of various ultrasonic frequencies on
flow length, defect development, and mold filling in various mold channel designs was
investigated in the simulation. The study aimed to determine ideal circumstances that maximize
fluidity while reducing turbulence and uneven flow patterns by methodically altering the
frequency. The findings show that proper ultrasonic stimulation greatly increases the fluidity of
molten metal, decreases flow resistance, and guarantees more consistent mold filling. Excessive
ultrasonic frequencies, however, have the potential to cause turbulence, which might impair
casting quality and negatively impact uniform metal flow. The results offer insightful information
on the workings of vibration-assisted casting and offer useful suggestions for using ultrasonic
vibration in industrial casting operations. All things considered, this study advances our knowledge
of ultrasonic-assisted casting methods and provides a basis for enhancing the quality of goods,
cutting down on material wastage, and increasing production efficiency in metal casting processes.
Description
Supervised By
Prof Dr. Md. Anayet Ullah Patwari,
Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering(MPE),
Islamic University of Technology (IUT)
Board Bazar, Gazipur-1704, Bangladesh.
This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Mechanical and Production Engineering, 2025
Keywords
Citation
Abdul-Karem, W., Green, N., Al-Raheem, K. F., & Hasan, A. H. A. (2013). Effect of vibration after filling on mechanical reliability in thin wall investment casting with fillability filling regime—Part 1. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 67(9–12), 2075–2082. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-012-4632-z Akhyar, Husaini, Ali, M., Ali, N., & Ahmad, F. (2020). Effect of Different Gating Systems and Sand Mold Binder on the Cast-Quality of Bicycle Frame Produced through Sand Casting Method. Defect and Diffusion Forum, https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/DDF.402.100 402, 100–107. Al-Mallak, A. A., & Doos, Q. M. (2021). Fluidity of Al-Si Alloy in Metal Mold Casting under Vibration. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 1090(1), 012081. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1090/1/012081 Ammar, H., Samuel, A., & Samuel, F. (2008). Porosity and the fatigue behavior of hypoeutectic and hypereutectic aluminum–silicon casting alloys. International Journal of Fatigue, 30(6), 1024 1035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2007.08.012 Anglani, A., & Pacella, M. (2018). Logistic Regression and Response Surface Design for Statistical Modeling of Investment Casting Process in Metal Foam Production. Procedia CIRP, 67, 504–509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2017.12.252 Armillotta, A., Fasoli, S., & Guarinoni, A. (2016). Cold flow defects in zinc die casting: Prevention criteria using simulation and experimental investigations. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 85(1–4), 605–622. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-7959-4 Campbell, J. (1995). Review of fluidity concepts in casting. Cast Metals, 7(4), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/09534962.1995.11819183 90 Chadha, U., Selvaraj, S. K., Pant, H., Arora, A., Shukla, D., Sancheti, I., Chadha, A., Srivastava, D., Khanna, M., Ram Kishore, S., & Paramasivam, V. (2022). Phase Change Materials in Metal Casting Processes: A Critical Review and Future Possibilities. Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, 2022, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7520308 Chandra Kandpal, B., Johri, N., Kumar, B., Patel, A., Pachouri, P., Alam, M., Talwar, P., Sharma, M. K., & Sharma, S. (2021). Experimental study of foundry defects in aluminium castings for quality improvement of casting. Materials Today: Proceedings, 46, 10702–10706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.01.513 Chen, J. C., & Buddaram Brahma, A. R. (2014). Taguchi-Based Six Sigma Defect Reduction of Green Sand Casting Process: An Industrial Case Study. Journal of Enterprise Transformation, 4(2), 172–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/19488289.2013.860415 Chen, W., Wu, S., & Wang, R. (2022). Effect of Mechanical Vibration on the Mechanical Properties and Solidification Feeding in Low-Pressure Sand Casting of Al-Cu-Mn-Ti Alloy. Materials, 15(22), 8243. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15228243 Chirita, G., Stefanescu, I., Soares, D., & Silva, F. S. (2009). Influence of vibration on the solidification behaviour and tensile properties of an Al–18wt%Si alloy. Materials & Design, 30(5), 1575–1580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2008.07.045 Eslamian, M., & Zabihi, F. (2015). Ultrasonic Substrate Vibration-Assisted Drop Casting (SVADC) for the Fabrication of Photovoltaic Solar Cell Arrays and Thin-Film Devices. Nanoscale Research Letters, 10(1), 462. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-015-1168-9 Goenka, M., Nihal, C., Ramanathan, R., Gupta, P., Parashar, A., & Joel, J. (2020). Automobile Parts Casting-Methods and Materials Used: A Review. Materials Today: Proceedings, 22, 2525 2531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.03.381 of an Gomes, I. V., Grilo, J., Carneiro, V. H., & Puga, H. (2023). Impact of the Ultrasonic-Assisted Casting AlSi7Mg Alloy on T6 Heat Treatment. Metals, 13(2), 255. https://doi.org/10.3390/met13020255 91 Goswami, S. S., Jena, S., & Behera, D. K. (2022). Selecting the best AISI steel grades and their proper heat treatment process by integrated entropy-TOPSIS decision making techniques. Materials Today: Proceedings, 60, 1130–1139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.02.286 Ha, M., Kim, W.-S., Moon, H.-K., Lee, B.-J., & Lee, S. (2008). Analysis and Prevention of Dent Defects Formed during Strip Casting of Twin-Induced Plasticity Steels. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 39(5), 1087–1098. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-008-9496-3 Han, Q., & Zhang, J. (2020). Fluidity of Alloys Under High-Pressure Die Casting Conditions: Flow-Choking Mechanisms. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B, 51(4), 1795–1804. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-020-01858-0 Han, Z., Wang, Z., Sun, Z., Zhang, B., & Rao, W. (2022). Influence of non-uniform ultrasonic vibration on casting fluidity of liquid aluminum alloy. China Foundry, 19(5), 380–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41230-022-2039-5 Han, Z., Wang, Z., Sun, Z., Zhang, B., & Rao, W. (2023). Application of ultrasonic vibration to shape-casting based on resonance vibration analysis. China Foundry, 20(4), 339–346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41230-023-2171-x Hanumanth, G. S., Scott, D. M., & Smith, T. J. (1989). A numerical study of heat transfer during flow of melt in a cylindrical mould. Applied Scientific Research, 46(4), 323–333. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01998549 Http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9802/Vives/. (n.d.). Hua, Q., Gao, D., Zhang, H., Zhang, Y., & Zhai, Q. (2007). Influence of alloy elements and pouring temperature on the fluidity of cast magnesium alloy. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 444(1–2), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2006.08.060 of Huang, P.-H., Chen, Y.-T., & Wang, B.-T. (2014). An effective method for separating casting components from the runner system using vibration-induced fatigue damage. The International Journal Advanced Manufacturing https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-014-6077-z Technology, 74(9–12), 1275–1282. 92 Jiang, W., Chen, X., Wang, B., Fan, Z., & Wu, H. (2016). Effects of vibration frequency on microstructure, mechanical properties, and fracture behavior of A356 aluminum alloy obtained by expendable pattern shell casting. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 83(1–4), 167–175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-7586-0 Kumar, D., Kumar, D., Tigga, A. M., & Sagar, D. (2023). Synthesis of Al-B4C Functionally Graded Materials by Sound-Wave-Assisted Vibrational Casting Methodology. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 32(16), 7234–7247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665 022-07640-4 Kund, N. K. (2018). Effect of tilted plate vibration on solidification and microstructural and mechanical properties of semisolid cast and heat-treated A356 Al alloy. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 97(5–8), 1617–1626. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170 018-2063-1 Li, A., Wang, Z., & Sun, Z. (2023). Effect of Ultrasonic Vibration on Microstructure and Fluidity of Aluminum Alloy. Materials, 16(11), 4110. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16114110 Liang, G., Shi, C., Zhou, Y., & Mao, D. (2016). Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study of an Ultrasonic Waveguide for Ultrasonic Casting of 35CrMo Steel. Journal of Iron and Steel Research International, 23(8), 772–777. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1006-706X(16)30119-4 Lin, C., Wu, S., Lü, S., An, P., & Wan, L. (2013). Effects of ultrasonic vibration and manganese on microstructure and mechanical properties of hypereutectic Al–Si alloys with 2%Fe. Intermetallics, 32, 176–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intermet.2012.09.001 Murakami, Y., Miwa, K., Kito, M., Honda, T., Kanetake, N., & Tada, S. (2016). Fluidity Evaluation of the AC4CH (A356) Aluminum Alloy Semi-Solid Slurry Made by Mechanical Vibration Method. MATERIALS https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.F-M2015838 TRANSACTIONS, 57(2), 168–173. Niu, G., Wang, Y., Zhu, L., Ye, J., & Mao, J. (2022). Fluidity of casting Al–Si series alloys for automotive light-weighting: A systematic review. Materials Science and Technology, 38(13), 902–911. https://doi.org/10.1080/02670836.2022.2068274 93 Castings. Omura, N., Murakami, Y., Li, M., Tamura, T., Miwa, K., Furukawa, H., & Harada, M. (2009). Effects of Mechanical Vibration on Cooling Rate and DAS of AC4C Aluminum Alloy Gravity Die MATERIALS https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.M2009247 TRANSACTIONS, 50(11), 2604–2608. Prukkanon, W., Srisukhumbowornchai, N., & Limmaneevichitr, C. (2009). Influence of Sc modification on the fluidity of an A356 aluminum alloy. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 487(1 2), 453–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2009.07.169 Qui, D. D., Trung, P. Q., & Nguyen, T.-H. (2022). EFFECT OF ULTRASONIC VIBRATION ON MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ADC12 ALUMINUM ALLOY BY PERMANENT MOLD CASTING. ASEAN Engineering Journal, 12(3), 49–56. https://doi.org/10.11113/aej.v12.17834 Ravi, B., & Datta, G. L. (n.d.). Metal Casting: Back to Future. Ravi, K. R., Pillai, R. M., Amaranathan, K. R., Pai, B. C., & Chakraborty, M. (2008). Fluidity of aluminum alloys and composites: A review. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 456(1–2), 201 210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2007.02.038 Sai, T. V., Vinod, T., & Sowmya, G. (n.d.). A Critical Review on Casting Types and Defects. Shi-jie, G., Qi-chi, L., Zhi-hao, Z., & Jian-zhong, C. (2007). Microstructure character of AZ80 magnesium alloy ingots cast under electromagnetic vibration. Siavashi, K. (n.d.). The Effect of Casting Parameters on the Fluidity and Porosity of Aluminium Alloys in the Lost Foam Casting Process. Suresh, N., & Chandrasekar, P. (2014). Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Castings under Vibration Techniques—A Review. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 550, 71–80. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.550.71 94 Taghavi, F., Saghafian, H., & Kharrazi, Y. H. K. (2009). Study on the effect of prolonged mechanical vibration on the grain refinement and density of A356 aluminum alloy. Materials & Design, 30(5), 1604–1611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2008.07.032 Tawele, P. K., & Raut, L. P. (2015). Warpage in casting: A Review. 2(4). Teke, Ç. (2022). Determination of flow distance of the fluid metal due to fluidity in ductile iron casting by artificial neural networks approach. Open Chemistry, 20(1), 1019–1028. https://doi.org/10.1515/chem-2022-0210 Timelli, G., & Bonollo, F. (2007). Fluidity of aluminium die castings alloy. International Journal of Cast Metals Research, 20(6), 304–311. https://doi.org/10.1179/136404608X286110 Wu, Q.-J., Yan, H., Zhang, P.-X., Zhu, X.-Q., & Nie, Q. (2018). Enhancing Wear Resistance of A356 Alloy by Adding CNFs Based on Ultrasonic Vibration Casting. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 31(5), 523–532. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40195-017-0680-6 Xian, X., & Lin, S. (2008). Study on the compound multifrequency ultrasonic transducer in flexural vibration. Ultrasonics, 48(3), 202–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultras.2007.12.002 Xie, J., Zhou, T., Liu, Y., Kuriyagawa, T., & Wang, X. (2016). Mechanism study on microgroove forming by ultrasonic vibration assisted hot pressing. Precision Engineering, 46, 270–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precisioneng.2016.05.007 Yu, J., Ren, Z., Ren, W., Deng, K., & Zhong, Y. (2009). Effects of electromagnetic vibration on the structure and mechanical properties of Al-6%Si alloy during directional solidification. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 22(1), 35–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1006 7191(08)60068-X Yuwen, X., Chen, L., & Han, Y. (2012). Numerical Simulation of Casting Filling Process Based on FLUENT. Energy Procedia, 17, 1864–1871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2012.02.324 95 96