wheel mold geometry
courtesy of Ronal
An automatic surface mesh discretization module is provided to import the mold
and part geometries which have been defined in IGES, VDA or UNISURF formats.
All specific volumes contained in the mold (cores, chills and mold components)
and cavity (pouring cup, runners, risers) are automatically detected from the
surface mesh. Alternative interfaces to most popular surface mesh generators
are also available.
wheel mold geometry
courtesy of Ronal
Automatic volume mesh generators are provided to generate the block-structured mesh used for standard filling and solidification as well as the unstructured mesh used for the thermo-mechanical solidification. Correction factors are automatically defined to ensure that exact volumes and boundary conditions are taken into account at the different volume interfaces.
The input data information defining the process is based on exhaustive information yet it is easy to set up. Hydraulic, thermal and contact conditions are directly defined on surfaces or volumes. Properties and parameters can be retrieved from extensive databases describing air vents, die coatings, mold materials (sand, steel, etc¡) and alloys (aluminium, steel, cast iron, magnesium).
Process definition and material database
PAM-CAST SIMULATES A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIAL FOUNDRY PROCESSES :
GRAVITY CASTING
Most gravity casting processes including sand mold, permanent molds and tilt pouring can be modelled with PAM-CAST. The metal front progression in the mold can be visualized throughout the calculation as well as the evolution of temperatures. Temperature dependant viscosity properties are defined for all alloys in the material database allowing for an accurate predictions of misruns.
LOW PRESSURE DIE CASTING
PAM-CAST can be applied to low pressure die casting. During the solidification simulation, the evolution of the solid fraction is calculated and used to predict shrinkage locations. Air back pressure calculations together with appropriate user-defined pressure conditions allows for the simulation of vacuum casting processes.
HIGH PRESSURE DIE CASTING
PAM-CAST offers specific features to simulate the piston displacement during the first phase injection as well as its influence on porosities during the third phase. The definition of the mold cycling sequence, cooling and heating devices are automatically generated via the user interface allowing faster pre-processing times. Advanced post-processing features like particle tracing are available to facilitate the visualization of the metal flow.
SEMI-SOLID PROCESSING
Based on the initial work conducted at Worchester Polytechnic Institute and industrial validation from Aluminium Pechiney, a specific non-newtonian flow model is available to simulate the flow of aluminum and magnesium semi-solid alloys.
LOST FOAM
A specific flow solver option, developed in partnership with PSA and Aluminium Pechiney, is available to simulate the filling of aluminum or cast iron inside an evaporative foam model.
PAM-CAST EXTENDS ITS TECHNOLOGY WITH A RANGE OF SPECIFIC MODULES :
GAS MICROPOROSITY MODULE
In the case of aluminum alloys, the micro-porosity of gas origin are calculated based on an original prediction model developed by Aluminium Pechiney.
THERMO-MECHANICAL MODULE
While filling simulations are carried out using the Finite Difference solver, temperature maps can be transferred to the Finite Element thermo-mechanical solver. The thermo-mechanical solidification includes phase change, visco/elasto-plastic material behaviors, contact between the part and the different mold and core components as well as air gaps at the part and mold interface giving direct access to the real part geometry including local shrinkage, residual stresses and strains in the casting and the mold.