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SOLIDCast
By Finite Solutions Inc SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT I, the undersigned, agree to abide by the terms of the Licensing Agreement on the next page of this agreement. I understand that Finite Solutions Inc retains all rights to this software, and that this license allows me to run this software on multiple computers at one physical location. If I need additional site licenses, I understand that they are available at an additional cost. I understand this system cannot be rented out or shared or disassembled or added onto in any way. If I do not agree with the conditions of this license, then I must return the system to Finite Solutions Inc immediately.
_________________________________________________________________________________________ Name (print) Date _________________________________________________________________________________________ Signature _________________________________________________________________________________________ Company _________________________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________________________________ City State Country ZIP/Postal Code _________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone Fax Email Address _________________________________________________________________________________________ Alloy Types Poured Molding Processes My signature means that I have agreed to all conditions in this license.
Please make a copy of this agreement for your own records, then mail or fax this copy to:
Finite Solutions Inc 4769 Highland Park Dr Slinger WI 53086-9441 USA Fax 262 592 0044
SOLIDCast
Finite Solutions, Inc. SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT
This is a legal agreement between you, the user, and Finite Solutions, Inc. By installing and using this software, you agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. If you do not agree to these terms, do not proceed with installation or use of this software. You may install this software and use it on multiple computers only at the original site where this software was purchased. You may not loan, rent, lease or transfer this software to another owner. You may not install or use this software at another site under the same ownership, nor transfer this software to such a site, without obtaining a separate site license. A site is considered to be a single plant or business unit at a specific geographic location. You are entitled to receive updates to the software only under the terms of the annual technical support program from Finite Solutions, Inc. This software is protected by United States copyright laws and international treaties. Finite Solutions, Inc. warrants that software copies, whether downloaded or on disk, are free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for (90) days from the date you receive them. This warranty is not transferable. Any implied warranties are limited to 90 days. The entire liability of Finite Solutions, Inc. and its suppliers, and your exclusive remedy, shall be (a) return of the price paid for the software or (b) replacement of any disk or downloaded file that does not meet with this warranty. Finite Solutions, Inc. does not warrant that the functions of the software will meet your requirements or that the operation of the software will be uninterrupted or error free. You assume the responsibility for selecting the software to achieve your intended results, and for the use and results obtained from the software. Finite Solutions, Inc. disclaims all other warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, for the software and all accompanying materials. In no event shall Finite Solutions, Inc. or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitations, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, loss due to liability, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of use or inability to use the software. This license will be in effect until terminated. It will terminate if you fail to comply with any term thereof. Upon termination, you agree that the software and accompanying materials, and all copies thereof, will be destroyed.
UNIT 1: OVERVIEW OF THE MODELING PROCESS UNIT 2: SYSTEM INSTALLATION AND SYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS UNIT 3: SETTING SYSTEM PARAMETERS UNIT 4: SELECTING THE CASTING ALLOY UNIT 5: COOLING CURVES AND VOLUMETRIC CHANGE CURVES UNIT 6: CUSTOMIZING CURVES FOR CAST IRONS ALLOY SELECTION INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS UNIT 7: SELECTING MOLD MATERIALS UNIT 8: HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS UNIT 9: IMPORTING STL FILES UNIT 10: BASIC GEOMETRIC SHAPES UNIT 11: REVOLVED AND EXTRUDED SHAPES UNIT 12: DISPLAY CONTROLS UNIT 13: GENERATING A MESH UNIT 14: WEIGHT CALCULATIONS UNIT 15: VIEW FACTOR CALCULATIONS UNIT 16: RUNNING A SIMULATION UNIT 17: PLOTTING RESULTS USING ISO-SURFACES
Where do we get the 2D shapes used in b., c. and d. above? a. We can create 2D geometry in AFSCad and save as AFSCad or DXF files b. We can import 2D DXF files from another CAD system c. We can DIGITIZE shapes using the Digitizer Input program (and save as DXF files)
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Etc. Making a change in one or more of the above will mean a new simulation run and evaluation of the effects of the change by plotting the simulation results again.
The Goals: Improve your success rate on the first casting poured. Eliminate production problems quickly. Reduce scrap. Improve yield. Lower costs. Improve quality. Improve your foundrys profitability.
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System Installation
New systems will come on a CD with several files and directories. The SOLIDCast installation files and training manual are in the root directory. Other directories may include one for the AFS Solidification System (3D), which was the DOS forerunner of SOLIDCast, one for Internet Explorer, one for WinZip, one for the Windows Media Player and one for the Indeo Codec, which is used in the movie making function. These additional folders are included in case you need some of those support files on your particular computers. Most systems will already have these functions installed. There may also be a folder for demos of other FSI products. To install SOLIDCast, navigate to the system directory and run the SOLIDCastInstall.exe program. We recommend that you use the default path names (\Program Files\SOLIDCast) for installation of the system. After installation, you can create a shortcut on the desktop simply by navigating to the \Program Files\SOLIDCast folder and right-clicking on the SOLIDCast icon. Note: When installing or updating on machines running Windows NT, 2000 or XP Pro, make sure you are logged in as Administrator, so you have the appropriate read/write privileges for the installation. You will also want to allow various read/write/modify privileges for the system user. See the file Installation Instructions.txt on the installation CD for more detailed information.
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SOLIDCast requires the entry of two Response Codes, which will be supplied by Finite Solutions Inc. To activate SOLIDCast, click the button labeled Licensing You will see a window similar to this:
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The Default Critical Fraction Solid %(CFS) is the value assumed to be the end of feeding, or metal movement, for a casting alloy. As freezing begins, the metal becomes thicker and pastier, until, at the CFS, it stops moving altogether. If feed metal hasn't been available to counteract any shrinkage that has been occurring, it will not be able to get to that point after it has reached the CFS. This would typically be set to about 60%. The Default Niyama Point % is the percent solid at which the Niyama value is calculated. The Niyama Criterion is made up of the Temperature Gradient at a point, divided by the square root of the Cooling Rate at the same point. This value is an indicator of the degree of directional solidification and the likelihood of shrinkage formation. The lower the value, the greater the potential for shrinkage formation. This is normally calculated at a point just after the CFS. A good starting point is 65%. The Default Solidification Shrinkage % is the amount of expansion or contraction that a metal undergoes during the cooling and solidification process. A negative value indicates overall shrinkage, or contraction, while a positive value indicates expansion. Most materials will shrink on cooling, so the value should be negative in most cases. A typical value would be 7%.
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There is also a color selection for the currently selected shape, which is used to highlight a model piece during editing. You can change these values to any of a set of standards, or create your own color in a customized palette.
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The system default for measurements is English units, that is, inches. If you check the Use Metric Measurements box, units will convert to millimeters. Temperatures will be in degrees C, rather than degrees F, and all other units will convert as well. Snap to Grid allows you to set a snap value for the Model Builder, so that you can draw to a specific interval. The Volumetric Calculation Interval defaults to every 10 time steps. For longer simulations, this number can be increased. It is recommended, however, that this number be at least at a 1% increment during solidification. For example, if a simulation will take 5000 time steps, a 1% increment would be every 50 time steps. Of course, you don't know the number of total time steps BEFORE a simulation runs, so this value will be based on experience with similar simulations. The Iso-Surface Maximum Facets value tells your system when to automatically change the detail value when plotting iso-surfaces. By limiting the maximum value, you can keep plotting times down. If this number gets too high, complicated models can take quite some time to plot. Display Temperature Data Graphic During Simulation and Graphic Display Interval control the picture shown during a simulation. If the Display checkbox is cleared, only a summary text screen will be displayed. If checked, a color picture of the filling and solidification is shown. The Graphic Display Interval tells the system to redraw the temperature distribution after the listed number of time steps.
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It is a good idea to set up the Projects path to an existing directory, such C:\Projects. Then, when you create new projects, the system will create new directories underneath this one. The Import Files path is usually set to where you keep your STL CAD files, if you will be bringing them into SOLIDCast. This is also where the system will store avi movie files created by the movie functions in SOLIDCast.
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This shows the currently-selected casting alloy and its properties. Note that Initial Temperature refers to the pouring temperature of the alloy. You should adjust this to match the actual pouring temperature in your foundry. The values listed in the database for Initial Temperatures are just place holders, and should NOT be considered as recommended pouring temperatures.
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This screen allows you to select an alloy from the SOLIDCast material database. Cycle through the materials by clicking the up and down arrows in the upper-left window. Or, if you type the first letter of the Alloy Name, the window will scroll to the first item in the database with the same first letter. When you have selected the alloy, click on OK. Note that after you have selected an alloy from the database, you can change its properties (such as Initial Temperature) just by clicking on and changing that item.
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The white line indicates the cooling curve (Percent Solid vs. Temperature), where temperatures are read from the scale on the left. The black line indicates the volume change (in %), read from the scale on the right. The dark blue area on the left corresponds to the liquid state. The lighter blue area in the middle represents the transition from liquid to solid, and the dark area on the right is the solid state. The vertical line with a C is the Critical Fraction Solid Point, and the vertical line with an N is the Niyama Point (where Temperature Gradient and Cooling Rate are calculated during a simulation). The L and S lines are the Liquidus and Solidus lines. If you want to make sure that the curves are set according to the System Parameter settings, click on the Reset button.
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Once the alloy hits the liquidus point, it begins to solidify. At first, only a small fraction of the casting alloy is solid, but as the casting continues to lose heat, it becomes more and more solid. During this transition from liquid to solid, the rate of cooling generally slows down. The reason for this is a quantity known as the Latent Heat of Fusion. As a metal solidifies, it releases heat due to the formation of the crystalline structure of the metal matrix. This release of heat prevents the metal from cooling as rapidly as it does in either the fully liquid or fully solid states.
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Once the alloy is completely solid, we say that it has reached the Solidus Point. After reaching this point, the metal begins to cool more rapidly as a solid again, because no more latent heat is being released. Thus, the cooling in the solid state shows a steeper slope on our cooling curve, as follows:
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As the casting solidifies, it gradually changes from a fully liquid material to a fully solid material. We depend on the flow of liquid feed metal to feed any contraction that may be occurring, to avoid shrinkage porosity in the casting. As the metal alloy becomes more and more solid, there comes a point where the liquid feed metal can no longer flow. We call this point the Critical Fraction Solid Point. It is usually expressed as a percentage of full solidification, and appears on our cooling curve as shown here:
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On the other hand, if the feeding path has cooled below the CFS point, no feed metal can flow and you have an isolated pocket of liquid metal in the casting. As this liquid metal cools and contracts, since there is no possibility of feeding from the riser, internal shrinkage porosity is likely to form. In SOLIDCast, you can create a completely customized cooling or volume change curve by actually drawing with the mouse.
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We would first select the CI DI Ferr material from the SOLIDCast database. Then select the Curves tab. On the Curves screen is a button labeled Ductile Iron. Clicking this button allows us to enter the C and Si content, and the amount of Mold Wall Movement, as shown below:
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In this example, the alloy is hypoeutectic. How can we tell? The shrinkage curve, after hitting the liquidus point, initially declines until a point is reached where the curve then changes direction. This means that initially, only iron is solidifying and contraction is occurring. When the eutectic point is reached, graphite begins to precipitate and the alloy begins expanding. In general, we recommend setting the CFS point at the eutectic point, and the Niyama Point about 5% to the right of the CFS. These points can be set by clicking on the buttons labeled Set Niyama Pt and Set CF Solid Pt.
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In this case we generally recommend setting the CFS point to about 20-25%, and the Niyama Point about 5% to the right of the CFS. One important consideration here is that the curve formulas which are built into the current version of SOLIDCast to predict volume changes are based on theoretical calculations for the behavior of iron and graphite in the solidification process. In practice, due to complex interactions of various phases and nucleation of graphite, volume changes may be different than these theoretical predictions. SOLIDCast now has an additional tool for prediction of volume changes in cast irons, which is based on the German VDG Nomograms for prediction of contraction/expansion. These curves are contained in a utility program called VDG.exe, which is currently a standalone program which can be run from the Desktop or from the Tools Menu.
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Here, we enter the C, Si and P contents as percentages. This approach also recognizes that castings of different section modulus will behave differently in regard to volume changes. It is necessary to enter a number for Casting Modulus on this screen. This refers to the primary casting modulus, or the one that may be most representative for the sections of interest. Note that you can have SOLIDCast calculate and display Casting Modulus by using the new Riser Design Wizard in Version 6.0 of SOLIDCast. In this example, we have entered a representative modulus of 1.25 inches. The VDG Nomograms also require an estimate of the average temperature of the iron in the mold. This is NOT the pouring temperature. In general, it could be estimated that iron loses, say 75F to 100F during the pouring process. This means that the entry here should generally be pouring temperature less 75F to 100F. After entering the above information, we click Calculate Iron Properties and see that the shrinkage time is 42.74% of total solidification time, and that the net amount of contraction is 1.67%. It is important to note that this contraction does not take into account any mold expansion. Therefore, if we expect our mold expansion to be around 2%, we should subtract this from the estimated contraction given. This means that the total amount of contraction for feeding purposes should be given by (-1.67% - 2%) = -3.67% Total Contraction
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Now you can go to the Casting alloy screen, enter a unique name for this alloy, and click the Add to DB button to add this to your database as a customized alloy.
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In this screen, the materials that are available from the Material Database are shown in the lefthand window. The materials that will be available to use in a model are shown in the right-hand window. The object is to build a list of materials on the right, from the available materials on the left. To select a mold material from the database, highlight the material in the list on the LEFT side and then click on Add to list. To remove a mold material from the list, highlight the material in the list on the RIGHT side and then click on Remove from list. You can enter your own mold materials or modify the properties of mold materials by editing the fields in the lower portion of the screen.
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Here there is no check mark in the box labeled Use Internal HT Coefficients, so the system is considering only external surface HTCs. Suggested values for the external HTC for sand casting would be about 1.5 BTU/hr-sqft-F, and for investment casting would be around 8-14 BTU/hr-sqft-F.
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When Use Internal HT Coefficients is selected, is necessary to specify an HTC between ALL materials in the model that are in contact. To do this, select the first material in the left-hand window, select the second material in the middle window, and then enter the HTC in the righthand window. Some suggested values for use in typical permanent mold applications are: Mold to Casting Mold to Riser External Mold Surface Water Cooling Channel Air Cooling Channel Cores to Mold Cores to Casting BTU/hr-ft2-F 800-900 350-400 6-8 225 25 150 150 W/m2-K 4500-5100 1985-2275 35-45 1275 140 850 850
The program HTCALC.EXE from the DOS version 4.20 program can be used to estimate HTC values for a number of situations, such as air and water cooling channels, convection, radiation and insulating coatings. While HTCALC.EXE is a DOS program, it can be run from Windows by navigating to the program using Explorer and double-clicking the file name.
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The shape selection window will appear as shown on the next page.
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Click on the down arrow and scroll to the bottom of the list and select the STL File. The Add Shape window should look like this:
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Notes on importing STL files: 1. You can import multiple STL files into the same model. Each STL file can represent ONE type of material. You cannot subdivide an STL shape from a single file. Therefore, if you have cores, sleeves or chills as STL shapes, each DIFFERENT MATERIAL TYPE must be contained in a different STL file. 2. The Add Shape window remains on the screen until you click on the Close button. This makes it easy to import several STL files, one after the other. When you first click on the File button, the system will look into the folder specified under System Parameters to find STL files. If you navigate to a different folder and load an STL file from that folder, then without closing the Add Shape window you can again press the File button to go directly to that same folder to add another STL file.
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These shapes are parameterized in SOLIDCast. This means that, to create these shapes, you enter parameters such as the length and radius of a cylinder. Also, you can adjust these parameters by selecting a shape and editing the shape after it has been created; for example, you can adjust the radius of a cylinder by selecting it, selecting Edit Edit Selected Shape(s) and then modifying the value of the cylinder radius. The alignment of cylinders refers to the initial position of the cylinder when it is created within the model space. You can subsequently adjust the position and orientation of any shape in a model by selecting it, and editing it using the Move or Rotate commands. To add a shape to a model, you must first have a model showing in the model window, or be starting a new model. To begin creating a new model, select Model New Model from the main menu. Then click on the Add a shape to the model icon as shown here:
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By default, the first type of shape that is displayed is a rectangular block. By clicking on the down arrow next to Rectangular Block on this screen, the various types of shapes will be displayed, as follows:
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Notice that the first three entries specify where the lower corner of the rectangular shape will appear (in this case, at the origin point (0,0,0)). You can also specify the Priority and the Material Type before creation of the shape (these can always be adjusted later by editing the shape). After making the correct entries on this screen, click on the button labeled Add Shape. The following shape will appear on the screen:
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The following image shows an example of each type of basic geometric shape:
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Mouse clicking will add the X, Y and Z coordinates to the Bottom Center X, Y and Z fields in the Cylinder, Hollow Cylinder and Sphere shape types.
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Solids of revolution are created by rotating a two-dimensional cross section about an axis of revolution. The axis may be parallel to the X axis, the Y axis or the Z axis, as shown here:
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Click on the down arrow next to the highlighted name Rectangular Block, and then move down the list until the extruded shapes appear as follows:
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Extruded Shape X has been selected. This indicates that a 2D shape will be extruded parallel to the X axis. The system wants to know the length of the extrusion, which is given by entering the X value at the start of the extruded shape, and the X value at the end of the extruded shape. For example, if an extrusion starts at X=1.5 and ends at X=10, then the length of the extruded shape will be 8.5. When an Extruded Shape X is selected, the system will automatically adjust the view so that you are viewing the model in the YZ view. When selecting Extruded Shape, the view is automatically adjusted as follows: Extruded Shape X Extruded Shape Y Extruded Shape Z YZ View XZ View XY View
You will notice that, when you select Extruded Shape X, the toolbar at the top of the screen changes and appears as follows:
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This window now allows you to select a file (DXF or AFSCad) from which to load the 2D shape. Click on the Browse button on this window. Another window will open which lets you select an AFSCad file (or a DXF file), as follows:
This window initially opens into the folder that is specified under System Parameters for Import Files. You can search through different folders using standard Windows navigating techniques. You can also search for DXF files by clicking on the down arrow next to the label Files of type, as shown on the next page.
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By selecting DXF Files you can then browse through any DXF files that you want to load. After highlighting a file, click on the Open button. This will then bring you back to the preceding window, and it will appear similar to the following:
The overall dimensions of the shape (in two directions) are given on this screen. The system displays (in inches or millimeters) what it believes to be the dimensions of this shape. If the dimensions are incorrect, it may be because the shape was saved in millimeters and the system is interpreting the dimensions as inches, or vice versa. In this case, you can click on the button labeled Interpret as mm and the dimensions will be converted. When this occurs, the button label changes to Interpret as inches. Each time you click this button, it toggles back and forth between interpreting the file as inches or mm. When you are satisfied that the correct shape file has been selected, and the dimensions are correctly interpreted, then click on the OK button. The 2D shape will be displayed on the screen along with the Add Shape window as shown on the next page.
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You can now go ahead and fill in the remainder of the data for the shape. For example, if the extruded shape begins at Y=0.0 and ends at X=8.0, then fill in the Minimum Y and Maximum Y entries as follows:
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Now click on the down arrow next to the highlighted name Rectangular Block, and then move down the list until the revolved shapes appear as follows:
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In this screen, the Revolved Shape Z has been selected. This indicates that a 2D shape will be revolved about the Z axis. This shape may be a 2D shape viewed in the XZ plane, or a 2D shape viewed in the YZ plane. The system needs to know the Starting and Ending Angles of Revolution (in degrees) and the X Axis and the Y Axis of the center of revolution. For example, a shape that is fully round will start at 0 degrees and end at 360 degrees. If the Axis of Revolution is centered on the datum point of space, then the X Axis would be 0 and the Y Axis would be 0. When a Revolved Shape Z is selected, the system will automatically adjust the view so that you are viewing the model in the XZ view. When selecting a Revolved Shape, the system will automatically switch to one of the orthogonal views, but the tool bar at the top of the screen will be adjusted so that you can switch to one of two orthogonal views. The views that are allowed for each type of Revolved Shape are as follows: Revolved Shape X Revolved Shape Y Revolved Shape Z XZ View or XY View YZ View or XY View XZ View or YZ View
You will notice that, when you select Revolved Shape Z, the toolbar at the top of the screen changes and appears as follows:
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This window now allows you to select a file (DXF or AFSCad) from which to load the 2D shape. Click on the Browse button on this window. Another window will open which lets you select an AFSCad file (or a DXF file), as follows:
This window initially opens into the folder that is specified under System Parameters for Import Files. You can search through different folders using standard Windows navigating techniques. You can also search for DXF files by clicking on the down arrow next to the label Files of type, as shown on the next page.
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By selecting DXF Files you can then browse through any DXF files that you want to load. After highlighting a file, click on the Open button. This will then bring you back to the preceding window, and it will appear similar to the following:
The overall dimensions of the shape (in two directions) are given on this screen. The system displays (in inches or millimeters) what it believes to be the dimensions of this shape. If the dimensions are incorrect, it may be because the shape was saved in millimeters and the system is interpreting the dimensions as inches, or vice versa. In this case, you can click on the button labeled Interpret as mm and the dimensions will be converted. When this occurs, the button label changes to Interpret as inches. Each time you click this button, it toggles back and forth between interpreting the file as inches or mm. When you are satisfied that the correct shape file has been selected, and the dimensions are correctly interpreted, then click on the OK button. The 2D shape will be displayed on the screen along with the Add Shape window as shown on the next page.
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You can now go ahead and fill in the remainder of the data for the shape. For example, the shape data may appear as follows:
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Now click on the down arrow next to the highlighted name Rectangular Block, and then move down the list until the extruded shapes appear as shown following:
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Notice that, when an Extruded Shape X is selected, the system will automatically adjust the view so that you are viewing the model in the YZ view. When selecting Extruded Shape, the view is automatically adjusted as follows: Extruded Shape X Extruded Shape Y Extruded Shape Z YZ View XZ View XY View
Now you can begin drawing with the mouse, in the clear model space to the right of the Add Shape window (you can drag the Add Shape window to the side if it is in the way). Notice that the mouse coordinates (Y and Z) appear at the bottom of the screen. To begin drawing a shape, just click with the mouse. Once you start clicking, you will notice that the toolbar at the top of the screen has changed again. While you are sketching, it appears as follows:
The icon with the Check Mark indicates that you are finished sketching the shape. The icon to the left is used to delete the previous line drawn.
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You do NOT need to draw the last line to close the figure. When you are finished sketching, click on the Check Mark icon at the top of the screen. This will close the last line drawn back to the starting point, and the screen will then appear as follows:
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We could start by changing to the XZ view and then zoom on a portion of the casting in order to see that portion in more detail:
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Now it is possible to Edit this one shape, perform a Ring Copy around the point (0,0) and make a copy, say, every 30 degrees around the casting. The end result of this operation would appear as follows:
We now have 12 chills equally spaced around the perimeter of the casting.
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As an example of creating a casting shape using solids of revolution and extrusion, consider the following 2D figures that were created in a CAD system and saved in DXF format, which is available in virtually any 2D CAD system today: Saved in file Y-1.DXF:
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The process of creating a casting model from these shapes would be as follows; First, select File New Model. Then select Add a shape to the model, select Revolved Shape Z, select the DXF file called Y-1.DXF, specify a revolution of 0 to 360 degrees, leave the center of revolution at X=0, Y=0, and then click on Add Shape. The first shape will appear as follows:
Now we will add an extrusion to this shape. Select Add a shape to the model, select Extruded Shape Z, select the DXF file called Y-2.DXF, set the extrusion from 0 to 1 inch, and click on Add Shape. The second shape will appear as follows:
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Now we can add the third shape as a revolved shape. To do this, select Add a shape to the model, select Revolved Shape Z, select the DXF file called Y-3.DXF, specify a revolution of 0 to 360 degrees, set the X coordinate of the center of revolution to 6.000 inches, and then click on Add Shape. The third shape will appear as shown following:
Now we can duplicate the second and third shape by a Copy operation (see the section of Editing/Copying for details). Select both the second and third shapes (by depressing the Selection arrow, holding down on Ctrl and clicking both of these shapes) then select Edit Copy Selected Shape(s) and specify a Ring Copy about the Z axis with (0,0) at the center, with three copies at 90 degrees. This will produce the following final model for this casting:
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The meanings of these icons are as follows: Switches between a shaded rendered view and a wire-frame view of the casting. Toggles the background between black and white. Centers the model in the current window. Reverses the current 2D view. From top to bottom, front to back, or side to side. Displays an XZ view of the casting model (this is the default view when you load a file). Displays a YZ view of the casting model. Displays an XY view (looking down) of the casting model. Allows the user to freely rotate the casting model to any orientation, by using the mouse with the right button depressed. Add a shape to the casting model. Select a shape to hide or delete. Move the model on the screen by clicking on two points. Zoom on a portion of the model by drawing a box around the portion to be zoomed. Zoom up or down a fixed percentage.
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XZ View
YZ View
XY View
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Enter a project name and click on OK. Next the system will display the meshing screen. This is where you describe how the mesh is to be generated, and it may appear as follows:
Here you can enter a descriptive name for the mesh. You can also select either the Number of Nodes (elements) or the size of the Nodes (in inches or mm). Generally, most simulations are run with between 500,000 and 2,000,000 elements. A chunky casting will generally require fewer elements, while a thin-section casting will require more elements. The maximum number of elements allowed depends on the amount of installed RAM.
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When the meshing process is complete, the mesh name will appear on the project tree on the SOLIDCast main screen.
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To perform a weight calculation, highlight the mesh name and select Mesh Weights. The following window will appear:
Note: To obtain a highly accurate weight estimate for a casting, you can create a mesh with no mold material and a high number of nodes. This may often be the first step in developing cost for a casting.
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The first step in the View Factor Calculation is to select ModelMaterials List and click on the HT Coefficients tab. The value that you place in the External HT Coefficient box will be the high value used for radiation heat transfer. This number is related to the temperature of the shell
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Now, having created the shell by meshing, we can apply the View Factor Calculation to take into account the variation in radiation heat exchange around the surface of the shell. To do this, we first click on the Mesh icon on the project tree to highlight the mesh. Then, on the menu bar at the top of the window, select Mesh and then View Factor Calculation. The calculation will be performed and displayed as shown on the next page.
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In this view, the dark areas are areas of the shell that are losing heat most rapidly due to a high rate of radiant heat exchange with the surroundings. The lighter areas are those that see mainly other portions of the shell, and those areas are losing heat more slowly as they exchange radiant heat with those other portions of the shell. After having performed the View Factor Calculation, you can go on to the next step and run a simulation. The View Factor adjustments are now built into the mesh. By the way, multiple View Factor Calculations will not change the mesh. So, if you cant remember whether you did the calculation or not, select it to be on the safe side. In the same way, the View Factor Calculation can be applied to a permanent mold casting. The view factors are applied to every surface in contact with ambient conditions, so it doesnt matter if the die/shell is created as a part of the model, or by meshing. In general, View Factor Calculations are of limited use in sand casting simulations and would not be applied to such a model.
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You can select to run either a single cycle (such as a sand or investment casting) or a multiplecycle permanent mold simulation. If you have added Fill Material to a model and if you have the FLOWCast Fluid Flow module installed, you will have a box labeled Fill Algorithm, and will have the choice of using the simple SOLIDCast fill algorithm, or the FLOWCast Quick or FLOWCast Full algorithms. You can also select the criterion that the system uses to stop the simulation and consider it to be complete. The most common stop criterion is for the system to end the simulation when the casting and risers are 100% solid. To start the simulation running, click on OK.
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Once filling is complete, the display will switch over to a summary screen, showing the relative temperatures in the model and other information. If you have unchecked the box in System Parameters that controls the graphic display during simulation, you will see a text screen which lists a summary of simulation progress. A sample simulation screen is shown here:
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To stop the simulation, click on the button labeled Stop Sim. This will cause the simulation to stop, and the system will create data that can be plotted to show whatever results are available. Note that at this point it is possible to exit from the SOLIDCast system without losing any data. At any later point in time, it will be possible to load the project and restart the simulation to allow it to continue to completion. To restart a simulation, double-click on the simulation icon on the project tree. You will see a window similar to the following:
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This plot obviously has some data missing, due to the fact that the simulation has not completed, and only partial data is available. However, this type of image may often be enough to establish a general idea of what is happening inside the casting, and may be used to obtain a preliminary answer as to whether a given rigging design appears to be working. Sometimes this may be enough to evaluate a design and indicate whether a redesign is necessary, before a simulation has completely finished.
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This shows some general information about the simulation that was run. Click on the Close button. Now, at the menu bar select Simulation Plot Iso Surface. A window similar to the following will appear:
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The type of data to be plotted is indicated in the window under the label Select Data Type. Click on the down arrow next to this field, and you will see some additional selections. As an example, here we will select Solidification Time. When you click on this selection, the window will appear as follows:
Here, the system is indicating that the minimum solidification time in the casting is .383 minutes (i.e., the first point in the casting finished freezing at .383 minutes) and the very last point solidified at 21.9 minutes. Under the label Plot This Value: is a field where we can enter a value to plot. For this example, a value of 10 minutes has been entered. At this point, you would click on OK, and the following would appear:
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The shapes inside the casting represent the locations of metal that had not yet completely solidified as of 10 minutes. All of the metal outside these shapes has solidified prior to 10 minutes. By changing and re-plotting Iso-Surfaces at various values, it is possible to get a good idea of how solidification progressed within this casting. Note: If you have a model meshed at a high node count and there are a lot of nodes within the casting, generation of Iso-Surfaces may take a long time. It is possible to decrease this time by changing the parameter called Surface Detail. This creates a surface with slightly less detail, but one that takes much less time to generate. Surface Detail is adjusted as shown following:
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One notch of adjustment on Surface Detail will make a considerable difference in the time to create an Iso-Surface within a casting model. Note: This plot can also be used to create an animated movie. Instructions for making movies are given in Unit 37.
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You can select a cut plane in either the XY, XZ or YZ orthogonal planes. Also, as with IsoSurfaces, you can select any of the various types of output data to plot. The system shows you the minimum and maximum values of the selected data. In the small windows you can enter plot ranges to create the cut plane plot. These plot ranges must be within the Min and Max Values as shown.
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You can move the cut plane within the model, by moving the slider bar or clicking on the left or right arrows. You can also click on a point on this image and display all of the available data about that point below the image.
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Here the diffusion of heat into the sand mold can be seen clearly. Note: This plot can also be used to create an animated movie. Instructions for making movies are given in Unit 37.
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You can accept the Min and Max values as the values to plot, or enter new ones to change what the range of color in the plot indicates. Clicking on OK on the above window produces the following image showing temperature of the casting:
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In this image, the casting has been sectioned to reveal internal details.
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For most alloys, you are looking for a good progression of solidification, from the edges of the casting, out through the riser contacts and into the risers. If any area becomes isolated, it is an area that will be prone to shrinkage.
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The areas that appear as isolated pools of molten metal will not be able to receive feed metal from the risers if any contraction should occur during cooling and solidification. This plot is interpreted in the same manner as Solidification Time. That is, you want a good progression from the edges of the casting, in towards the riser contacts, and out into the risers themselves.
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In general, we have found that values in the range of .995-.990 and below are areas of detectable shrinkage porosity in castings. The Material Density Function is a measure of macroporosity and is MOST useful in ferrous castings. In non-ferrous alloys, especially aluminum, it can be used to predict gross macroporosity, but structural microporosity due to poor or stagnant solidification can best be predicted by other criteria such as Niyama or the FCC Custom Criterion.
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The disadvantage of Temperature Gradient is that each casting ends up with a different range of values, depending on geometry, and it is hard to compare one casting with the next. In the figure above, the brightest areas indicate those areas with the lowest temperature gradients, and the poorest directional solidification.
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The plot above shows the areas of the casting with the lowest cooling rates. It is possible to correlate cooling rates with material properties. One useful method for this plot is to find out what minimum cooling rate is required to achieve, for example, a given hardness. Then, plot cooling rate, using this minimum value as a boundary. Your plot, then, will only highlight those areas with cooling rates below your established minimum.
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The general idea is that the lower the value of Niyama, the worse the potential for shrinkage. A value of 0 is the highest probability of shrinkage, and as the value increases, the severity of the probable porosity decreases. Above the critical number, probability of porosity is low. Niyama plots need interpretation, because they give low values in many areas where temperature gradients are low but shrinkage might not be likely, such as at the centerline of thin-wall areas and at the dividing line between the feeding areas of two risers. Also, Niyama is based only on heat transfer and does not take the effect of gravity into account. For most ferrous materials, Material Density (which DOES take gravity into account) is generally a better indicator. Niyama, however, is still used heavily in many non-ferrous applications (typically in aluminum alloys).
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To figure hot spot values, the system compares either the solidification time, or the critical fraction solid(CFS) time of each metal node to its neighbors. If it froze later than its neighbors, it is an isolated area, or a hot spot. The system keeps track of the differences in time, then orders them from the greatest isolation on up. All isolated areas are normalized to the range of 0-1, where 0 is most isolated, and 1 is stagnant, that is, froze at the same time as neighbors. Nonisolated areas are ordered, then normalized to the range of 1-10, where 1 is stagnant and 10 is most directional. By plotting at a level of 1, you can see actual isolation locations. If you plot at 1.1 or 1.2, you may be able to see these locations more clearly, since they will cover a greater volume. The hot spot plot does not give an indication of the severity of the defect, as it does not take contraction/expansion into account. But it does give a good indication of what areas may have problems.
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Another Custom Criterion that is being developed is a gradient calculation for Solidification Time. This has been shown in several cases to be a predictor of hot tearing in some castings. Dendrite Arm Spacing(DAS) in aluminum castings is still another custom criterion. As these new functions are created, they will be made available to all SOLIDCast users. Note: A full description of the FCC Criterion and how to use it is given in Unit 41.
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In this model, Materials 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 have been assigned to various shapes and have specific meanings. In order to import this model into SOLIDCast, we need to be sure that we know which of these material numbers represents which specific type of material.
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This allows you to select the casting alloy. Here, 1030 Plain Carbon Steel has been selected. Next, the system will ask that you pick a material for Material Number 2 in the model, as follows:
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In this case, we could place a plane of symmetry along the X-axis of the part. This model was conveniently created with the center of the casting at the origin point of space (where X and Y are 0) so it is easy to set up a plane of symmetry here.
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In this case, we want a lower-Y Plane of Symmetry at the position Y=0.000. Therefore, click on the small square to the left of Lower Y to place a check mark there. The window will then appear as follows:
Now click the button labeled Apply. This places the Plane of Symmetry at Y=0. If you wanted to place the plane at a different location, just enter a different number in the field under Position. Also, it is possible to rotate an X or Y Plane of Symmetry to make, for example, a wedge shape from a round casting.
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The Plane of Symmetry is a rectangular block that covers half the model. This indicates that when the model is meshed, only one-half will actually appear in the mesh. This can be verified by meshing the model and viewing the result:
Here the meshing operation meshes only one-half the casting. The other half of the casting appears in outline (because this was an imported STL shape), but only the meshed half will actually be run in the simulation. After simulation, the data can be mirrored and displayed on the full casting model.
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If we set the priority of the cylinder to 4 and the rectangular block to 5, then when this model is meshed, the cylinder will core a hole through the block, and the hole will be filled with the material that the cylinder is made of.
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On the other hand, if we assign a priority of 6 to the cylinder and 5 to the block, then in the overlap region the block will dominate, as follows:
If we have overlapping shapes of different materials, priority numbers must be set correctly to produce the correct results.
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Note that it is necessary for the Void Material to have a SMALLER PRIORITY NUMBER (closer to 1) than the casting material.
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It can be seen that the notches are removed from the cylinder, and no other material fills these features. When the shell is meshed, then the shell will be meshed around the net shape.
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For a vertical gating situation or one in which the metal is poured into the cavity via a vertical drop, the parameters in this file might be adjusted as follows:
0.50 3.0 0 0 .10 0.06 1 1 1
If the file $ftune.300 does not exist, then the system will assume the horizontal type of filling parameter for mold filling. The following is a more detailed explanation of how the tuning parameters work. Line 1: Flow Linearity Default Value: 0.5 Range: 0 to 1 This line specifies the level of mixing which occurs along streamlines as the flow moves from the inlet gate locations to the filling surface. A value of 1 indicates no mixing (metal takes the most direct path from the gate to the surface), while a value of 0 would indicate a high level of mixing (random paths from the gate to the surface). This parameter affects temperature gradients and not filling sequence. In general, it is probably not advisable to change this value.
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Sand Casting
Turn off Internal Heat Transfer Coefficients Use a low External Heat Transfer Coefficient: Around 1.5 BTU/Hr-sqft-F Only use as much sand as is necessary to absorb the heat (1 for small castings,
4-5 for large castings) Generally make a rectangular mold when meshing
Investment Casting
Turn off Internal Heat Transfer Coefficients Use an External Heat Transfer Coefficient: Around 10-14 BTU/Hr-sqft-F Use Shell option when creating the mold Use Void Material is necessary to remove material from shapes Use View Factor Calculations to take radiation into account
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Selecting Shapes
Selecting shapes for editing is performed by clicking on the small arrow on the tool bar. When the mouse passes over this arrow icon, the label Select Shape Mode appears.
You will notice that when you click on the Select Shape Mode icon, it depresses and stays depressed. When you are in Select Shape Mode, you cannot rotate the model by moving the mouse. You need to turn off Select Shape Mode by clicking on the icon a second time, if you want to be able to use the Free Rotating Isometric View. Once you are in Select Shape Mode, you just need to click on a shape to select it. You will see the shape change color. As an example, the following image shows a casting with multiple risers with sleeves. The image on the left shows the model as it appears in the model building window. In the right image, the riser sleeve closest to the view has been selected by clicking on this shape:
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In order to move the selected shapes, type in a distance for moving the shapes in the fields next to X, Y and Z. The units for this distance will be inches if Metric Units (under System Parameters) are turned off, and millimeters if Metric Units are turned on.
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Then click on the button labeled OK. The selected shapes will be moved in the model. The second move method called Use Pick Points, and is used in either a 2D Orthogonal View or in the Free Rotating Isometric View. To activate the Use Pick Points move option, first select one or more objects in the model, then click on EditMove Selected Shape(s). You should see a window similar to the following:
Click on the Use Pick Points button. Once selected, you can click on any surface on the model, and, at every even click, the system will calculate the 3D difference in position and perform a move using that data. This option can be used in any view, but the points clicked must be on a model surface. For example, if the first click was on the center of the selected sphere and the
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The third move option is to Use Mouse Click, and this option is available only in 2D Orthogonal Views. First, select the object or objects, then select EditMove Selected Object(s). Then click on the Use Mouse Click button, as shown here:
Now, each set of two clicks will perform a 2D move, based on the distance between the two mouse clicks. It is not necessary to click on the model for this function to work. Also note that if the view is changed between mouse clicks, the move data will be ignored. An example of a Use Mouse Click move is shown on the next page, where the first click was on the left of the selected sphere, and the second click was on the right side of the sphere.
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The figure below shows the same move from a top angle. As you can see, the sphere was offset in 2D only, and did not move forward or back in the third dimension.
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To rotate selected shapes, you must enter a point about which the shapes are to be rotated (the fields under Rotate Center in this window) and the angle of rotation, in degrees, about the XAxis, the Y-Axis or the Z-Axis (the fields under Rotate Angle). As an example, suppose we wanted to rotate a casting model 90 degrees about the X-Axis. This would be done by selecting all of the shapes in the model, selecting Edit and Rotate Selected Shape(s), then making the following entry in this window:
At this point, you would click on the OK button and the selected shapes would be rotated 90 degrees about the point (X=0, Y=0, Z=0).
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Linear Copies
To copy shapes, from the main menu select Edit and then Copy Selected Shape(s). As an example, consider the following part in which the main body and one lateral rib have been created as extruded shapes. The objective is to create additional copies of the rib, with a spacing of 0.75 inches from one to the next in the X direction. We would first depress the Select shape mode arrow on the toolbar, then click on the rib to select it. This would appear as follows:
We would next click on the Edit Copy Selected Shape(s) menu. The following box would appear:
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When performing a copy operation, the system asks you to verify whether the operation was performed as desired. If the copies do not appear as you wanted them (for example, if you entered the wrong offset) then just click the No button and the copies will disappear. If the copy operation is correct, then click the Yes button and the Copy Window will close.
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Next, we select Edit Copy Selected Shape(s) from the main menu. In the box that appears, we make the following entries:
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By clicking on the Yes button we commit to the copy operation, and the copied shapes then become part of the model. Note that you can use Copy to make copies of an entire casting model so that, for example, you can create multiple castings to model a multiple-cavity arrangement of castings for production.
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Note that it is possible to change the coordinates of the bottom center of the cylinder, the length and radius, the priority, the material and the rotation in space of the cylinder. To make such a change, just type in the new data (or, for Material Type, click on the arrow to display a list of available materials) and then click on OK.
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This allows you to specify a center and angle for rotation, priority number or a material type for ALL selected shapes. Once you make an entry here and click OK, ALL of the selected shapes will be changed to that rotation, priority number or material type.
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In this example, there are four models. Each model has a mesh associated with it. The third model has a simulation as well, and the fourth model has a FLOWCast fluid flow simulation. The second model is actually created from the first, as it is the optimized model, mesh and simulation that is the final result of using the automatic process optimization module, OPTICast. OPTICast and FLOWCast are optional modules that integrate with SOLIDCast, and are available from Finite Solutions Inc. Note that you can name each entry on the Project Tree with whatever you want to type to identify an entry. When you create a new model, mesh or simulation the system uses default names, however you can change these names whenever you want. To change a name on the Project Tree, just triple-click on that entrys name. The name becomes editable. You can then modify or type a new name into the project tree. Note that FLOWCast Solution is not currently an editable name. If you want to delete an entry from the Project Tree, highlight that entry by clicking on its icon. Then select File Delete Selected Item in Tree from the main menu.
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Notice on this window that there is a small box labeled Movie. If you click this box, some additional fields appear in the window as shown here:
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Notice on this window that there is a small box labeled Movie. If you click this box, a small window will appear as follows:
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Notice on this window that there is a small box labeled Movie. If you click this box, a small window will appear as follows:
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Note that when this window first appears, Temperature is the default data item. For a Progressive Cast Scan movie, the type of data that is plotted is usually either Critical Fraction Solid Time or Solidification Time, since both of these are time-based criteria and making a movie of progression of time makes the most intuitive sense. You can select a data item by clicking on the selection arrow next to Temperature (Whole Model) and then selecting either Critical Fraction Solid Time or Solidification Time. Note also that Rotating appears in a window. You can change this to Progressive by clicking on the selection arrow next to Rotating. The number of Surfaces specifies how many Iso-Surfaces will be plotted within each image. This can vary from 1 to 24.
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Pressing OK will start the movie creation function. On the Windows Task Bar you will see an item that shows the progress of movie creation. For example, if 30 frames were requested, the task bar will display 1 of 30, 2 of 30, etc. until the movie is done. When the movie creation function is finished the Media Player will start automatically and show the movie that was created. Note that when making Cast Scan movies, the time to create a movie can vary widely. Some of the items that affect the time to make a movie are as follows: Number of Frames: The greater the number of frames, the longer the time to make the movie. Surfaces: The more surfaces, the longer the time. Detail: The higher the detail, the longer the time. (Note that higher detail produces a larger movie when using the default size in the Media Player).
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Any time that you want to later view the movie, or send it to another person to view, you just need to locate the AVI file that was created and double-click its icon to start viewing, or send the file as an email attachment to another person. When the other person receives the file, they can just double-click the icon to view the movie. It is not necessary to have SOLIDCast installed on a computer to view these movie files.
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Now select the type of data you want to plot. In a Rotating Cast Scan movie, any data item may make sense to plot. Our example will show Material Density. Fill in the Movie Filename, Number of Frames and fps (Frames per Second). In a Rotating Cast Scan movie, the model will perform one full rotation. Therefore, the number of frames determines the degrees of rotation from one frame to the next, If number of frames is specified to be 36, then the model will rotate 10 degrees in each frame. If the number is 72, the rotation from one frame to the next will be 5 degrees.
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Pressing OK will start the movie creation function. On the Windows Task Bar you will see an item that shows the progress of movie creation. For example, if 30 frames were requested, the task bar will display 1 of 30, 2 of 30, etc. until the movie is done. When the movie creation function is finished the Media Player will start automatically and show the movie that was created. Note that when making Cast Scan movies, the time to create a movie can vary widely. Some of the items that affect the time to make a movie are as follows: Number of Frames: The greater the number of frames, the longer the time to make the movie. Surfaces: The more surfaces, the longer the time. Detail: The higher the detail, the longer the time. (Note that higher detail produces a larger movie when using the default size in the Media Player).
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These images were created using 8 surfaces in each image. Any time that you want to later view the movie, or send it to another person to view, you just need to locate the AVI file that was created and double-click its icon to start viewing, or send the file as an email attachment to another person. When the other person receives the file, they can just double-click the icon to view the movie. It is not necessary to have SOLIDCast installed on a computer to view these movie files.
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EFFECTIVE SOLIDIFICATION MODELING Example: Creating and Using a Library Component Riser
As an example of using the Component Export and Import functions, consider the creation of a Component File containing a riser with an exothermic sleeve. The riser can be created as a complete model, with the bottom centered at the point (0,0,0). Start SOLIDCast, select File New Model and create the riser and sleeve geometry. In this case, the model is created with a series of cylinders. This riser might appear as follows (the point (0,0,0) is at the very bottom center of the riser neck):
To save one or more shapes as a Component File, it is necessary to select those shapes. In this case, this can be done easily by selecting Edit Select All Shapes. Now, from the main menu select Model Export Selection. You will be asked to enter a name for the Component File. In this case, we enter the name ExoRiser. Note that component files are saved with an extension of .mdc. Therefore, you can locate component files on your system by looking for files that end with an extension of .mdc. In this case, the file that is created is called ExoRiser.mdc. Note that once you save this entire model as a Component File, it is not necessary to save the model as a Project. Note: Component Files are saved in a compressed format.
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This model was created as a revolution of a 2D shape about the Z axis. Now, to import the riser into this shape, we select Model Import. We have two choices displayed when this is selected: SOLIDCast 5.x Component AFS 4.2 Model File
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We can navigate to other folders or use the default folder and select the correct Component File. In this case we select the ExoRiser.mdc file which contains the riser created earlier. Now the system will request that we enter a location to place the datum point of the Component File into the model file. In this case, we want the bottom center of the riser (the (0,0,0) point of the riser model) to be located at the point (10,0,9.9) on the model. This point can be determined by knowing the dimensions of the casting, or by reading the coordinates from the model display, with the model in an orthogonal (XY, XZ or YZ view). The coordinates are entered as follows:
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When a Component File is loaded into a model, then all of the shapes included in the Component File are automatically grouped together and can be selected with a single click. In this case, assuming that we want three equally-spaced risers, we can just click on the Select Shape Mode icon, click on the riser, select Edit Copy and make two copies in a ring about the Z axis at 120 degrees.
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To summarize, the Component Import and Export function can be used in the following ways: 1. To create libraries of standard shapes that can be imported into model files. 2. To merge shapes from two different model files. 3. To save a subgroup of shapes from one model file and load into a different model file. 4. To save an entire model file so that it can be imported into a new model space, or so that it can be sent to another machine or another user and then imported.
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A new feature in Version 5.20 allows you to mirror the results in the other portions of the model, after the simulation has completed. In this way, you can view results as though the entire model had been simulated. To mirror the results of a simulation, you must have one or more Planes of Symmetry that are NOT ROTATED (i.e., not turned through an angle). If one or more Planes of Symmetry are rotated to any angle other than 0 degrees, mirroring will not work.
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Mirroring affects ALL types of output plots, such as Iso-Surface, Cut Plane, CastPic and all movie plots. If you have two active Planes of Symmetry (such as a Lower X and a Lower Y) and have simulated one-quarter of the casting, the Mirror function will mirror about BOTH planes of symmetry and allow you to plot data within the entire casting.
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In this image, you can see several areas in the casting that may be prone to microshrinkage.
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To activate Tilt-Pour, click on the box labeled Tilt-pour enabled. You then have the option of rotating the tilt-pour arrows around either the X axis or the Y axis. You can set an angle for the Start position and another for the Stop position. (Remember, we recommend that the model be constructed so that the Stop position is the default position with Z as down.) The angles are pointing in the direction that is considered to be DOWN on the model at the start of tilt and at the end of tilt. The arrows are moved by adjusting the slider bars on the right. Rotation around the Y axis would appear as follows:
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This model has been oriented such that it is in the correct, UPRIGHT position at the end of tilt, i.e., the Z direction is considered to be DOWN at the end of tilt. The Stop angle would then be set to 0 degrees, since there would be no rotation from the default Z direction at the end of tilt.
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The rotation is about X, and the Start angle is set to 270 degrees, which we can see from the display is in the +Y direction. Be sure to press the Apply button to activate your selection of Tilt Pour angles.
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BASIC CONCEPTS
The Riser Design Wizard uses the concept of a modulus to analyze the casting, differentiate feeding areas, and design an appropriately-sized riser. The casting modulus is a term coined years ago to describe the ratio of the volume to surface area of a casting, or of its various sections. According to Chvorinovs rule, the sections of a casting which have a higher modulus (volume:surface area ratio) will freeze last, while those sections with a lower modulus value will freeze earlier. The ideal situation is for the casting to undergo directional solidification toward the riser (or feeder); this generally means that a riser needs to be attached to a section of the casting that has the highest modulus value. The modulus of the riser should be equal to or greater than that of the casting to which it is attached. This, in theory, will allow any contraction that is taking place as the casting solidifies to be fed by a pool of molten liquid metal in the riser, and thus prevent shrinkage from occurring, as illustrated in the following figure:
Since modulus is defined as volume / surface area, the units generally used are as follows: English Units: in.3 / in.2 = in. Metric Units: cm3 / cm2 = cm
The Riser Design Wizard calculates an effective modulus, or thermal modulus, from the results of a simulation. This approach gives a modulus value equivalent to the volume:surface area ratio for each point within a casting, depending on how the casting solidified. This is
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Riser efficiency has been estimated a number of different ways. Two of these are incorporated into the Riser Design Wizard:
1.
AFS Method: AFS/CMI publishes a handbook entitled Basic Principles of Gating and Risering. This handbook contains Figure 8.2, Surface Area to Volume Relationships for Various Riser Types. This chart shows the appropriate ratio of Riser:Casting volume for various Riser:Casting modulus ratios and various types of risers. A Riser Efficiency Factor can be derived from this chart which gives the efficiency of a specific riser attached to a specific casting. This is the default efficiency which is used in the Riser Design Wizard.
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Select Riser Design Wizard from the menu. The following screen should appear:
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This screen allows you to perform one of two functions: 1. Calculate and display modulus values throughout the casting. 2. Calculate and display separate feeding areas within the casting, and design a riser for each of these areas.
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This window allows you to select which option you want to use to plot the values of modulus that have just been calculated. Probably the most convenient option to view these values is the IsoSurface plot type, although you can select CASTPIC or Cut-Plane also if you prefer. Once you have selected the type of plot, click the Next button. The following screen should appear (this will vary depending on the type of plot that you have selected):
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This shows two obvious heavy areas within the casting. If we plot a higher value of modulus (close to the maximum value), the areas of very highest modulus values will be shown. This is done in the normal way, selecting Simulation from the menu at the top, and then selecting Plot Iso Surface, entering the value to plot, and clicking on the OK button. Doing this for a higher value of modulus will show the following:
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To get back to the wizard, simply click on the button on the SOLIDCast Riser Design Wizard Taskbar as shown. This will restore the wizard on the screen, and it will appears as follows:
Now, to perform other tasks with the Riser Design Wizard, we can just click the Back button until we get to the desired screen. If you wanted to exit the Riser Design Wizard at this point, you could click the Finish or Cancel buttons.
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The previous section showed us how to calculate and display the casting modulus. Now we will learn to use the Riser Design Wizard to actually design risers for a casting. This is done by selecting the option titled Design Risers as shown above. When the Design Risers option is selected, the Riser Design Wizard will first perform a calculation of modulus values. It then uses pattern-recognition software to identify separate feeding areas within the casting (consisting of isolated areas of higher modulus values), each of which may require a separate riser.
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When the slider bar is moved to the left, this indicates LOW SENSITIVITY. At this setting, only larger isolated areas will be identified as being separate feed areas requiring a riser. Very small isolated areas will be ignored. This setting would typically be used for Heavy Section Castings. When the slider bar is moved to the right, this indicates HIGH SENSITIVITY. At this setting, even very small isolated areas will be identified as being separate feed areas requiring a riser. This setting would typically be used for Light Section Castings. When Single Riser is selected, the system will consider only one riser for the entire casting, regardless of how many separate feed areas occur within the casting. This selection should be used with some caution.
It may take some experimentation with castings of various types to determine the appropriate settings for the castings that you are producing. One approach is to try analyzing a casting at both the LOW SENSITIVITY and HIGH SENSITIVITY settings to determine if there is a difference. With some castings, the results will be the same (same number of risers), with other castings the results will be different. The figure below shows some examples of castings that might be classified as heavy section, intermediate, and light section:
It must be emphasized that, in all cases, after designing risers with the Riser Design Wizard, a simulation of the casting and risers should be run with SOLIDCast in order to verify the design. Designing risers in this way is only an approximation in order to get a starting point for the final design; only by running a full simulation can you verify whether this design is appropriate or whether further modifications to the casting design or riser design are necessary.
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This screen indicates that, at the settings that were used on the previous screen, the Riser Design Wizard has determined that there are 2 separate, isolated feeding areas within the casting requiring risers. This number, of course, will vary from one casting to another, and also with the settings used on the previous screen. Note that on this screen, there is a message which says Modulus value of 1.007 was used to identify feed areas. This means that the pattern recognition software determined that the isolated feeding areas could be seen most clearly by plotting a modulus value of 1.007. This indicates that you could visualize these isolated areas by having the system calculate the modulus and then plot a value of 1.007 (see the previous section on CALCULATING AND DISPLAYING MODULUS VALUES). At this point, we have two options: 1. We can view the model to determine where these feeding areas are located. 2. We can calculate the appropriate riser size based on modulus and volume requirements. We will examine the second option (riser size calculation) first, as this is the option which is selected by default.
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This is the SOLIDCast Riser Calculator. There are a variety of displayed values and calculation buttons. The meaning of each of these is as follows: Casting Modulus This is the maximum modulus of the casting within the feeding area which this riser is intended to feed. It is NOT necessarily the maximum modulus within the casting. Normally, you would want the riser to have a modulus value equal to or greater than this Casting Modulus, for proper directional solidification. Casting Volume This is the volume of the casting within the feeding area which this riser is intended to feed. This will be an important consideration in the design of this riser. The riser must be able to provide enough volume of feed metal to compensate for the contraction which will occur in this casting volume.
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Enter Riser Height. The system will calculate the riser size based on the Required Riser Modulus and display: Riser Diameter Actual Riser Modulus Height:Diameter ratio Actual Riser Volume Required Riser Volume Be sure to check the Actual Riser Volume against the Required Riser Volume. If the Actual Riser Volume is less than Required Riser Volume, then a message will appear which indicates RISER VOLUME TOO SMALL. In this case, you will need to increase the riser dimensions.
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Enter Riser Diameter. The system will calculate the riser size based on the Required Riser Modulus and display: Riser Height Actual Riser Modulus Height:Diameter ratio Actual Riser Volume Required Riser Volume Be sure to check the Actual Riser Volume against the Required Riser Volume. If the Actual Riser Volume is less than Required Riser Volume, then a message will appear which indicates RISER VOLUME TOO SMALL. In this case, you will need to increase the riser dimensions.
Enter Riser Height and Riser Diameter. The system will calculate the riser modulus and volume and display: Actual Riser Modulus Height:Diameter ratio Actual Riser Volume Required Riser Volume Be sure to check the Actual Riser Volume against the Required Riser Volume. If the Actual Riser Volume is less than Required Riser Volume, then a message will appear which indicates RISER VOLUME TOO SMALL. In this case, you will need to increase the riser dimensions.
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Enter Height:Diameter Ratio. This is entered as a single number, for example 1, 1.5 or 2. The system will calculate the riser size based on the Required Riser Modulus and display: Riser Diameter Riser Height Actual Riser Modulus Height:Diameter ratio Actual Riser Volume Required Riser Volume Be sure to check the Actual Riser Volume against the Required Riser Volume. If the Actual Riser Volume is less than Required Riser Volume, then a message will appear which indicates RISER VOLUME TOO SMALL. In this case, you will need to increase the riser dimensions.
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This gives us the Riser Diameter and Riser Height for this riser. Note that the message RISER VOLUME OK appears in the lower right corner. This indicates that the Actual Riser Volume is greater than the Required Riser Volume.
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This gives us the Riser Diameter and Riser Height for this riser. However, note that the message RISER VOLUME TOO SMALL appears in the lower right corner. This indicates that the Actual Riser Volume is less than the Required Riser Volume. At this point, it would be necessary to increase the riser size with a larger diameter or height (or both), and then click:
and then click on the Next button to perform design calculations for Riser 2. In this case, we would again see a screen as follows:
Using this screen, you can export your riser data to a file which can then be loaded into an Excel spreadsheet. You can pick the file name by clicking on the small button with three dots (). The following will appear:
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Slightly modifying the title cells for readability, this can appear as follows:
You can then save this as a normal Excel spreadsheet (.xls file) for later reference. Note: The Riser Type number in this spreadsheet refers to the following: Type 1 = No Sleeve Type 2 = Insulating Sleeve Type 3 = Exothermic Sleeve
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Notice that this screen contains the message Saved Data Present, and allows you to select whether you want to use the saved data from the previous calculations. If you select Use Saved Data, then the design calculations as they were previously performed will be displayed. If you select Generate New Data, then you will be able to perform a new set of calculations using different settings, if desired.
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The Plot Feed Area function actually places modulus data into ONLY the portion of the casting that is in the feed area for the selected riser. Therefore, we can plot this data and view which portion of the casting is to be fed by this riser. Using the above screen, we can select one of the standard SOLIDCast plot functions to view this data. Here we have selected Plot Iso-Surface. We then click the Next button. This causes the standard SOLIDCast Iso-Surface dialogue box to appear, as follows:
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To plot each successive area, just use the Next and Back buttons, select each riser, and then plot its feeding area. When Plot Feed Areas activates the Iso-Surface plotting function, it automatically places a LOW value in the Plot Value field so that you can view the entire feeding area.
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FINAL NOTES
The Riser Design Wizard can be very useful for understanding where risers should be placed and what size they should be to properly feed a casting. A few additional notes: If you are using Planes of Symmetry in a model, then the volume calculations required for proper riser design may not be accurate due to the fact that all of the volume of the casting may not be accounted for across the Plane of Symmetry. It is recommend that you perform a Mirror function prior to starting the Riser Design Wizard. 2. In a situation where there is one large area with a high modulus (for example, in a ringshaped casting) you may want to feed this area with multiple risers. In this case, the casting can be sized using the calculated modulus, but the required volume which is displayed should be divided by the number of risers to calculate the required volume per riser.
1.
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The program names, and descriptions of how each one functions, are given on the following pages.
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A binary file will be unreadable if opened with a text editor. SOLIDCast requires that STL files be in binary format in order to be loaded as shapes. Therefore, if you have an ASCII STL file, you need to convert it to binary format before using it. This can be done with the STLConvert program.
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Navigate to the STL file you want to convert, and select it in the file list window as shown below:
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Enter a name for the new file. (The original file will be maintained.) Then click the OK button. The system will verify that you want to do this by displaying the following:
Click the Proceed button. A new file will be created in binary format from the ASCII file. The Percent Complete and number of triangles processed will be displayed during the conversion process. When this is finished, the new binary file will exist in the same folder as the original, and can be loaded into SOLIDCast as a shape. Converting from an ASCII format to binary format DOES NOT AFFECT THE SHAPE; the only different is in the way that the surface data is stored in the file.
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EFFECTIVE SOLIDIFICATION MODELING PROGRAM: Create Shell Around STL Shape - ShellMaker.exe
ShellMaker is a program which can be used to create a constant-thickness shell around a shape. The shape around which the shell is to be created is contained in an STL file. The output of ShellMaker is a second STL file which contains the geometry of the shell. This STL file can then be loaded as a shape into a SOLIDCast model, as with any other STL file. In this way, the shell then becomes part of the model and is NOT created using the Shell option for mold creation when meshing. A typical shape created by ShellMaker might appear as follows:
Why would we want to have the shell represented as a shape within the model? The primary reason is that this allows us to add shapes external to the shell. For example, in investment casting, we often have insulating material such as Kaowool which is placed outside the shell. Previously, this was somewhat difficult to do using the Shell Mold option in meshing; this required placing the insulation at an offset from the casting surface, and then the shell mesh operation filled in the annular space. However, the insulating material was also shelled over in the process. Using ShellMaker, we can add the shell to the model and then add any external shapes much more easily. In some casting processes, a ceramic shell is placed inside another material such as a bed of vermiculite, sand or plaster; this arrangement can be simulated easily by using ShellMaker. Another potential advantage of ShellMaker is that this allows us to create multiple shells of different materials, if that is how we are creating the mold for our process. ShellMaker may also be used in Permanent Mold processes to create a mold which is truly a constant thickness around a casting shape.
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3.
Click the Open button after you have selected the STL file that you want to use. You will see the following window appear:
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Coarse
Medium
Fine
The coarse setting produced an STL file that was 228 Kbytes in size. The Medium setting produce an STL file that was 1549 Kbytes in size. The Fine setting produced an STL file that was 4178 Kbytes in size, which is relatively large. For most applications, the Medium setting should be sufficient. Note B: The shell thickness should be entered in units which correspond to the units used in the STL file. If the STL file is in millimeters, then shell thickness should be entered as millimeters (for example, you might enter 10 for an investment shell thickness as expressed in millimeters). If the STL file is in inches, then you should enter the shell thickness as inches (an example investment shell thickness in inches might be 0.41). Also, note that if you use the Model2STL.exe utility program to create an STL file from a SOLIDCast model, this STL file will be created in inches.
5.
Press the Create Shell button. The shell creation process takes two passes and may take a few minutes to complete.
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Now, you can go to SOLIDCast and load the shell as an STL file. Be sure to make the Priority Number of the shell higher than the Priority number of the casting or any other shape inside the shell. For example, if the Priority Number of the casting is 5, then the Priority Number of the shell should be higher (6 to 10).
9. When meshing the completed model, you would normally select None under Mold Type in the meshing window (unless you wanted to add either a rectangular mold or another shell external to this shell). 10. Note: If simulating an investment process, you would use the ViewFactor Calculation just as you would with a shell created during the meshing process.
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This program requires that you select a SOLIDCast project to open, and then select a simulation within that project. Therefore, the first task is to navigate to the SOLIDCast project which contains the simulation, and select that project as shown below:
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Now click the Create Custom Formula button. You will see the following screen appear:
This screen allows you to enter the constant and the exponents for each of the output data items to create the formula. In this example, the formula for DAS for steel has been entered. Now just click the OK button to proceed. The formula will be evaluated, and the data placed in the Custom function. Then in SOLIDCast you can plot Custom-High to view this data.
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By selecting the composition (Carbon, Silicon and Phosphorus) the following the curve up to the Modulus value and across to the Temperature in Mold, you can determine the Shrinkage Time in % of Solidification, and the net amount of Expansion or Contraction. Note that this does not take mold wall movement into account. Additional contraction should be considered for non-rigid molds. Also, this approach assumes that the temperature of the iron is the predominant temperature in the mold at pouring, not the pouring temperature. Note that the Modulus value for a casting can be viewed by using the Riser Design Wizard.
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Just enter the Carbon %, Silicon %, Phosphorus %, Casting Modulus and Temperature in Mold, then press the button labeled Calculate Iron Properties. The Shrinkage Time in % of Solidification Time and Expansion (+) or Contraction (-) will be displayed. This information can be used to adjust the volumetric curves for cast iron and the location of the CFS point in SOLIDCast.
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This program requires that you select a SOLIDCast project to open, and then select a simulation within that project. Therefore, the first task is to navigate to the SOLIDCast project which contains the simulation, and select that project as shown below:
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Now click the Open Simulation button. The following screen will appear:
Click the button in the center of the screen labeled Place Fill Times into Custom-Low Criterion. This will put the data into the Custom area so that it can be plotted in SOLIDCast using the Custom-Low function.
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Note that the progressive temperatures during a fill are not saved. With this function you are plotting only FILL TIMES (in seconds) and not temperature distribution.
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You can navigate to the project folder you want to examine, and highlight the project file, which has the .afs extension. Then click on Open Project. You should see something similar to this:
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Sample Simulation Summary. If you click on the box labeled Create Text File, the system will build a text file that contains summary information on each entry in the selected project tree. Once created, the system will display the following:
At present, the summary displays cover models, meshes and simulations only. Optimization data and Fluid Flow Simulation data will be added in a future release.
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Next you will see a window which indicates the number of triangles in this STL file, as follows:
On this window is an entry field that allows you to enter the number of triangles to eliminate from the STL file. In the example shown, the original file contains 23184 triangles, and we are asking the program to remove 10000 of those, leaving 13184 triangles. After clicking Okay on this screen, you will see the following:
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This screen shows the progress of the reduction process as it occurs. When the % complete indicates 100%, the program will terminate. The new STL file should then be available to load as a shape into SOLIDCast.
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This program requires that you select a SOLIDCast project to open, and then select a model within that project. SOLIDCast should NOT be running when you run this program, as you will be adjusting data within a SOLIDCast project file. The first task is to navigate to the SOLIDCast project which contains the model to be scaled, and select that project as shown below:
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Note that this program WILL NOT SCALE A MODEL WHICH HAS BEEN MESHED AND SIMULATED. If there is a mesh or simulation entry under the model, then Scaler will not allow that model to be selected. Now click the Open Model button. You will see the following:
Enter a scale factor to scale the model size, and click OK. A scale factor of 2 will double the dimensions of the model. A scale factor of 0.5 will produce a model which is one-half the original size. The system will verify one last time that you want to scale this model, as follows:
Click Yes to proceed. The entire model will be scaled larger or smaller, according to the scale factor entered. You can then run SOLIDCast and load the model to view the change and proceed with simulation of the scaled model.
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The background is a display of various system settings. The window in the foreground allows you to save this data as a text file. Once the file has been saved, you will be returned to SOLIDCast. You can then email the file to Finite Solutions, along with other details about the specific problem you are having.
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If you will be sending the files, click on Split a large file into smaller pieces. You should then see a screen similar to that shown on the next page:
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In this example I have chosen an avi file created by FLOWCast that is almost 10 Mb in size. Many email systems cannot handle such a large file, so we can split it using FileSplitter. Highlight the file name with the mouse, then click on Open.
The system will ask how many files you want to break the large file into. Type the desired number into the box and click on Proceed with File Split. The system will then create the desired number of sub-files.
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This section of a directory listing shows the three new files that have been created. They will have the name of the original file, but will have X.spt added to each file name, where X stands for the sub-file.
Once the recipient has received all the files, he can recombine the files into one by running FileSplitter at his end. This time he would select Recombine file pieces into the Original File from the choices. He should see a screen similar to this:
The file listing will only show the first file of each set. If there is more than one file, highlight the desired file, then click on the Combine button.
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If you dont want to overwrite the existing file, choose No. You will then need to rename the original file before proceeding. Once the recombination process is complete, you should see the following:
When you click on ok, you will be returned to the desktop. This utility can be used for any type of file that you need to make smaller for transport, either via email, a network or even floppy disks! Feel free to use it for purposes other than solidification modeling.
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This program requires that you select a SOLIDCast project to open, and then select a model within that project. Therefore, the first task is to navigate to the SOLIDCast project that contains the model, and select that project as shown below:
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Now press the Create STL File button. The system will then ask you to enter a name for the new STL file as follows:
You can now select a folder where the new file should go, and a name for the new file. Enter this information and click on the button labeled Create STL File. The new file will be created.
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You can browse your hard drive to find the file. Once the file is located, highlight the file name and click on the open button. A window similar to that shown on the next page will be displayed. This window displays the properties of the STL file, including size and position in the X, Y and Z directions. You can select units, direction that the slice be taken, and the slice position in that direction.
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Once you enter the location of the slice, click on the Make Slice button. The program will do its calculations and then let you enter the name for the file that will be created. Note that you can output the slice in either AFSCad or DXF formats.
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The slice file will be created in the same folder as the original STL file.
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The required dimensions are displayed in the diagram, so it is a simple task to fill in the blanks below the diagram, then click on the Create Shape button. A File Window will be displayed, allowing you to select a file name to save the new shape under. This file will be a Binary STL file. A sample window is shown on the next page.
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Type the file name into the line, then click on the Create STL File button. If all goes well you should receive the following message:
This STL file can then be imported into SOLIDCast in the same way as any other STL file. An example file in the Model Builder is shown on the next page.
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This utility can be used to help construct pieces of manifolds, etc. that have blended or filleted connections. To create a cored section, simply run the utility twice, adjusting for inside and outside dimensions. The core section should then be imported into SOLIDCast with a higher priority number(closer to 1) so that when meshing occurs, the core removes metal.
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EFFECTIVE SOLIDIFICATION MODELING The Gating Design Wizard: Horizontal Gating Design
For design of Horizontal Gating Systems, the Gating Design Wizard will calculate sizes of sprues, runners and gates to deliver the liquid metal into the casting cavity. These components are shown in the following example:
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Here we can select whether to design a Horizontal Gating System or a Vertical Gating System. In this case, we will select Design Horizontal Gating (Step 5) and then select Next (Step 6).
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Gating Design allows the user to enter a required fill time for a casting, or the program will calculate an "Optimal Fill Time"(OFT) based on weight, critical section thickness and the alloy sensitivity. If the user wishes to have Gating Design calculate a fill time, then the following must be specified: Alloy Sensitivity - This is specified with the slider bar at the top of the screen (Step 7). This refers to the sensitivity of various alloys to form oxides during the pouring process. Alloys which are less sensitive (low value of this factor) may be poured more quickly. Alloys which are more sensitive to oxide formation should be poured more slowly to avoid excessive turbulence which may expose more of the metal surface to oxygen, thus forming and entraining the oxides as inclusions in the finished casting. Pour Weight - For horizontal-parted castings, this refers to the poured weight (total weight of casting plus rigging). For vertical castings, this weight is intended to be the weight of one casting without rigging. If you press the Get Model Data button (Step 8), the program will extract the weight from the simulation files. Keep in mind that, if the model does not include gating or
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The Sprue Type should be selected from the options shown (Step 12). This establishes the efficiency factor to be applied to the area calculation for the sprue. For the Horizontal Gating Design program, after calculating or entering the Fill Time, the user needs to an Effective Sprue Height (ESH). The ESH may be calculated based on dimensions of the sprue/gate/casting height by selecting the type of gating system (Top, Bottom or Parting Line) as shown at Step 13, then entering appropriate dimensions (Step 14). This will calculate and display the ESH (Step 15). Note that, if the metal is poured directly into the sprue and not into a pouring basin, then the additional height of the ladle above the top of the mold should be added to the ESH, since this height is used to establish the velocity of the metal after falling to the bottom of the sprue. The user then must enter the Depth of metal in Basin at the bottom of the sprue (Step 16). A basin at this location is used to absorb the initial surge of liquid with a minimization of splashing. The Gating Ratio is entered next (Step 17), a set of three numbers as described above.
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This window shows the choke area, the area at the bottom of the sprue and the area at the top of the sprue, based on the data and calculations as described above. Also shown on this screen are the total required runner area, number of runners and the Friction Loss Factor. The Friction Loss Factor will default to 5% when the program is first run, but it may be modified by the user as Step 21 (for example, some people use 10% as a Friction Loss Factor rather than 5%). On this screen, you can also select whether to equalize flow through the gates (all gates have equal flow), or whether to equalize flow in the runners (all runners have equal flow, regardless of the number of gates they feed). This is selected as Step 22. Probably the more common practice is to equalize flow through the gates. Note that for runners which feed multiple gates, in order to equalize flow in the gates it is common practice to "step down" the runner, i.e., reduce its cross-sectional area after each gate in
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This window will calculate and display the required size for each gate and each section of runner. First of all, in the left-hand window will be displayed a list of runners (depending on how many runners were previously specified). Select a runner from this list by clicking and highlighting on a runner (Step 24). Now, enter the number of gates to be fed from this runner (Step 25). A list of the gates along this runner will be displayed. Select these gates, one at a time (Step 26). Each time a gate is selected, the dimensions for that gate and the required runner size to feed the gate will be displayed below. Assuming that the runner is rectangular, you can enter
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By clicking on the button labeled View Results in Excel Format, you can see this data in a spreadsheet format. This assumes that you have Microsoft Excel installed on your computer.
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EFFECTIVE SOLIDIFICATION MODELING The Gating Design Wizard: Vertical Gating Design
In order to use Vertical Gating Design portion of the Wizard, you must have meshed and simulated a model of the casting. For vertical gating systems, the model should include only one casting plus its risers, without gating components. To start the Gating Design Wizard, first double-click on the Simulation icon on the SOLIDCast Project Tree (Step 1 in the picture below). This will cause the Simulation Status window to appear. Next, close this window (Step 2).
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Here we can select whether to design a Horizontal Gating System or a Vertical Gating System. In this case, we will select Design Vertical Gating (Step 5) and then select Next (Step 6).
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Gating Design lets you enter a required fill time for a casting, or the program will calculate an "Optimal Fill Time"(OFT) based on weight, critical section thickness and the alloy sensitivity. If the user wishes to have Gating Design calculate a fill time, then the following must be specified: Alloy Sensitivity - This is specified with the slider bar at the top of the screen (Step 7). This refers to the sensitivity of various alloys to form oxides during the pouring process. Alloys which are less sensitive (low value of this factor) may be poured more quickly. Alloys which are more sensitive to oxide formation should be poured more slowly to avoid excessive turbulence which may expose more of the metal surface to oxygen, thus forming and entraining the oxides as inclusions in the finished casting. Weight per Casting - For vertical castings, this weight is intended to be the weight of one casting without gating. If you press the "Get Model Data" button (Step 8), the program will extract the weight from the simulation files. Keep in mind that, if desired, you can adjust the displayed weight. The exact value of the weight is not highly critical, since the OFT formula uses the cube root of the weight to estimate fill time.
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The pour cup is designed based on a rule stating that it should have enough volume to accommodate one second of flow, with a minimum dimension of 2.5 inches (63.5 mm). These fields are display only, no data entry is required. For downsprue design, the program needs to know how many gates are fed from this sprue (thus establishing the flow rate through the sprue) and the height from the top of the mold to the top of the sprue (this latter establishes the velocity, and thus the area, at the sprue top). Be sure to include an allowance for a generous radius at the transition from the bottom of the pour cup to the top of the sprue. Recommended design practice is for the area at the bottom of the sprue to be one-half that at the top. These are data are entered as Step 17 and Step 18 above. To continue, press the Calculate button (Step 19). This will display the Required Area and the dimensions at the top and at the bottom of the sprue. If you wish to record this data for later display in a spreadsheet, press the Record button.
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For horizontal runner design, the program needs to know how many gates are fed from this runner (thus establishing the flow rate through the runner) and the height from the top of the mold to the center of the runner. This latter establishes the velocity (and thus the area) of the runner. These are entered as Step 21 and Step 22 above. Pressing the Calculate button (Step 23) will cause the system to calculate the velocity and the required runner area. Assuming that the runner is rectangular in cross section, you can enter one dimension (Step 24), press the Calc button (Step 25), and have the system calculate the other dimension of the runner. If you wish to record this data for later display in a spreadsheet, press the Record button. Now press Next (Step 26) to proceed to the next window.
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For gate design, the program needs to know the height from the top of the mold to the center of this gate (Step 27). If there is more than one gate per casting, then the system will ask what percentage of the flow is to pass through each gate (Step 28). For example, the flow might be divided equally between two gates, which would be 50%-50%, or this could be allocated 40%60% depending on casting geometry. This data establishes flow rate and velocity at this gate, which makes it possible to calculate required area. This is done by pressing the Calculate button (Step 29). This will cause the system to calculate the velocity and the required gate area. Assuming that the gate is rectangular in cross section, you can enter one dimension (Step 30), press the Calc button (Step 31), and have the system calculate the other dimension of the gate. If you wish to record this data for later display in a spreadsheet, press the Record button. This procedure can be duplicated for each unique gate within the gating system, so that all gates can be designed using this window.
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By clicking on the button labeled View Results in Excel Format (Step 33), you can see this data in a spreadsheet format. This assumes that you have Microsoft Excel installed on your computer.
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The first column shows time, in minutes. The second column is the temperature at Thermocouple 1 and the third column is the temperature at Thermocouple 2. There isnt a plotting function for this data in SOLIDCast, but the file Tcdata.tmp is a text file that can easily be loaded into other applications such as Microsoft Excel for viewing or plotting. An example of a time/temperature plot imported in Excel and plotted appears as follows:
Time vs. Temperature
1400 1300 Temperature (F) 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 0 1 2 3 4 5 Time (Min.)
There is a DOS program from Version 4.20 of our system called TPLOT.EXE that can be used if you do not have another plotting program. To use this, just make a copy of TPLOT.EXE in the folder where the simulation result files are located and then run the program. The program will ask that you enter the name of the file (TCDATA.TMP) and then allow you to plot the data.
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If you are doing a SOLIDCast mold filling simulation, the behavior of the filling metal can be controlled to some extent by adjusting a parameter file in the \Program Files\SOLIDCast folder. This file is called $ftune.300 and is a text file. By editing the values in this file, you can make the behavior of the filling more appropriate to various types of filling scenarios. For a typical horizontal gating situation, the parameters in this file would be as follows:
0.50 1.0 0 0 .33 0.2 1 1 1
For a vertical gating situation or one in which the metal is poured into the cavity via a vertical drop, the parameters in this file might be adjusted as follows:
0.50 3.0 0 0 .10 0.06 1 1 1
If the file $ftune.300 does not exist, then the system will assume the horizontal type of filling parameter for mold filling.
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Some research has suggested that the Heat Transfer Coefficient at the surface between the mold and the casting decreases as a step function at the solidus point in permanent mold processes. The best fit to this data indicates that the HTC decreases to 30% of its starting value. This effect can be simulated by placing a file called $Htred.410 in the SOLIDCast program folder prior to running the simulation. This is a text file which contains a single number that is a factor for the HTC at the solidus point. For example, if this file contains the number 0.3, then the surface HTC will be multiplied by 0.3 (a reduction of 70%) when solidus is reached at each surface node. If this file does not exist, SOLIDCast will assume no reduction in HTC. Setup File Name: Function: $tcinc.500 Specifies the number of time steps between data collection for thermocouples
If you are using thermocouples in your model, the default action of the system is to record time/temperature data at each time step. By adding a file called $tcinc.500 in the SOLIDCast program folder, you can tell the system to record this data less often. $tcinc.500 is a text file which contains a single integer number. This number tells the system how many time steps to increment before recording a time/temperature data point for any thermocouples. For example, if this file contains the number 10, then data will be recorded every 10 time steps. This means that the file of time/temperature data will be 1/10th as large as recording every time step. If this file does not exist, SOLIDCast will assume every time step. Setup File Name: Function: $LPM.500 Reverses gravity direction for low-pressure permanent mold simulation
SOLIDCast checks to see if the file $lpm.500 exists in the SOLIDCast folder. If so, then the current simulation is assumed to be a low-pressure Permanent Mold simulation. This means that the direction of gravity will be reversed 180 degrees when the filling is complete, so that feeding of liquid metal will be done by the pressure from below rather than the force of gravity. This affects the indications as given by the Material Density Function. $LPM.500 does not need to contain anything specific; it just needs to exist as a file in the SOLIDCast folder.
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This feature is primarily used, at the moment, for riserless iron castings. The file $FTRNS.410 contains a temperature in degrees F. Above this temperature, feeding occurs under the influence of gravity. Below this temperature, feeding occurs outward from thermal centers. We intend to expand this type of capability to other alloys.
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HTC vs. Air Velocity (External Flow) 70 60 HTC (BTU/hr-sqft-F) 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 Air Velocity (ft/sec)
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