Numerical Simulation And Optimization Of72t Steel Ingot Solidification Process

Foundry is a very complicated, high-temperature and dynamic process. Basedon the traditional foundry theory, massive practical experience accumulation andexperimental researches, the computer-based numerical simulation technology cansimulate the foundry process and predict the product’s quality, which has importantsignificance to avoiding shrinkage porosity, lowering costs, shortening developmentperiod and enhancing design level and yield rate. Therefore, foundry numericalsimulation technology is a vital method for the foundry process transformation fromexperience-based design to optimization design.Foundry’ solidification process forms the macro and micro structure of a casting,and many casting defects, such as shrinkage porosity, deformation and hot crack areclosely related to the solidification behavior. For these invisible processes of filling,heat transference, solidification behavior and defects formation, the main task ofnumerical simulation is to figuratively describe the foundry process and obtain thebest scheme using modern science and computer technology.To analyze the effects of H/D(the mold’s height divided by diameter) value,mold thickness and coverings on shrinkage porosity in the large steel ingot, thispaper simulates a72t steel ingot produced by three different H/D values, moldthicknesses and coverings using the foundry numerical simulation softwareProCAST. By comparing and analyzing the simulation results of heat flux,temperature, solidification field, shrinkage porosity and solidification time, the bestprocess design parameters of casting the72t large steel ingot has been got, which areH/D=1.51, d/D=0.18and acid covering.