Numerical Simulation And Optimization Research Of Casting Process For Shearer Sliding Boots

As a modern mining machinery, because of shearer’s high productivity and low cost of production, it has developed quickly and popularized in China. Sliding boots are important load components of the shearer base, and with the increasing quality of shearer, performance requirements of the sliding boots become higher and higher, its casting quality directly affects the work efficiency of the shearer.Therefore, it is particularly important that using casting process simulation software to examine mold filling and solidification process before actual production, calculate possible defects and defect position, take effective measures and reasonable design of gating system before pouring to reduce or avoid the generation of defects.In this paper, Pro CAST software is used to simulate the filling and solidification process of the shearer sliding boots.Firstly, through the analysis of the structure and stress of sliding boots, combined with the actual production experience, gating and riser system is designed and original casting process program is carried out. The 3D model of the sliding boots is set up by Pro/E software.Secondly, casting process is simulated using simulation software Pro CAST.Through the analysis of mold filling process and solidification process, it forecasts the possible location of the shrinkage defects.Thirdly, the shrinkage cavity and porosity is eliminated successfully by setting the cold iron, and cold iron model is calculated. In the improved process, by placing cold irons near the ear plate and area between the riser which prone to shrinkage defect, the solidification velocity is accelerated and the isolated liquid zone is avoided, then the shrinkage cavity is eliminated.Finally, practical production of those cast processes is also carried out and the UT test and section test are subjected to the castings. The practical production test results are basically consistent with that of simulation. In addition, through the analysis of microstructure and mechanical properties of casting samples, results show that mechanical properties basically meet the requirements.Through the numerical simulation to shearer sliding boots’ casting process, it has put the numerical simulation into practical application in the production and has avoided the blindness of technical designs, also shortened the design period of newtechnical and the design cost, which has an important meaning to improve the economical benefits and enhance the competition of the enterprise.