HPC Cloud-based design of copper-alloy moulds
IMR, a 1959-founded SME, designs and manufactures foundry equipment for brass alloys and bronze. The process involves filling moulds with liquid metal at 1,000°C, ensuring quality and a constant cooling gradient to prevent cracks and defects. A computer model was developed to simulate copper alloy flow.
Start date: 01/07/2013
Duration in months: 18
Problem Description
The use-case addresses the problem that in the production of foundry equipment for brass and bronze alloys, it is essential to ensure a laminar flow of liquid metal through the mold and a uniform cooling gradient to avoid cracks and defects in the final part. Currently, the mold is often modified several times before moving to production, and several commercial packages exist for casting process simulation, but they have not been widely used in this area partly because the license costs. The objective of the use-case was therefore to investigate the possibility of using an HPC solution to perform the simulations and improve time-to-market and productivity.
Goals
Virtual prototyping
Challenges
The challenge of this case study was therefore to demonstrate the benefits of HPC-based simulation to IMR.
Innovation results
A computer model to simulate the flow of copper alloys was developed based on an open- source software package. This model produces a reliable simulation of the filling of a mould by the molten copper alloy at low pressure. It keeps track of both the filling velocity and the thermal exchange between the mould and liquid metal. The simulation results have been validated by comparison with physical tests.
Business impact
The average cost for the design and testing of a set of moulds for a new product based on the traditional, empirical method, is currently about €41,000. The use of a Cloud-based HPC simulation, including all costs, such as set-up times and computing costs, saves about € 8,000 per set and 3 weeks of testing and modifications.