Simulation Study on the LPDC Process for Thin-Walled Aluminum Alloy Casting

The LPDC process parameters of A356 aluminum thin-walled component with permanent mould were optimized using numerical simulation. By applying the optimized parameters, a thin-walled component with 300 mm in length, 100 mm in width, and 1.5 mm in thickness was successfully prepared, and no obvious defects such as gas porosities and shrinkages were found in the component. In addition, acceptable mechanical properties of the casting component were obtained with tensile strength of 180 MPa, yield strength of 98.3 MPa, and elongation of 8.0%, respectively. And the solidification process of casting was also discussed. The results indicate the numerical simulation is an efficient tool for the design of casting process.