A finite element model for thermomechanical analysis in casting processes

This paper summarizes the recent work of the authors in the numerical simulation of casting processes. In particular, a coupled thermomechanical model to simulate the solidification problem in casting has been developed [7,8,9]. The model, based on a general isotropic thermoelasto-plasticity theory and formulated in a macroscopical point of view, includes generalized phase-change effects and considers the different thermomechanical behaviour of the solidifying material during its evolution from liquid to solid. For this purpose, a phase-change variable, plastic evolution equations and a temperature-dependent material constitutive law have been defined. Some relevant aspects of this model are presented here. Full thermomechanical coupling terms have been considered as well as variable thermal and mechanical boundary conditions : the first are due to air gap formation, while the second involve a contact formulation. Particular details concerning the numerical implementation of this model are also mentioned. An enhanced staggered scheme, used to solve the highly non-linear fully coupled finite element equations, is proposed. Furthermore, a proper convergence criterion to stop the iteration process is adopted and, although the quadratic convergence of Newton-Rapshon's method is not achieved, several numerical experiments demonstrate reasonable convergence rates [9]. Finally, an experimental cylindrical casting test problem, including phase-change phenomena, temperature-dependent constitutive properties and contact effects, is analyzed. Numerical results are compared with some laboratory measurements

A coupled thermomechanical model for the solidification of cast metals

A coupled thermomechanical model to simulate solidification problems in casting is presented. The model is formulated from a phenomenological point of view using a general isotropic thermoelasto-plasticity theory. Generalized phase-change effects accounting for the different thermomechanical behaviour of the solidifying material during its evolution from liquid to solid have been considered. For this purpose, a phase-change function, plastic evolution equations and a temperature-dependent constitutive law have been defined. Full thermomechanical effects as well as variable thermal and mechanical boundary conditions are also taken into account. Particular details concerning the numerical implementation of the model are given, where special emphasis is devoted to the resulting highly non-linear fully coupled finite element equations. The behaviour of this formulation is studied first in a simple quenching problem. Finally, a cylindrical casting test problem including phase-change phenomena, temperature-dependent constitutive properties and contact effects is analysed. Numerical results are compared with laboratory measurements

Analysis of different approaches to model the austempering heat treatment of ductile irons

Austempered ductile iron is a metallic alloy of technological interest. Currently, the part design is added by means of simulations performed by using different types of models. This work aims at comparing three models respectively based on the Avrami´s equation, spherical representative volume elements, and cellular automata, all of them able to compute the phase evolutions during the ausferritic and martensitic transformations. The models are employed to reproduce the experimental heat treatments where their strongness and weakness are discussed.Fil: Boccardo, Adrian Dante. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Ingeniería y Tecnología. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Ingeniería y Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Dardati, Patricia Mónica. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; ArgentinaFil: Celentano, Diego Javier. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. Escuela de Ingeniería. Departamento de Ingeniería Mecanica y Metalurgica; Chil

NUMERICAL FORECAST OF THE MELTING AND THERMAL HISTORIES OF PARTICLES INJECTED IN A PLASMA JET

18 pagesThis work presents the numerical simulation of the melting process of a particle injected in a plasma jet. The plasma process is nowadays applied to produce thin coatings on metal mechanical components with the aim of improving the surface resistance to different phenomena such as corrosion, temperature or wear. In this work we studied the heat transfer including phase-change of a bi-layer particle composed of a metallic iron core coated with ceramic alumina, inside a plasma jet. The model accounted for the environmental conditions along the particle path. The numerical simulation of this problem was performed via a temperature-based phase-change finite element formulation. The results obtained with this methodology satisfactorily described the melting process of the particle. Particularly, the results of the present work illustrate the phase change evolution in a bi-layer particle during its motion in the plasma jet. Moreover, the numerical trends agreed with those previously reported in the literature and computed with a finite volume enthalpy based formulation

Surface laser treatment of cast irons: A Review

Heat treatments are frequently used to modify the microstructure and mechanical properties of materials according to the requirements of their applications. Laser surface treatment (LST) has become a relevant technique due to the high control of the parameters and localization involved in surface modification. It allows for the rapid transformation of the microstructure near the surface, resulting in minimal distortion of the workpiece bulk. LST encompasses, in turn, laser surface melting and laser surface hardening techniques. Many of the works devoted to studying the effects of LST in cast iron are diverse and spread in several scientific communities. This work aims to review the main experimental aspects involved in the LST treatment of four cast-iron groups: gray (lamellar) cast iron, pearlitic ductile (nodular) iron, austempered ductile iron, and ferritic ductile iron. The effects of key experimental parameters, such as laser power, scanning velocity, and interaction time, on the microstructure, composition, hardness, and wear are presented, discussed, and overviewed. Finally, we highlight the main scientific and technological challenges regarding LST applied to cast irons.Fil: Catalán, Néstor. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. Escuela de Ingeniería. Departamento de Ingeniería Mecanica y Metalurgica; ChileFil: Ramos Moore, Esteban. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Facultad de Física; ChileFil: Boccardo, Adrian Dante. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Ingeniería y Tecnología. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Ingeniería y Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Celentano, Diego Javier. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. Escuela de Ingeniería. Departamento de Ingeniería Mecanica y Metalurgica; Chil

Experimental and numerical analysis of a sphere falling into a viscous fluid

The experimental and numerical analysis of spheres falling into viscous flows is considered. The physical model is built using a set of silicone and glass spheres falling into oil and water. The rigid‐body trajectory of the sphere and the free surface evolution are obtained from videos. The numerical results are obtained using two different finite element codes. The first code uses a fractional step approach with adaptive meshes and time‐step sizes whereas the second code uses a monolithic fully coupled fixed‐mesh technique. The results exhibit a good comparison between both numerical techniques and with the experiments

Viscoplastic and temperature behavior of Zn–Cu–Ti alloy sheets: experiments, characterization, and modeling

It has been experimentally observed that the Zn–Cu–Ti zinc alloy shows a strong influence of strain rate and temperature on its plastic behavior. A significant change in the material response is seen with relatively small strain rate variations or temperature. In this work, these effects are addressed through the Cazacu–Plunket–Barlat 2006 (CPB-2006) yield criterion and the Johnson–Cook hardening law. The tests were carried out over the three main directions: rolling, diagonal, and transversal. Three strain rate conditions (0.002, 0.02, and 0.2 s−1) and three temperatures (20, 60, and 80 °C) were tested. Although the experimental results exhibit a significant influence of the strain rate and temperature on stress–strain curves for all tested directions, such two variables do not practically affect the Lankford coefficients. The proposed model calibration procedure is found to describe the material responses properly under the studied conditions.Fil: Alister, Francisco. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chile. Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Celentano, Diego Javier. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chile. Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Signorelli, Javier Walter. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Bouchard, Pierre Olivier. Ecole Des Mines de Paris; FranciaFil: Pino Muñoz, Daniel. Ecole Des Mines de Paris; FranciaFil: Cruchaga, Marcela. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; Chil

Joining metrics enhancement when combining FSW and ball-burnishing in a 2050 aluminium alloy

This report describes the effect of the ball-burnishing process on the mechanical properties of 2050 aluminium alloy that was previously friction stir welded. This process is a fast, environmentally-friendly and cost-effective surface treatment based on the plastic deformation of the surface irregularities. Consequently, residual stress, material hardening and micro-structural alterations are investigated to improve fatigue strength and wear resistance. The results show that the ball-burnishing treatment enhances the surface properties by increasing the material hardness about 37.5% and by decreasing the average surface roughness from 2.23¿µm to 0.06¿µm when a high pressure and a perpendicular burnishing is deployed. Additionally, in-depth compressive residual stresses are generated from -315¿MPa to -700¿MPa depending on the burnishing configuration. Finally, a numerical simulation of the material elastoplastic response is performed to analyze the residual stress continuity in the cross sectional area when using two radial feeds and burnishing pressures. In short, the present study helps to reduce time consumption by selecting the larger radial feed combined with a proper burnishing pressure to ensure the desired quality and compressive residual stress at the surface, which are indices of enhancing the fatigue strength at the nugget zone of the welded area.Postprint (author's final draft

Sediment grain size determines microplastic exposure landscapes for sandy beach macroinfauna

Despite the global occurrence of microplastic contamination on sandy beaches, evidence of microplastic distribution within beaches remains contradictory. When conflicting evidence is used to inform sampling surveys, it increases uncertainty in resulting data. Moreover, it hampers spatially explicit risk characterization of microplastic pollution to intertidal fauna. We aimed to guide sampling designs for microplastic monitoring on beaches, and to quantify macroinfauna exposure to microplastics. Microplastic abundance, quantified between 5 mm–66 μm, lacked a significant zonation across the top sediment layer of sub-terrestrial, upper and lower midlittoral, and swash zones at two sites with varying anthropogenic influence on a microtidal dissipative beach in Uruguay. Microplastic abundance decreased exponentially with increasing grain size, as revealed by Bayesian Poisson regression, although the decrease was less steep compared to prior knowledge regarding sediment – plastic interactions obtained for large (millimeter-sized) industrial pellets. Significant differences in microplastic contamination between the two sites with varying anthropogenic influence likely related to their proximity to a freshwater canal. Corresponding field measurements of body burdens of fibers and irregular particles were significantly lower for the polychaete Euzonus (Thoracophelia) furcifera, despite its preference for finer sediments with higher microplastic loads, compared to the isopods Excirolana braziliensis and Excirolana armata. Results provide critical insights toward representative sampling of microplastics within beach sites. Specifically, we caution against sampling limited to the drift line, and instead recommend: 1) reporting beach morphodynamic characteristics; 2) using clearly defined, ecologically-informed zonation schemes; and 3) accounting for sediment grain size as a covariate to normalize among reported contamination levels. The results contribute valuable baseline data toward realistic exposure landscapes relative to the sediment grain size preferences of macroinfauna, needed to inform laboratory experiments