Gating system design to cast thin wall ductile iron plates

Abstract

The present study describes the development of a horizontal and a vertical mould designed to produce thin ductile iron plates of 1·5–4 mm thickness. Both moulds used a non-pressurised configuration. The horizontal mould design was based on empirical rules, while the vertical mould was based on numerical simulations of fluid flow and thermal field, carried out using the software NovaFlow&Solid. The aim of both designs was to produce sound ductile iron plates that were large enough to make tensile test samples. The results show that the adoption of empirical rules and a non-pressurised configuration were not enough to guarantee proper filling. An optimised design was obtained through the use of mathematical modelling.