Analysis of heat transfer through the casting-mould interface including gas-gap effect and application to TiAl castings

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe how a 3D/1D transient heat transfer model has been developed for getting accurate thermal boundary conditions when investigating the heat transfer in the TiAl castings and also for reducing the computational cost and simplifying the mesh generation. Design/methodology/approach - Heat transfer in the mould is assumed to take place only in a direction perpendicular to the mould wall, called 1D heat transfer. The coordinates of cell centre and the temperature in the mould wall can be calculated by the model instead of meshing mould. Heat transfer in the mould is computed via the FD solution of a 1D heat transfer equation. Findings - For some types of geometry, the model works very well. However, for some, which contain the geometric feature called "dead corner", the model can't cover. There is some impact on the accuracy of the model. Practical implications - In the casting industry, the geometry of the casting is usually very complex and contains different features. This leads to difficult meshing when using numerical model to predict the casting process. Furthermore, an accurate calculation is very important on the thermal boundary during filling and solidification, to support practice, to improve the process and minimise the casting defects. Originality/value - In this paper, a novel method is developed to calculate the heat transfer through the casting-mould interface to the mould wall in a casting.