Measurement of temperature inside die and estimation of interfacial heat transfer coefficient in squeeze casting

As an advanced near-net shape technology, squeeze casting is an excellent method for producing high integrity castings. Numerical simulation is a very effective method to optimize squeeze casting process, and the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) is an important boundary condition in numerical simulation. Therefore, the study of the IHTC is of great significance. In the present study, experiments were conducted and a “plate shape” aluminum alloy casting was cast in H13 steel die. In order to obtain accurate temperature readings inside the die, a special temperature sensor units (TSU) was designed. Six 1 mm wide and 1 mm deep grooves were machined in the sensor unit for the placement of the thermocouples whose tips were welded to the end wall. Each groove was machined to terminate at a particular distance (1, 3, and 6 mm) from the front end of the sensor unit. Based on the temperature measurements inside the die, the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) at the metal-die interface was determined by applying an inverse approach. The acquired data were processed by a low pass filtering method based on Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The feature of the IHTC at the metal-die interface was discussed.