Simulation of solidification and temperature in centrifugal casting process.

The heat conduction equation was formulated for the solidification problem of centrifugal casting process, in which the air/metal free boundary was considered. A finite element scheme was set up from the Galerkin equations. As the amount of liquid metal increased, the heat capacity of the expanding elements was altered. Heat generation due to the liberation of latent heat was also considered following the rate of change of solid fraction in the element.The scheme was applied to two types of centrifugal casting problems. The temperature distribution and solidification front were analyzed and compared with the experimental results.