Fluid Flow Investigation of Die Cast Tensile Test Bars

The fluid flow of an A356 semi-solid aluminum alloy filling a die consisting of four tensile test bars was investigated. Numerical simulations were carried out by implementing a mathematical model in a finite element software. Additional simulations were also obtained with a physical model in which tomato paste was used as the analogue fluid for the semi-solid aluminum. The modeling results were complemented by a series of experiments where tensile test bars were produced from semi-solid aluminum with a high pressure die casting press. The correspondence observed with the two modeling approaches and the casting experiments is discussed along with the effect the die geometry had on the flow patterns.