Investigation of the effects of die design modifications on casting part quality in aluminum automotive parts produced by high pressure die casting process

High pressure die casting of aluminum alloys stands out as a production method that can adapt to the mass production conditions of the automotive industry and also to meet the ever-increasing customer demands. Mold designs are critical to the final product quality in high pressure die casting which is is preferred because of its advantages such as high production speed, high production quantites with one mold, geometrical sensitivity, low machining requirement and mold designs are critical to the final product quality. In addition to the design processes prior to the production of the molds with high initial investment costs, the losses in terms of time and cost can be reduced with the use of simulation software. Starting from inside the chamber of the high pressure die casting machine, the gases in the sleeve and the mold cavity must be removed from the mold without being trapped in the part during casting. Efficient disposal of air and gases in the mold is very important in terms of casting quality. In this thesis, ventil (gas disposal) design of two different automotive components produced with AlSi12Cu1Fe and AlSi10MgFe alloys by high pressure die casting process was studied and the results were examined. The regions and quantities of gases trapped inside the parts according to the designs were examined by MAGMAsoft HPDC software. The focus of the studies was on the casting defects of cold shut, blistering and porosity. After the experimental castings, visual, X-Ray radioscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies were carried out on the sample pieces and also the results of leakage tests and the efficiency analysis were performed by using ERP software data. As a result of the experimental studies, it was observed that the total gas extraction surface areas were doubled in the mold design and the casting defects decreased significantly. In addition, according to the simulation results, it has been determined that the placement of air pockets on critical regions of the part changes the flow of liquid metal and provides more efficient gas disposal through the mold cavity.