Abstract
In blow molding, green sand is blown from the magazine to the cavity using compressed air, and squeezed. In this study, the blow stage is investigated. It is essential to know how the sand particles are moved by airflow during the blow stage. The blow stage is however very complex phenomenon, due to the interaction of the sand particles and airflow. The purpose of this study is thus to develop a process model using the distinct element method (DEM) coupled with airflow analysis. Numerical simulation was performed to predict the behavior of the sand particles during the blow stage, and laboratory experiments for rectangular cavity were carried out to examine the calculated results. The simulation reasonably explains the behavior of green sand flow in the magazine and cavity, which is difficult to be measured by the experiment.
