Abstract
A new algorithm for simulating mold filling of castings has been developed, based on the Direct Finite Difference Method (DFDM) and orthogonal-nonorthogonal-mixed meshing. In order to increase the accuracy of simulated results and to use the advantages of orthogonal meshing, i. e. shorter CPU time and smaller memory size, nonorthogonal elements were introduced at the boundary regions of curved or sloped mold and cavity, while orthogonal meshing were used in the inner region. The accuracy of the method was examined by comparing the simulated results with the experimental ones. It was found that as compared with the method using orthogonal elements, the proposed method resulted in better agreement with the experimental one, while the CPU time was twice longer, and the memory size was almost the same. The proposed method may be more practical than the conventional one.
