Numerical Simulation on Hardness Distribution for a FC250 Gray Cast Iron Brake Disc Casting and Its Experimental Verification

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to develop a technique of numerically simulating the hardness of a FC250 gray cast iron brake disc casting and verified by experimental measurements. As the numerical model is proven reliable, numerical experimentation is then conducted to homogenize the hardness distribution of a brake disc to obtain better casting quality. The Oldfield’s model was adopted to simulate the nucleation and grain growth during solidification of the casting. A calibration brake disc casting was first made. By comparing the hardness of the calibration brake disc casting with the simulated results using different nucleation and growth coefficients (A_e,B_e) in Oldfield’s model, the most appropriate set of values for A_e and B_e was obtained. Then, this set of values was applied to the hardness simulation of a test brake disc casting and confirmed by experimental measurements. Through this approach, a set of nucleation and growth coefficients was obtained for the brake disc casting. Subsequently, numerical simulations were conducted for the brake disc casting with different shake-out times to evaluate its distribution of hardness and an optimized shake-out time was then proposed based on the simulated results. The predictions of hardness were validated by comparison with experimental measurements and actual track testing.