Numerical Estimations of Interfacial Heat Transfer Coefficient during Solidification of Rectangular Aluminum Alloy Casting by Control Volume Technique

Precise estimation of interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) is necessary fo r accurate simulation o f the casting process. In this study an attempt is made for the numerical estimation of IHTC fo r a rectangular geometry, during the solidification process of aluminum alloy in a sand mould. The instantaneous cast temperature and the temperature of the mould at two locations are measured experimentally at various time intervals during solidification. Using these temperatures, the mould surface heat flux and mould surface temperature are estimated by inverse heat conduction method using control volume technique. In the control volume technique, partial differential heat conduction equation was reduced to ordinary differential equations in time, which are then solved sequentially. The IHTC values are determined from the surface heat flux and the mould surface temperature at various time intervals.