Frequently Asked Question

Solidification and feeding

Casting quality depends on filling, heat extraction, shrinkage, gas transport, feeding, and mold design. Thick sections solidify later and can become hot spots unless a feeding path or geometry change is provided. Draft, fillets, uniform transitions, venting, gating, and machining allowance should be defined together.

Q is heat removed, m is mass, c_p is heat capacity, ΔT is temperature change, and L is latent heat. It is a thermal balance, not a complete solidification model.

Worked example

For 2 kg of material with c_p = 500 J/(kg·K), ΔT = 600 K, and L = 250 kJ/kg, Q = 2(500×600+250000) = 1.10 MJ. Use thermal evidence and internal inspection to confirm soundness.

Engineering check

For Casting Design and Solidification, record the material condition, tool or fixture identity, process settings, measurement method, sampling plan, and reaction rule. Confirm that the measurement system is capable of resolving the requirement and that the process is stable before using capability or first-article data to justify release. Reconfirm the limits after a material, tool, or route change.

Engineering note

For Casting Design and Solidification, state the intended use, input range, dominant mechanism, units, boundary conditions, acceptance criterion, and evidence owner. Use an independent balance, limiting case, repeat measurement, or sensitivity check to challenge the result. Document the configuration and uncertainty so another engineer can reproduce the reasoning and determine whether the result remains valid after a design, material, boundary, or process change.