Materials Today: Proceedings 22 (2020) 563–571

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Materials Today: Proceedings

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr

Die casting parameters and simulations for crankcase of automobile

using MAGMAsoft
Lokeswar Patnaik a,⇑, I. Saravanan b, Sunil Kumar a
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Silchar 788010, India
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Adhi College of Engineering and Technology, Walajabad, Chennai 631605, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) is popular for manufacturing of high volume and low cost cast compo-
Received 17 May 2019 nents with good quality. In this study, the step by step method of developing a HPDC die is demonstrated
Received in revised form 3 August 2019 for a crank case of two wheeler automobile by evaluating the necessary design parameters of HPDC. The
Accepted 21 August 2019
die is designed for Al-Si-Cu alloy as melt. Simulations are done using MAGMAsoft for predicting filling
Available online 12 September 2019
temperature, fill time, solidification, air pressure and entrapment and lastly assessment of cooling
arrangement. Minor modifications are carried out to accommodate lesser fill time and reduced air pres-
Keywords:
sure in the die cavity.
Crankcase
HPDC die design
Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Gate design Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-
Runner design ence on Materials Engineering and Characterization 2019.
Tonnage calculation
Simulations
MAGMAsoft

1. Introduction simulations has been acknowledged to increase the quality of mold

Die casting is one the most precise and economical casting pro-
cess in manufacturing intricate-shaped components in mass pro-
duction. In this process, molten metal is injected at high pressure
into a die cavity and as soon as the cavity is filled, it is solidified
by fast cooling [1]. Silicon-containing Aluminum alloys are known
to be one of the most important casting alloys due to their superior
casting characteristics and unique combination of mechanical and
physical properties such as low density, moderately high strength
and good castability.
Aluminum alloys have gained a lot of research interest and
application in industries due to their light weight, good thermal
and electrical conductivities, resistance to corrosion under various
service condition and ease of processing and manufacturing [2].
Industries seek light material in the development and product
design of engineering components for automotive, aerospace and
defense sector and aluminum plays an important role in it [3–5].
The fundamental aspect of High-pressure-die-casting (HPDC) is
mold design and the problems associated with it are incomplete
filling and gas porosity among others. The importance of numerical
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: lokeswar.nits@gmail.com (L. Patnaik).
in HPDC. Semi- implicit- methods for pressure linked equations
(SIMPLE) algorithm is practiced to solve Navier-Stokes equation
in the study of fluid and heat transfer [6,7].
Casting simulation software employs finite- element method
(FEM) and finite- difference method (FDM) for analyses. Popular
simulation packages that uses FDM are PAM-CAST, NovaCast, Flow
3D and MAGMAsoft. These softwares are used to predict mold fill-
ing, shrinkage, air pressure, shrinkage and cooling pattern among
others.
Chattopadhyay et al. [8] applied finite- volume based numerical
method to predict solidification time of casting molds. Thamma-
chot et al. [9] employed numerical simulation to predict the opti-
mal pouring parameters to tackle defects caused due to
incomplete filling. Zhang et al. [10] and Wu et al. [11,12] used
MAGMAsoft to predict shrinkage in dental implants and optimize
gating system.
In this paper, a detailed study and calculation of the design
parameters for a HPDC to manufacture the crankcase of a two
wheeler automobile is carried out. The parameters are empirically
calculated and simulations for die filling are performed using
MAGMAsoft. It is a 3D simulation flow package used across die
casting industries to model the molten metal flow and solidifica-
tion in dies.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.208
2214-7853/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Materials Engineering and Characterization 2019.
564 L. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 22 (2020) 563–571

Table 1 3. Design parameters

Particulars of the component.

Particulars Values 3.1. Fill time

3 3
Density 2.65  10 g/mm
Volume 2.317  105 mm3 It is the time within which the die casting mold is filled with
Weight 0.614 kg molten metal. It is important that the melt fills the die cavity
Projected area 2.269  104 mm2
before solidifying or reaching solid-phase fraction. High mold fill-
ing time and low flow rates causes premature solidification and
cold shuts. Filling time is selected on the grounds of thinnest cast-
ing wall thickness, thermal properties of casting alloy, die material,
total volume of the cast product (including overflows) and percent-
age solidified metal allowed during filling [5]. The fill time (t) is
calculated using Eq. (1) [14].
 
Ti  Tf þ SZ
t¼k t1 ð1Þ
Tf  Td
where,

k is empirical constant related to thermal conductivity of the

die steel which is equal to 0.0346 for Al alloy [14].
Ti = Metal temperature at gate as it enters the die = 640 °C
Tf = Melt flow temperature = 570 °C
S = % solid fraction available in the metal at the end of
Fig. 1. 3 D model of crankcase. filling = 25
Z = Solids units conversion factor, °C to % = 3.8
2. Component details Td = Die surface temperature before the shot = 180 °C
t1 = Wall thickness = 3 mm.
The crankcase is the housing of the crankshaft in an automobile Therefore, t = 0.0439 s  44 ms
[13]. Its main function is to shield the crankshaft and connecting
rod from debris. In two-stroke engine, it serves the purpose of 3.2. Fill rate
pressurization chamber for air–fuel mixture. In the present study,
HPDC die is designed for the crankcase of a two-stroke engine of The fill rate (Q) is defined as the rate at which the cavities and
a two wheeler (scooter). The material of the crankcase is AlSi12Cu1 overflows are filled with melt. It is expressed using Eq. (2) [14].
(Fe). The details of the component are tabulated in Table 1.
The average wall thickness is 3.0 mm and the thinnest wall sec- V  1000
Q¼ ð2Þ
tion is 0.8 mm. The component has one side core hole on the sur- t
face as shown in Fig. 1. Machining Allowance of 1 mm after die where,
casting is added on the main face which is shown in blue color
and 0.5 mm on the small faces shown in green color as shown in V = Volume of the casting + Volume of the overflow
Fig. 2. Volume of the overflow = 10% of the volume of the casting
The walls should be kept as uniform in thickness as possible to V = 231.7 cm3 + 23.17 cm3 = 254.87 cm3
avoid local hot spots during solidification. Thick sections will be t = Fill time = 44 ms
more likely to have porous center than the thin ones. Ribs should Therefore, Q = 5792.5 cm3/s
be used to obtain maximum strength in the wall as well as brace
(or strengthen) the sidewall or surface. Deep, thin ribs, or ribs that 3.3. Parting line
are spaced close together, should be avoided unless sufficient ejec-
tion method can be designed into the tool. Sectional view of the The parting line is the plane at which the two halves of the die
component showing wall thickness and ribs are shown in Fig. 2. meet. It is an important factor upon which the die cast success (or

Fig. 2. Sectional view showing general wall thickness and ribs.

 L. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 22 (2020) 563–571 565

Fig. 3. Parting surface dividing the fixed and moving die.

3.5.2. Gate length (lg)

The range of gate thickness for varying weight of the cast com-
ponent is tabulated in Table 3 [14].
Ag  100
lg ¼ ð4Þ
tg
where,

lg = Gate length in mm Ag = Gate area = 1.26 cm2

tg = Gate thickness = 1.3 mm
Therefore, lg = 96.9 mm  97 mm

3.5.3. Runner calculations

Trapezoidal cross-section runner with side draft of 10° is chosen
Fig. 4. Representation 2D sectional view of the crankcase showing draft. as shown in Fig. 5. Main runner depth to width ratio is kept
between 1.1 and 1.3. Typically 1:2 ratio is chosen [14]
In case of branched runner, the main runner should be 1.1 times
not) depends. The parting line should be kept as straight (or flat) as
more than the sum of area of all the branched runners [5]. In the
possible in general. The parting surface selected for the crankcase
present study, branched trapezoidal runners are incorporated so
die casting is shown in Fig. 3.
that gating at multiple points can be provided because of the intri-
cacies in the cast component. The branched runner and gate
3.4. Draft arrangement is shown in Fig. 6.
Calculated gate length (lg) = 97 mm.
All molded surfaces which are mostly perpendicular to the part- The gate length is divided as per selected gate location.
ing line of the injection molding die, require draft (taper) for proper Considering gate length is 108 mm, the gate length at different
ejection of the mould from the die. Usually a draft of 1°is recom- position will be:
mended. Less draft can be used on longer draws while short draws L1 = 33 mm, L2 = 33 mm, L3 = 31 mm
require more draft. Zero draft is possible but the design must allow
for sufficient ejection to keep the part from distorting. Fig. 4 shows  Runner A:
the draft provided in the cast product is 1.2° along the perpendic-
ular surface. Gate area at A = L1  tg
Gate Area = 33  1.3 = 42.9 mm2
3.5. Gate and Runner calculation
Runner area at A ¼ 1:6 times gate area at A ð5Þ
3.5.1. Gate area (Ag) Runner Area = 1.6  42.9 = 68.64 mm 2

Gate velocity influences the mechanical and surface quality of

the cast product. High gate velocities suit the cast product in terms  Runner B:
of better mechanical properties and low porosity compared to low
gate velocity. The recommended gate velocity for various thickness Gate Area = 33  1.3 = 42.9 mm2
of the cast component is tabulated in Table 2 [14]. Runner Area = 1.6  46.8 = 68.64 mm2
Gate area is calculated using Eq. (3) [14].
Q
Ag ¼ ð3Þ Table 2
Vg  100 Recommended gate velocity against thinnest wall thickness.

where, Thinnest wall thickness (mm) Gate velocity Range (m/s)

0–0.762 46–55
Ag = gate area in cm2 Q = Fill rate = 5792.5 cm3/s 0.763–1.525 43–52
Vg = Gate Velocity = 46 m/s 1.523–2.286 40–49
2.287–2.794 37–46
Therefore, Ag = 1.26 cm2
566 L. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 22 (2020) 563–571

Table 3  Runner width (Rw)

Recommended gate thickness against component weight for Al alloy.

Component weight Rw ¼ 2  Rd ð8Þ

Weight Upto 100 g 100–1000 g 1–5 kg Rw = 23.21 mm
Gate thickness for Al alloy (0.3–0.6) mm (0.5–1.3) mm (1.4–2) mm The schematic diagram showing runner depth (Rd) and runner
width (Rw) is shown in Fig. 5.

4. Machine specification

4.1. Die opening and locking force

Table 4 represents recommended specific injection pressure (IP)

for various kinds of parts with different alloys.
Higher injection pressure demands higher capacity of Injec-
tion machines. The die opening force is calculated using Eq. (9)
[14].
Die Opening Force ¼ IP  AT ð9Þ
where,
IP = Specific injection pressure = 800 kg/cm2
AT = Total projected area in cm2
Total projected area = Surface area of the component + Area of
the feed system + Area of the overflow
Area of the feed system and area of the overflow = 20% of the
Fig. 5. Trapezoidal cross section runner.
surface area of the component [14].
Total projected area = 226.9 + 45.38 = 272.28 cm2
Therefore, Die opening force = 217824 kg  217 T
The die locking force must exceed the die opening force by 20%.
Therefore, die locking force is 260.4 T [14].

4.2. Shot weight

It is the summation of weight of the cast component, weight of

the runner & overflows and weight of the biscuit [14].
Shot weight = Weight of the casting component + Weight of the
Runner and overflow + Weight of the Biscuit or Slug
Weight of the casting component = 0.614 kg
Weight of the Runner & overflow and weight of the Biscuit are
considered to be 10% and 20% weight of the component respec-
tively [14].
Therefore, shot weight = 0.7976 kg

4.3. Plunger diameter

The plunger movement has three phases. The first one is slow
phase in which the runner is filled upto the gate. Second phase is
Fig. 6. Branched runner and gate arrangement for HPDC die.
the fast phase where the cavities and overflows are filled. The last
phase is the intensification phase in which the cast component is
 Runner C: pressed out with high pressure.

Gate Area = 31  1.3 = 40.3 mm2 4.3.1. Effective plunger stroke (EPS)
Runner Area = 1.6  40.3 = 64.48 mm2 In cold chamber die casting the maximum plunger stroke is
reduced by biscuit thickness to obtain the effective plunger stroke
Main runner Area at D ¼ 1:2  ðRunner area at A
[14].
þRunner area at B þ Runner area at C ð6Þ
¼ ð74:88 þ 74:88 þ 74:88Þ  1:1 ¼ 269:56 mm2  2:69 cm2

Table 4
Recommended specific injection pressure.
 Runner Depth (Rd)
Types of Component For Al or Mg alloys For Zn alloys
 1 (in kg/cm2) (in kg/cm2)
Runner area at D 2
Rd ¼ ð7Þ Decorative Parts 200–400 100–200
2 Engineering Parts 400–600 200–300
Tight or/and Pressurized Parts 800–1000 250–400
Rd = 11.60 mm
 L. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 22 (2020) 563–571 567

EPS = maximum plunger stroke – Thickness of the biscuit. 4.4. Cooling calculations
Maximum plunger stroke = 370 mm
Thickness of the biscuit = 22 mm Liquid metal loses its heat and metal shrinks during solidifica-
Therefore, EPS = 348 mm. tion. If the rate of heat flow is too fast it will result in cold shuts
and chill marks. If it is too slow, it will extend the cycle time of
the die thus reducing productivity. Die should be designed to
4.3.2. Plunger diameter (D) in mm: The empirical formula to deduce
remove heat from the heavy section at faster rates than from the
shot weight is shown in Eq. (10) [14].
thinner sections. So, it is required to balance the influence of vari-
ous heat inputs and heat flow restrictions. The heat input and heat
Shot weight ðin gÞ ¼ Plunger area  EPS  0:75  2:5 accumulation is calculated using Eq. (11) and Eq. (12) [14].
ð10Þ

¼ p=4  D2  EPS  0:75  2:5 Heat Input Hip ¼ H  G  n kcal=hr ð11Þ
where,
where,
Shot weight = 0.7976 kg or 797.6 g
H = Heat factor = 145 kcal/Kg for Aluminum
EPS = 348 mm 0r 34.8 cm
G = Weight of the cast product and overflow
Therefore, D = 3.94 cm  4 cm

Fig. 7. MAGMAsoft simulation for fill temperature.

Fig. 8. Simulation for fill time after and before modification.

568 L. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 22 (2020) 563–571

Thermal conductivity of die steel (K) = 0.64 kcal /hr. kg °c

Inlet water temperature (Ti) = 40 °C
Outlet water temperature (To) = 80 °C
The amount of water (m in lt) required for cooling the die fea-
tures is calculated using Eq. (13) [5].

m ¼ Q = k ðT o  T i Þ ð13Þ
Therefore, m = 83.45 lt

5. Simulation of the casting model

MAGMAsoft is a commercially available software package for

simulations and analysis of casting. It is grid based and has
Volume-Of-Fluid (VOF) method for governing and tracking inter-
faces [11]. In this paper, the simulations are carried out for fill tem-
perature, fill time, air entrapment, solidification temperature and
cooling of the die cavity.

5.1. Fill temperature

When modeling HPDC, the most difficult challenge is to accu-

rately track the metal as it enters the die cavity under high pres-
sure and speed. After choosing the gating positions, it is required
to ensure that there is no early solidification. The simulation
Fig. 9. Simulation for air entrapment. results shows the melt temperature is being maintained at the run-
ner and gate portion and the reduction of filling temperature is
Weight of overflow = 20% weight of cast product progressively away from the entrance as shown in Fig. 7.
G = 0.7368 kg
n = No of Shots / hour = 40
5.2. Fill time

Therefore, Hip = 4273 kcal/hr.

After simulation it is observed that the fill time is 43 ms. Exces-
50% of heat is lost by convection to atmosphere
sive mold filling time causes premature solidification, cold shuts
Heat accumulation ðQ Þ ¼ 50% Hip and visible marks of flow lines. Low fill time is associated with high
ð12Þ flow rate which causes mold erosion and subsequently close
Q ¼ 2136:5 kcal=hr
dimensional tolerances cannot be achieved in the final cast

Fig. 10. Simulation for air pressure after and before modification.
 L. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 22 (2020) 563–571 569

Fig. 11. Simulation for solidification temperature in fixed and moving die.

Fig. 12. Simulation for solidification in fixed and moving die.

product. However, lower fill time is advisable and to achieve that,
minor modifications are incorporated. An extra chill vent line is
introduced in the die and the central overflow is placed at the core
portion of the cast product as shown in Fig. 8. Having done that, it
is observed that the fill time is reduced by 8 ms.
5.3. Air entrapment
Air entrapment and premature solidification in the shot sleeve
during HPDC are the problems which affects the quality of the cast
product [15]. Increase in filling speed causes capturing of air at the
570 L. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 22 (2020) 563–571

Fig. 13. Simulation for spot cooling and line cooling.

Fig. 14. Simulation for cooling temperature in line cooling and line cooling.

entrance [16]. Getting rid of air entrapment is highly difficult in
large sized cast products. The result of simulation for air entrap-
ment is acceptable as shown in Fig. 9.
5.4. Air pressure
It is eventually impossible to eliminate air pressure in the cast-
ing during filling. It can be observed that the previous model is
showing air pressurization at the top of the component, the mod-
ified model is showing better result for air pressure as shown in
Fig. 10.
5.5. Solidification temperature
It is very important for the quality of the cast product that solid-
ification is uniform. It is evident that thin sections shall solidify
quicker than the thicker sections. In can be seen from the simula-
tion result for solidification temperature in both the moving and
fixed die sides shown in Fig. 11 that the solidification is gradual
at thicker sections like areas near the core and ribs.
Solidification starts at a range of 520 °C540 °C for AlSi12Cu1
(Fe). It can be seen from Fig. 12 that solidification is throughout
for the cast after filling.
 L. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 22 (2020) 563–571
5.6. Cooling
Cooling is one of the important factors which dictate the quality
of the cast product. Cooling arrangement can be done either by line
cooling and spot cooling. In line cooling or water bubbler, the cool-
ing channels are distributed evenly across the die cavity where the
melt will be filling. In spot cooling, the jet cooled core pins are
arranged as per the shape and thickness of the product to be cast.
Jet cooled core pins offer the advantage of closely controlled cool-
ing temperatures. Water is discharged through Jet Coolers at a
higher pressure than bubblers at approximately 1900 kPa [14].
This high pressure ensures turbulent flow that can more effectively
dissipate heat and reach to the tip of the jet cooled core pin [14]. A
typical arrangement of spot cooling and line cooling for the moving
die side is shown in Fig. 13.
Spot cooling is provided at maximum temperature area. The
temperature simulation results for line cooling and spot cooling
is shown in Fig. 14. It can be seen from the results that efficient
cooling at the upper portion of the die cavity is observed in the
model subjected to spot cooling.
6. Conclusion
It is required for the tooling engineers to have hand to hand
association with conventional tool design practices, 3D modeling
and simulation softwares. In this paper, the design parameters
for HPDC are calculated for the crankcase of a two wheeler auto-
mobile. Furthermore, the model was subjected to 3D simulations
for prediction of filling temperature, filling time, air entrapment,
air pressure, solidification and cooling performed in MAGMAsoft
simulation software. It is observed that the modified model where
an extra chill vent and central overflow is incorporated is showing
better results. The modification resulted in reduction in fill time by
8 ms and better result for air pressure in the die cavity. The evalu-
ation for cooling is also carried out. The simulation result for spot
cooling showed better cooling pattern compared to line cooling.
571
The simulation result for cooling signifies that with spot cooling
minimum solidification time can be achieved.
Acknowledgment
The author is thankful to Tooling division, Godrej & Boyce Ltd,
Mumbai, India for providing the data and infrastructure to conduct
the study.
References
[1] Chang-Ho Kim, Taek Hwan Kwon, Mater. Manufactur. Process. 16 (2006) 789–
801.
[2] J.H. Chen, W.S. Hwang, C.H. Wu, S.S. Lu, Int. J. Cast Metal Res. 24 (2013) 163–
169.
[3] K.Ch. Apparao, Birru Anil Kumar, Optimization of die casting process based on
Taguchi approach, Mater. Today: Proceed. 4 (2) (2017) 1852–1859.
[4] Anuj Dixit, Koushik Kumar, J. Mater. Today: Proceed. 2 (2015) 2359–2366.
[5] Shashi Prakash Dwivedi, S. Sharma, R.K. Mishra, J. Adv. Mater. Manufact.
Charact. 14 (2014) 81–82.
[6] A. Vaidehi, Simple solver for driven cavity flow problem. Department of
Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, ASME.
[7] B. Minaie, K.A. Stelson, V.R. Voller, Analysis of flow patterns and solidification
phenomena in the die casting process, J. Eng. Mater. Technol. 113 (3) (1991)
296–302.
[8] H. Chattopadhyay, Estimation of solidification time in investment casting
process, Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol. 55 (2011) 35–38.
[9] N. Thammachot, P. Dulyapraphant, E.L.J. Bohez, Optimal gating system design
for investment casting of sterling silver by computerassisted simulation, Int. J.
Adv. Manuf. Technol. 67 (2013) 797–810.
[10] X.P. Zhang, G. Chen, Computer simulation of the solidification of cast titanium
dental prostheses, J. Mater. Sci. 40 (2005) 4911–4916.
[11] M. Wu, M. Augthun, Numerical study of porosity in titanium dental castings, J.
Mater. Sci. Mater. Med. 10 (1999) 519–525.
[12] M. Wu, M. Augthun, Application of laser measuring, numerical simulation and
rapid prototyping to titanium dental castings, Dent. Mater. 17 (2001) 102–108.
[13] H. William, L. Donald, Automotive Mechanics, SIE, Tata McGraw Hill, 2017.
[14] Tuula Höök, FPDC runner and gating system design, CAE DS Mold Design,
Tampere University of Technology, Finland, 2004.
[15] Die Casting handbook, CITD Tool Room, Hyderabad, 1990.
[16] L. Wang, T. Nguyen, G savaget, C. Davidson, Int. J. Cast Metal Res. 16 (2016)
409–417.