THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DIES FOR CASTING OF LIGHT ALLOYS

It is shown that the thermal behavior of permanent molds which operate under normal conditions can be described by means of ″thermal characteristics″ - i. e. , mold average temperature, duration of cycle, heating constant, capacity effect, and cooling rates ratio with the mold open and then closed. These values depend on geometrical parameters which are functions of the surface areas and volumes of both the molds and castings. In particular, the mold equilibrium temperature depends on the ratio of the casting-mold surface area. The mold thickness affects only the heating constant and the capacity effect, but not the steady-state temperature and the duration of the cycle.