Determination of the Heat-Transfer Coefficient between the AK7ch (A356) Alloy Casting and No-Bake Mold

Abstract—The heat-transfer coefficient h between a cylindrical cast made of AK7ch (A356) aluminum alloy and a no-bake mold based on a furan binder is determined via minimizing the error function, which reflects the difference between the experimental and calculated temperatures in the mold during pouring, solidification, and cooling. The heat-transfer coefficient is h_L = 900 W/(m² K) above the liquidus temperature (617°C) and h_S = 600 W/(m² K) below the alloy solidus temperature (556°C). The variation in the heat-transfer coefficient in ranges h_L = 900–1200 W/(m² K) (above the alloy liquidus temperature) and h_S = 500–900 W/(m² K) (below the solidus temperature) barely affects the error function, which remains at ~22°C. It is shown that it is admissible to use a simplified approach when constant h = 500 W/(m² K) is specified, which leads to an error of 23.8°C. By the example of cylindrical casting, it is experimentally confirmed that the heat-transfer coefficient varies over the casting height according to the difference in the metallostatic pressure, which affects the casting solid skin during its solidification; this leads to a closer contact of metal and mold at the casting bottom.