Thermal Stresses in a Cylinder Block Casting Due to Coupled Thermal and Mechanical Effects

Thermal stress in castings results from nonuniform cooling. The thermal stress and the deformation can change the casting and mold contact conditions which then alter the heat transfer between the casting and the mold. The contact element method was used to study the interaction between a sand mold and a casting. The contact status was then fed back to the heat transfer analysis between the sand mold and the casting to re-evaluate the heat transfer coefficient based on the gap size or pressure between surfaces. The thermal and mechanical phenomena are then coupled in two directions. The method was applied to analyze stress in a stress frame specimen casting and a cylinder block. The results are more accurate than without consideration of the contact effects on the heat transfer.