The article describes a method for solving the problem of upgrading the technology ofelectroslag remelting to improve the steel ingotquality. The remelting processes were studied usinga digital model developed in PoligonSoft simulationsoftware, followed by refinements of technologicalsolutions in workshop conditions. During the modeling, special attention was paid to developing ofregimes for reducing the supplied electrical powerwithin the period of removing the shrinkage cavity.The adjustments implemented to the technologicalprocess based on the results of the work made itpossible to eliminate the slag inclusions and reducethe depth of shrinkage zone in the ingot head, aswell as provide a background for productivity increase and metal savings.

This article presents a method for analyzing heat treatment processes of steel parts, with the prediction of mechanical properties and microstructure, using models implemented in the "PoligonSoft" computational simulation system. Using the example of the automated implementation of quenching and tempering technology development in preparation for the production of a new type of product, the methodology for adjusting the modeling tool to the conditions of the available thermal equipment is demonstrated, and the general process of the computational study is described.

The article describes the updated model of exothermic material behavior implemented in the «PoligonSoft» 2024.0 software. Examples of numerical analysis of the solidification of parts manufactured using exothermic sleeves are presented, which demonstrate high reliability of the calculation results.

This article investigates the simulation of porosity and shrinkage defects in 14X17N2L steel castings using the simulation systems PoligonSoft and ProCAST. It compares standard models and the new porosity model implemented in PoligonSoft. The article emphasizes the importance of improving algorithms to achieve more accurate predictions, recommending that models be validated under controlled laboratory conditions to assess their applicability in real production.

A finite-element model of the piping and shrinkage macro porosity formation taking into account the capillarity and dendrites skeleton influence on feeding of the mushy zone were designed. The simulation results depend on melt physical properties - compression modulus and critical pressure at which creation of the interfacial area like internal shrinkage cavity or macro porosity becomes energy-possible. A software module for PoligonSoft CAE system has been developed. The results simulated in the module are in a good agreement with experimental data.

Critical values of the Niyama criterion were determined for castings from alloy ML10 on the basis of a computational experiment. It was shown that the Niyama criterion is suitable only for qualitative evaluation of the possibility of porosity formation. One of the options of constructing an unambiguous dependence and scale of porosity by the values of the temperature gradient and solidification rate was proposed.

This article discusses the results of the development of a promising technology formanufacturing parts of gas turbine engines. First of all, this technology is promising due to theuse of the PoligonSoft system utilized for computer modeling of casting processes, which madeit possible to evaluate the efficiency of the gating and feeding system, as well as to predict theappearance of casting defects (porosity and macrostructure discrepancies) and to develop a set ofmeasures for their detection and elimination; second of all, due to the use of rapid prototypingwhich employs 3D printing of the master model, thus reducing the time and financial costs forthe preparation of technological equipment. According to preliminary estimates, the use of rapidprototyping has reduced the cost of manufacturing 250 wax models by 15% in comparison withthe traditional technology, and also reduced time costs by an average of 5-6 months.

Using numerical simulation in the ProCAST program complex, the conditions of the solidification of heat-resistant nickel alloy in curvilinear channels of a ceramic mold have been investigated. It has been shown that, in practically important cases, the vector of the temperature gradient is oriented along the axis of the curvilinear channel. In a spiral crystal selector, a cyclic change in the preferred direction of growth occurs because of the cyclic change in the direction of the vector of the temperature gradient. The fact that the vector of the temperature gradient is almost always directed along the axis of the curvilinear channel makes it possible to govern the orientation of the vector of the temperature gradient in space and, therefore, to obtain a grain with the preferred crystallographic orientation. Based on the results of this investigation, a method of the grain selection with a desired azimuthal orientation is proposed.

Present-day operation conditions for railcar wheels involve high axle loads and velocities which lead to strict requirements to their mechanical properties characteristics and resistance to cyclic stresses. Complying the requirements come from selection of proper wheel alloy chemical composition and production method of the part. The method must guarantee absence of critical defects which may be a cause of failure for the wheel body. The present work investigates manufacturability of wheels with most economically reasonable way – by metal pouring into sand temporary mold. This method favorably compares with known cast wheels production practices which demand special maintenance for permanent and semi-permanent molds made of materials with significant differences in their heat removing abilities. The work pays closer attention to development of optimal wheel steel chemical composition including vanadium microalloying, melting conditions and selection of proper final heat treatment regimes. The up-to-date computer modeling tools and techniques were utilized during the work process, appropriate experimental data were collected and pilot batches produced. The work shows that selection of rational conditions for pouring and feeding of castings combined with optimal steel composition allows wheels production in temporary sand molds in such a way that mechanical and performance characteristics of final parts are non-inferior to whose which are typical for parts produced by traditional known methods.

Typical casting simulation procedure doesn’t consider exact cores and molds material properties as a primary factor. Sometimes mold is considered as an isotropic body characterized with constant averaged thermophysical and other properties. On the other hand there are a lot of practically collected data confirming the fact that input of exact non-uniformly distributed thermophysical mold properties during casting simulation may seriously improve the prognosis of casting quality. The present work is dedicated to interconnections between molds compacting conditions and castings quality. It has been proposed to carry out the computer modeling of compacting process for further use of the calculation results as a part of input for casting simulation software.

Using the numerical simulation in the CFE module of the ProCAST simulation program, a systematic investigation of competitive growth of grains in a thin plate has been performed over a wide range of values of the temperature gradient and solidification rate. It has been established that the result of the simulation in the case of converging grains depends on the only parameter, i.e., the ratio of the value of the overgrowth of the grain with the preferred orientation to the size of the cell of the computational grid. Thus, the size of the cell is an important adjusting parameter of the model and must be coordinated with the parameters of the dendritic structure under given growth conditions. The grain with the preferred orientation always displaces neighboring diverging grains. The converging grains are eliminated if their deviation from the vector of the temperature gradient exceeds 20°. At the smaller angles of deviation, the result of the competitive growth depends on the size of the computational cell and varies from their joint growth (at the cell size of 5 μm) to the displacement of grains with the preferred orientation (at the cell size of 20 μm). However, all of the results of the simulation agree with the experimental data available in the literature. For the efficient selection of grains with the preferred orientation, regimes with a low temperature gradient and high growth rate are favorable.

Heavy steel ingots are used as raw-parts for manufacturing of turbine rotors for fossil power and nuclear power plants, mill rolls, etc. These parts have to be uniformly structured andperfectly balanced, and therefore – defect-free. The casting technology for such large-scale steelingots has to be optimized in order to save resources, increase yield, and improve quality ofingots. Computer analysis is a good way to optimize the casting technology virtually, shorten thetrial casting stage and minimize the lead time. This research work is devoted to the deepcomputer analysis of traditional technologies for casting of heavy forging ingots. A number ofprocesses is considered: hydrodynamics, solidification, heat transfer and stress effects in ingot-tooling system, porosity formation, feeding effectiveness and macrosegregation. The modeling isperformed using commercial casting simulation software packages as well as with some originalmodels. This research is targeted at development of recommendations for casting technologyoptimization. Modeling results are compared with experimental data for verification andimprovement of computer models.

Today a great number of modeling systems in mechanical engineering are being used, the gain of their using is obvious in comparison with experiments. One of these systems is a simulation system “PoligonSoft”. This system allows improving some of the most important process variables not using of real casting, but using of computer modeling.

Computer simulation of investment casting has recently been identified as a powerful tool for giving new insight into defect generation mechanisms, especially those related to form filling, shrinkage porosity and gas porosity caused by reaction with investment material.1–3 While previous work of the author’s group mainly focused on simulation of silver investment casting, the overall aim of still ongoing work is the further development of the simulation tool for gold alloys.