Optimal Design of Gating Systems by Gradient Search Methods

Abstract: A numerical optimization technique based on gradient-search is applied to obtain an optimal design of a typical gating system used for the gravity process to produce aluminum parts. This represents a novel application of coupling nonlinear optimization techniques with a foundry process simulator, and it is motivated by the fact that a scientifically guided search for better designs based on techniques that take into account the mathematical structure of the problem is preferred to commonly found trial-and-error approaches. The simulator applies the finite volume method and the VOF algorithm for CFD analysis. The direct gradient optimization algorithm, sequential quadratic programming (SQP), was used to solve both 2D and a 3D gating system design problems using two design variables. The results clearly show the effectiveness of the proposed approach for finding high quality castings when compared with current industry practices.