Particular focus is on the through-thickness plastic deformation developed when sheet passes through a draw bead or about a small radius. The subsequent loss of formability is related to the distribution of through-thickness plastic strain. Some injection-molded plastics are reinforced with short glass fibers. The flow patterns during mold filling cause the fibers to orient in specific directions, making the part stronger and stiffer in those directions, weaker and more compliant in others. Proper design of these parts requires that we know these orientation patterns.
Current work focuses on improving the accuracy of the model for small parts with short flow lengths.
This project seeks to quantify, understand, and predict the formation of these clogs, particularly when they occur in the tundish well, and require changing the tundish. Mathematical models are being developed to predict flow in the nozzle and clogging, focusing on the initial formation of the argon bubbles, the effects of argon bubble motion, and turbulence. The results are being evaluated in conjunction with water-model and plant measurements of flow and clogging in nozzles. A comprehensive model, CON1D, has been developed to predict this heat transfer, including mass and momentum balances on the interfacial powder layers, superheat delivery from the turbulent liquid pool, and gap formation between the shell and the mold walls. Lab experiments are being conducted to measure heat transfer across resolidified flux interfaces under conditions approximating those in continuous casting.