Research On Design And Forming Of Cast Aluminum Engine Hood Based On Investment Casting

With the rapid development of casting technology in China,investment casting which is a representative of new casting technology has attracted much attention for its application value and the prospects for development.Because of the "fine,thin and light" characteristics of it,most of the products have been widely used in high-end fields,such as aerospace and military industries.In recent years,the automobile manufacturing industry is also paying close attention to the application of investment casting in parts production.In this paper,the engine hood based on investment casting technology was studied.With the help of reverse engineering technology,the reverse modeling and finite element analysis of the prototype vehicle engine hood were carried out.Based on that,the new engine hood was designed.On the basis of considering the feasibility of the technology,the three-dimensional modeling and finite element analysis are carried out respectively.The main research contents are as follows:Firstly,on the basis of reading a large number of domestic and foreign literatures and checking relevant manuals,the development of investment casting was introduced,and the significance of automobile lightweight and the positive influence of precision casting on automobile lightweight were expounded.At the same time,combined with the relevant literature and theoretical knowledge,the popular lightweight materials were selected and compared,and the material type of engine hood was determined.Secondly,the forward design of the engine hood was carried out.The design idea was introduced,and an integrated engine hood was designed by making full use of the advantages of investment casting.Compared with the traditional prototype engine hood,it not only improved the rigidity and strength performance,but also has a relatively high degree of lightweight.Baesd on that,the simulation of the prototype engine hood and the new engine hood were carried out to verify the rationality of the design.For testing the safety performance of new engine hood,according to GB/T 24550-2009,the pedestrian head protection performance of engine hood was evaluated,and the head impact performance of the prototype engine hood and the new engine hood were compared and analyzed.Finally,the influence factors of the gating system on the forming quality of the the new engine hood were analyzed,and designed the gating system which has higher match degree.On the basis of mastering the software named ProCAST which used to simulate casting process skillfully,the filling process,solidification process and shrinkage hole prediction of the new engine hood were simulated and analyzed by numerical simulation technology to ensure the quality of final castings and the feasibility of mass production.In this paper,the application of investment casting in aluminium alloy engine hood was studied,aiming at providing useful reference for design of automobile body aluminium castings which produced by investment casting.