College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Term of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Committee Chair

Mingzhi Xu

Committee Member 1

Jingjing Qing

Committee Member 2

Haijun Gong

Abstract

The iron-carbon casting alloy known as spheroidal graphite iron (SGI), nodular graphite iron, or ductile iron (DI) experiences complex volume changes during its solidification and cooling as graphite nodules and austenite form. These volume changes result in forces on the mold cavity walls and can deform the mold walls in cases when mold walls lack the strength to resist the deformation. This wall movement can cause the formation of casting defects such as swell, warped part geometry, and shrinkage porosity. Though this phenomenon has been studied in the past, it remains difficult to predict casting wall movement with existing data. This study aims to develop a mathematical model capable of accurately predicting casting wall movement based on composition, nodularity, poring temperature, inoculation, and mold strength. Utilizing a novel testing apparatus, mold wall movement was measured in three directions: two horizontal and one vertical. A parametric study with the previously stated variables was completed and stress simulation was performed using ANSYS Mechanical.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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