FORCE CALCULATIONS The clamping action of the die casting machine exerts tremendous forces on the die.

When the metal is injected, forces of similar magnitude are generated within the die. The force applied by the machine must hold the die halves together and must therefore exceed the force generated within the die. The die will then stay closed when the molten metal is injected. These are the die locking considerations. In addition to the die locking force', the die designer must consider also the forces required to hold moving cores, the forces that will act to deflect die components and the forces necessary to withstand thermal warpageof the die components.

Die Locking Early in the analysis of a die casting, die locking requirements should be calculated. These calculations will establish the machine size to be used. If the machine size has been established prior to the analysis (such as during the estimating procedure), these calculations serve as a verification. The analysis might show that the planned machine is inadequate. If so, a larger machine must be selected or the number of cavities reduced. The procedure is to compute the expected internal force that will be generated in the die, during injection of the molten metal, and specify the machine tonnage to equal or exceed the calculated value. The computation is made with equation 6-1. F = CPA [D/d)]2

F = CPA [D/d)]2 Where: F = Force required to hold the die closed, tons (kN) C = Constant for unit conversion, ton/2000 lb (1.0) P = Hydraulic pressure in injection cylinder. Intensification, accumulator discharge pressure drop and rod side back pressure must be factored into this pressure value, psi (kPa) A = Projected area of all cavities, runners, overflows and sprue or biscuit, sq. in. (sq. m) D = Diameter of injection cylinder, in. (mm.) d = Diameter of plunger on molten metal, in. (mm.) I = Dimensionless impact/freeze factor.

The impact/freeze factor I in equation 6-1 may be greater than, equal to, or less than unity depending on the injection velocities required. Generally, the value of I will be greater than unity for all cavity fill times listed in Table 3-2. The value of I may range from approximately 3 for the shorter cavity fill times to 1.5 for the longer times. Thick castings with fill times approaching I sec. may be partially solidified when the pressure build-up occurs and not transmit the pressure like a hydraulic fluid. In those instances, values of 0.6 to 0.8 may be used for I. The die designer should be supplied with the value of I to be used for the particular machine in which the die will be run. Molten metal pressures (i.e. P (D / d)2 in equation 6-1) will usually be about 2000 psi (13,800 kPa) for zinc and from 5000 psi (34,500 kPa) to 10,000 psi (70,000 kPa) for aluminum and magnesium castings. For brass castings it may be even higher

The projected area A is measured in the view of the die which is normal to the direction of die opening, usually the plan view of the ejector die (i.e. view A in Fig. 2-1 and 2-2). The projected area is not the surface area of the cavity. If the projected area A is not centered between the tie bars, the loading required of each tie bar must be computed by the sumof-the-moments. The illustration in Fig. 6-1 is used to show how the machine tonnage requirements are calculated for off-center situation. An off-center cavity situation is simulated in the figure by the three rectangles identified by the circled numbers 1, 2 and 3. The hypothetical cavity is positioned in a machine with 6-in. (150 mm) diameter tie bars on 35-in. (900 mm) centers according to the dimensions shown.

Fig. 6-1 The area represented by rectangles 1, 2, and 3. indicate an off-center cavity in respect to tie bars A. B. C and D. The solution of this simplified example shows the off-center condition will in-crease the required tonnage by more than 60 percent.

The fust step is to divide the total projected area into simple geometric forms such as the three rectan-gles in the illustration and to find the center of gravity of each. Then, both the horizontal and vertical distances from the center of gravity of each geometric form to a tie bar (i.e. tie bar D in Fig. 6-1) are computed. Next, the area of each geometric form is calculated and multiplied by the injection pressure. The injection pressure is assumed to be 4,000 p.s.L, (30 MPa) or two tons per sq. in. for the example, to give the forces shown in Table 6-1.

The next step is to use the sum-of-the-moments technique to compute how the force of each section of projected area is applied to each of the four tie bars. The calculation is simplified by dividing it into several parts. The first part is to calculate the load on the left side of the machine (i.e. tie bars A and C) using the formula: Load on A+C = Fi + Xi/D where: Fi = Force generated by projected area segment i where i = 1, 2 and 3 (Fi = 192 tons for i = 1) Xi= Distance from center of gravity of segment i to the centerline of Band D tie bars. (Xi = 21.5 in. for i = 1) . D = Distance between tie bars, D = 35 in. hence: Load1 on A + C = 192 tons x [21.4/35] = 118 tons Then, by using the same general formula, the load applied on the right side of the machine (i.e. tie bars B and D) is computed for the number 1 segment of projected area. Loadl on B + D = 192 tons x [(35-21.5)/35] = 74 tons A check for the calculations by adding the two results (118 tons + 74 tons = 192 tons). The total is 192 tons generated by segment 1 of the projected area.

Next it is necessary to determine how the 118 tons is divided between tie bars A and C; and how the 74 tons is divided between tie bars B and D. The formula used has the same general form as before. Loadi on A = (Loadi on A + C) x [yi/D] where:yi= vertical distance between center of gravity of segment 1 to tie bar C. hence: Load. on A = 118 tons x [29.5/35] = 99.5 tons This value (99.5 tons) is entered in Table 6-1 in the column under tie bar A and in the row of segment 1. The calculation is repeated for tie bar C:

which is also entered into Table 6-1. Likewise the 74 ton load on B + D is divided

And the results are duly entered into Table 6-1. The procedure is repeated for all segments of the projected area.

Finally, the loads are added for each tie bar. As expected, Table 6-1 shows tie bar A with the highest load. The required machine size is determined by multiplying the load (137.85 tons) of the tie bar with the greatest load A by the number of tie bars. For the example in Fig. 6-1 and Table 6-1, the computation gives a minimum machine tonnage of 551 tons. All four tie bars must be "locked" (i.e. pre-loaded) to 138 tons before the shot is made. If the same projected area could be arranged centrally within the tie bars, only 344 tons would be required, with each tie "bar carrying 86 tons. From these calculations, the machine tonnage requirements are established. If the metric sizes shown in Fig. 6-1 are used, they will yield the metric results shown in Table 6-1.

Moving Core locking Force The determination of the force required to hold moving cores against the force of the injected molten metal may be of more direct concern to the die designer since he must create the mechanism to achieve it. Fortunately, the computation is identical to that for die locking except for the selection of the projected area A. The projected area A must be selected in the plane that is normal (i.e. at 90), to the direction of core travel. For example, the right-hand end of the casting in Fig. 5-3 would have a projected area of: A = p (1.00)2 A = 3.14 sq. in. (80 sq. mm) The forces applied by the injected metal should be computed and recorded for all moving cores, and the actuating and locking mechanisms designed accordingly.

Deflection of Die Components Both the machine clamping force and the pressure exerted by the injected molten metal will act to bend or deflect the die components. On hot chamber ma-chines the force applied to the nozzle may bend the cover half of the die. The first of these, the machine clamping force, is applied only in the direction of die opening. These machine force patterns are shown in Fig. 6-2. The force acts through the die in line with the ejector box rails. The ejector box support pillars should not be expected to support the die clamping forces. The . forces are spre!id through the die holder blocks, and the maximum compressive deflection will occur in the rails. If the rail deflection is minimized, the deflection of the blocks usually can be ignored. The amount of rail deflection that will be caused by the machine clamping the die can be calculated by:

For practical purposes, the ejector rail deflection should be kept below 0.002 in. (0.05 mm.). Once the ejector box height has been determined, the thickness and leI1gth of the rails can be found from Fig. 6-3, or by solving equation 6-2 for (T x L). It is important that the ejector box rails support the die evenly. If some areas have more or less support, they will deflect differently. The places that deflect the most will permit relaxation in the nearest machine tie bar, reducing clamping tonnage and allowing flash to occur. Also, the die should be so designed that it is not only supported evenly, but that it fIts centrally within the machine platen area regardless of any off-center condition of the cavity. The force of the injected molten metal creates a very complex force pattern throughout the die which most nearly represents a uniformly loaded beam. The beam ends are secured considerably by the pinching action of the machine clamping force. The practical solution is to place support pillars from the ejector die block, through clearance holes in the ejector plate to the machine platen surface.

These pillars are made 0.004 in. (0.10 mm.), higher than the ejector box rails (H), to insure pre-loading, and they are sized to carry half of the expected force computed from equation 6-1 when compressed to reduce their length by the 0.004 in. (0.10 mm.), allowance. Assume for example that a die was calcu-lated from equation 6-1 to require 350 tons (3000 kN) of clamping force, it was planned for a 400 ton (3600 kN) machine, and its ejector box rails needed to be 8-in. (200 mm) high. A line is drawn across the graph in Fig. 6-3 at the 8 in. (200 mm) level. The intersection with the 400. ton (3600 kN) line is -then projected down to find that 100 sq. in. (60,000 sq. mm) of rail area is required. Then to find the necessary area of the support pillars, the actual force of 350 tons (3,000 kN) is halved (Le. 175 tons (1,500 kN)). The tonnage (force), lines are interpolated to determine the area required to support 175 tons (1,500 kN) with the 8-in. (200 mm) height. From the graph it is apparent that 44 sq. in. (25,000 sq. mm) is required. However, the graph is made for 0.002-in. (0.05 mm) deflection and O.004-in. (0.10 mm) is built into the support pillars so their area can be 22 sq. in. (12,500 sq. mm). Four pillars, each of 2.75-in. (63 mm) diameter located near the center of the die should suffice for the example discussed.

Fig. 6-2 The machine clamping force (arrows), is transmitted through the die in .line with the ejector box rails.

Fig. 6-3 This graph shows the minimum area of ejector box rail support for a maximum compres-sive deflection of 0.002 in. (0.05 mm).

The force applied to the extension nozzle in hot-chamber machines should be so little that no special die design considerations are required. In practice however, there is a common tendency to overload the die with nozzle clamping force. The die designer should be aware of this hazard and do what he can to insure that, within limits, it will be accommodated by his die design. First, adequate holder block thickness must be provided between the bottom of the cavity pockets and the machine platen. Also, the cavity pockets and sprue bushing hole should be so arranged that ribs of holder block steel criss-cross the die to the full thickness of the holder block. If not designed carefully, the cut-out areas can weaken the die considerably. Finally, if the machine platen has holes for clamping bolts located around the nozzle clearance, the die should be drilled and tapped to accept the bolts. Fig. 6-4 shows such an arrangement.

Fig. 6-4 This plan view section through the stationary platen of a die casting machine shows how the die can be bolted through the platen to counteract the nozzle force

Thermal Warpage Counterforces The natural thermal gradients in a die casting die tend to warp the die steel as discussed in Chapter 5 and illustrated in Fig. "5-14 and 6-5. The amount of warpage of unrestrained blocks of steel is shown in Fig. 5-15. Since the various blocks of steel that make up a real die are always constrained to some extent, the thermal deformation will be something less than shown in Fig. 5-15. If the amount of warpage exceeds desirable or allowable limits, it must be constrained. The required force F is calculated by equation 6-3. and in metric units

The solutions to equation 6-3 for several deflections y and thickness to width ratios T / W are shown in, Table 6-2. It is obvious that extremely large forces are required to overcome minute deflections. Each 0.75-in. dia. screw can be stressed to about 20,000 lb. (90 kN) and each 1 in. dia. screw will hold 33,000 lb. (150 kN). When the screw loading. values are compared with the forces required as shown in Table 6-2, it is obvious that a substantial amount of thermal deflection can be counteracted. However, screws used to counter thermal deflections must be placed Near the center of the block to be restrained and must be tightened adequately. There is a natural tendency for designers to locate cavity block retaining screws in the comers of the blocks. From the preceding discussion it can be seen that the screws should be near the block center.

Fig. 6-5 Blocks of die steel deform (phantom lines) due to the thermal gradients within them. Screws. clamps or other means may be required to apply an adequate force to keep the blocks flat.