Simulation of Mechanical Behaviour of Cast Aluminium Components: A Literature Review

A literature review on methods to consider mechanical behaviour of cast aluminium alloys in finite element method (FEM) simulations of cast aluminium components has been performed. The mechanical behaviour is related to several microstructural parameters achieved during the casting process. Three different methods to consider these microstructural parameters are introduced. One method predicts the mechanical behaviour of the component using casting process simulation software. The other two methods implements numerical models for mechanical behaviour of cast aluminium into the FEM simulation. Applications of the methods are shown, including combinations with statistical methods and geometry optimisation methods. The methods are compared, and their different strengths and drawbacks are discussed.