Arena-Flow

Computational Particle Fluid Dynamics

Computational Particle Fluid Dynamics (CPFD) is the enabling technology that makes the modeling of core blowing possible. Arena-flow is the only foundry engineering software package which uses the revolutionary CPFD technology to model sand core filling and curing. CPFD simulates not only the granular sand motion AND air flow in the tooling, but ALSO the significant interaction between the two. What that means to you...you get meaningful, accurate results reflecting the true granular nature of sand.

Cold-Box

The filling of cold-box tooling with binder-coated sand was the first application of the CPFD technology for foundry applications. In the 1990s, Arena-flow and General Motors began working together on the problem... and have been working together ever since.

Today, cold-box core blowing remains one of the primary applications of Arena-flow world-wide. The Arena-flow Graphical User Interface (GUI) has a specific "binder-coated sand" core blowing module with features specific to cold-box cores. Sand core engineering physical models include:

• sand particle size distribution
• multiple sand species
• core fill and miss-fill
• core density variations
• tool wear
• resin wipeoff
• sand flowability (binder effects)
• magazine performance and rat-holing
• discrete vent models

Shell Sand

Other Arena-flow customers utilize a shell sand process. The Arena-flow "shell sand" core blowing module has many of the same features as the "binder-coated sand" module, but model parameters are set specifically for shell sand processes. Sand core engineering physical models include:

• sand particle size distribution
• multiple sand species
• core fill and miss-fill
• core density variations
• tool wear
• sand flowability
• discrete vent models including: circular vents, slit vents, parting line venting, vent clogging, etc.

Gas Curing

Filling the core with sand is only one part of the sand core creation process. A core is useless until it is hardened. Arena-flow's "gas curing" module is used to optimize this potentially time-consuming process. Features include:

• steady-state air flow
• transient amine curing
• transient gas / purge pressure profile
• sand size effects
• discrete vent models