Simulation and Experimental Implementation of Investment Casting Process of Supercharger Impeller

The purpose of this research was to simulate the investment casting process of the supercharger blade and its practical implementation based on the simulation results. For this purpose, the desired specimen after modeling was first analyzed in Pro-Cast software. The results of this simulation showed that the solidification of the piece starts from the edges and moves towards the center of the piece, and therefore the volumetric and surface shrinkage defects are not concentrated due to unbalanced thermal gradients in the center. Heat transfer from the edges to the center is much faster due to the thermal conductivity of the edges as well as the thinness. For practical implementation, the desired specimen was designed and used by a polymer 3D printer. Then, the silicone mold of the piece was made of RTV2 and a wax model produced by injecting wax. This was followed by the ceramic mold of the piece being made of SiO2 for melting. The results of the practical execution of the specimen showed that due to the defects identified in the simulation, the vacuum system should be used after the end of melting and at high temperature; otherwise, the piece produced would be completely defective. The use of vacuum caused the piece to be produced in a completely desirable and flawless manner.