Case of temperature field and failure analysis of die-casting die

Purpose: For economical production of aluminium and aluminium alloys die-castings it is important that the dies have a long working life. The replacement of a die is expensive in both: money and production time. Design/methodology/approach: Dies for aluminium alloys die-casting fail because of a great number of a different and simultaneously operating factors. Some of them may be controlled to some extent by the die-casting experts. Findings: In the process of the die-casting the primary source of loading is cyclic variation of the temperature; the influence of other loads is relatively insignificant. Research limitations/implications: Beside, the die design, the material selction and the process thermal stress fatigue course, which is the consequence of the working conditions, the inhomogeneous and to low initial temperature of the die, contribute to the cracks formation. Practical implications: In the experimental part of our work the failures on the working surface of the fixed half of the testing die for die-casting of aluminium alloys were observed with the use of non-destructive testing methods: such as thermographic analysis, penetrants and metallographic examination of polymeric replicas. Originality/value: It is clearly seen from the presented thermographs, that the required temperatures and homogeneity of the temperature field of the discussed case are not possible to reach without the changing both: the heating method and the die design. Therefore in the first stage a solution of the problem should be in changing of the position of heating and/or cooling channels, i.e. their closer shifting to the working surface of the die.