Replication casting and additive manufacturing for fabrication of cellular aluminum with periodic topology: optimization by CFD simulation

In this work, processes such as additive digital manufacturing (ADM) and precision casting are presented as alternative methods to manufacture aluminum foams with ordered open-pore morphology. Digital modeling of cellular structures with defined regular patterns was manufactured with ABS and wax and then melted in aluminum A356 alloy by a replication casting process. To guarantee the complete filling of the mold, a simulation by the Flow-3D program was made. This computational tool allowed to determine the temperature values of both melting and the mold temperature. The simulations revealed potential defects in the metal foams to be obtained, which were evidenced by the cast pieces processed after as a validation test. The results show that the casting process carried out supported by a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation allows understanding the effects of the simulated parameter process, optimizing the parameters involved in the infiltration process, and establishing the conditions for obtaining a sound piece of open-cell aluminum foam with truncated octahedron pores shape. The established manufacturing process conditions can be used to produce lattice structures with multifunctional uses such as impact and blast-proof devices, vibration attenuators, or where enhancement of heat transfer could be needed.