Robust Design of Shot Sleeve Wall Thickness for a Horizontal Pressure Die Casting Machine

수평형 고압다이캐스팅용 샷슬리브의 강건설계

As a shot sleeve in die casting plays a critical role in delivering molten metal to a die cavity, any disruption to its function in the injection stage results in deterioration of the quality of final castings. To guarantee a smooth operation of a shot sleeve, its structural stability should be maintained. Despite the simple geometry, design of shot sleeve is based on individual engineer's experience and no agreement on the design is present. In this study, we newly propose a systematic methodology to determine a minimum wall thickness of a shot sleeve to prevent yielding or plastic deformation. Analytical calculations incorporating numerical analysis produce a rational design rule for minimum thickness of a shot sleeve subject to metal intensification pressure and geometric die constraint. To validate the proposed design guideline, authors present real data on a collection of actual shot sleeves. Upon checking their conformity to the new design rule, we discovered a strong correlation between the design of wall thickness and premature failures.