Manufacturing Technology 2025, 25(3):307-317 | DOI: 10.21062/mft.2025.034

Analysis and Optimization of Horizontal Centrifugal Casting Process for Thick Walled Alloy Layers in Tilting Pad Bearings

Ye Jun ORCID...1,2, Jin Jing ORCID...4, Wang Guobiao ORCID...1, Xu Zhaohui ORCID...3, Guo Huangsha ORCID...3
1 School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University. No. 135, Yaguan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin, China
2 School of Electromechanical Engineering, Zhejiang Industry Polytechnic College, No. 151, Qutun, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, China
3 Zhejiang Shenfa Bearing Co., Ltd. No. 59, Kuahu Road, Chengxi Development Zone, Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, China
4 Rail Transit Department, Zhejiang Institute of Communications, No. 1515 Moganshan Road, Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China

The optimization of process parameters plays a critical role in controlling temperature and velocity fields during centrifugal casting, which is essential for mitigating shrinkage porosity defects caused by uneven cooling in thick walled bearing alloy layers. In this study, two sequential numerical models were devel-oped using ProCAST software to simulate gravity filling and centrifugal solidification stages. The effects of key parameters, including inlet cross-sectional area and centrifugal rotational speed, on flow field characteristics were systematically analyzed. By using an orthogonal experimental design, we deter-mined the optimal parameters: a melt temperature of 440 °C for the Babbitt alloy, an initial temperature of 280 °C for the bearing blank, a filling inlet diameter of 16 mm, and a rotational speed of 340 r/min. Bearing alloy layers manufactured according to these optimized parameters exhibit no evident shrinkage or cracks on their surfaces. The high quality finished products meet the design requirements, thereby validating the accuracy of the numerical simulation.

Keywords: Centrifugal Casting, ProCAST, Shrinkage Porosity, Orthogonal Experiment
Grants and funding:

The work of this paper is supported by Zhejiang Province Visiting Engineering Project No. FG2024247

Received: February 16, 2025; Revised: May 13, 2025; Accepted: May 16, 2025; Prepublished online: May 23, 2025; Published: July 4, 2025  Show citation

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Jun Y, Jing J, Guobiao W, Zhaohui X, Huangsha G. Analysis and Optimization of Horizontal Centrifugal Casting Process for Thick Walled Alloy Layers in Tilting Pad Bearings. Manufacturing Technology. 2025;25(3):307-317. doi: 10.21062/mft.2025.034.
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