Most industrial castings are manufactured by allowing liquid metal to fill the mold cavity through multiple gates. The goal is to ensure smooth, complete, and uniform filling, thereby minimizing related defects such as cold shuts and inclusions. Very few researchers have, however, investigated flow parameters in such systems. In this work, novel experimental setups were developed to study the flow of liquid metal (Al-Si12 as well as Zn) and water through a gating system comprising a vertical sprue at one end connected to four gates through a horizontal runner. The flow sequence, velocity, and discharge through the four gates were observed by video recording and various measurements. It was found that while the first gate (closest to sprue) filled first, the last gate exhibited the maximum volume of discharge. The proportion of flow through the four gates was found to be nearly the same for all three fluids. The results establish the usefulness of water models to investigate mold filling in metal casting. The study provides valuable insight that can help in balancing the flow through multiple gates in industrial castings, as well as benchmarks to verify simulation codes.

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