1 Indian Foundry Journal, Vol.58, No.4, April 2012 Flow Rates in Multi-Gate Systems: Experimental and Simulation Studies K.H. Renukananda PhD Research Scholar, Mechanical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai. Phone: +91 9619077426, Email: renukananda@iitb.ac.in Akash Chavan Masters student, Mechanical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai. Phone: +91 9922426322, Email: achavan.13@gmail.com Dr. B. Ravi Mechanical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai. Phone: +91 22 25767510, Email: prof.b.ravi@gmail.com Abstract Mold filling takes the shortest time in the lifecycle of a cast product, yet exerts the most influence on its quality. Complete, smooth and uniform filling of mold with clean metal is achieved by an appropriate gating system, which comprises one or more pouring basins, sprues, runners and gates. The number, location, shape and size of the gating elements determine the sequence and rate of flow of molten metal into the mold cavity. There are however, no mathematical models to estimate the discharge and volume of flow through each gate. This is needed to balance the flow through multiple gates (by adjusting their position and cross-sectional area), and to ensure that the mold cavity is filled in an optimal time. In this work, we present experimental and simulation studies on discharge through multiple gates connected to a horizontal runner. Experiments are conducted by tap and collect method using water and the volume of flow through each gate is observed for two different set ups: end-sprue and centre-sprue. The results are compared with computer simulation, providing valuable insights useful for designing multi-gate systems. Keywords: Gating system, hydraulic approach, numerical simulation.