Optimization of experimental design for an inverse estimation of the metal-mold heat transfer coefficient in the solidification of Sn–10% Pb

Metal-mold interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) is the most important parameter that influences the solidification rate and the mechanical properties of a solidified product. In this study, by using an inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP), the solidification experiment is optimized in order to estimate the IHTC. The number of thermal sensors and their locations are selected as experimental variables. This estimation is performed for Sn–10% Pb alloy in the metallic mold, using conjugate gradient method (CGM), based on the noisy simulated temperatures for the constant and temperature-dependent thermo-physical properties.