From Solidification Simulation to Virtual Product Development

Although the use of the Finite Elements Method (FEM) has more and more become a natural course of action for the creation of component parts, not yet the whole potential of numerical simulation is used. The absences of interfaces between the different calculations, missing or inaccurate physical data as well as the lack of theoretical background in certain areas prevent a complete virtual product development. Design, solidification simulation, calculation of mechanical properties, stress calculations, and the prediction of the operating life of a component are at present almost exclusively regarded as separate solutions. Necessary however is a meshed computation loop, where the solutions of previous steps are moved on to the following ones. Due to improvements in the area of solidification simulation and with the help of new theoretical concepts for the prediction of mechanical properties of casted aluminum parts, it is now possible to do all the technical analysis with just one software package. This solves the interface problem and especially the error-prone change between different numerical calculation processes.