ESI.PROCAST.V2007

We are proud to announce, only six months after the previous release, a new release of ProCAST 2007, the leading finite element software package for foundry simulation.

This new version brings additional new features in meshing, processing capabilities, viewing and numerous improvements in product performance.
The ProCAST solutions include automatic mesh generation, thermal analysis with radiation effects, flow analysis for mould filing, fully coupled thermal, flow and stress analysis and advanced metallurgical options.

The following main improvements deserve to be highlighted (for more information, please contact your ESI Group’s representative).

SOLVERS

True 64 bits executables for ProCAST solvers are now available on Windows for both scalar and DMP versions (64 bits executables are available on Linux, as before).

ASSEMBLY

The assembly algorithm was improved in order to be more automatic and powerful.

FADING

Nodular cast iron (SGI) is obtained by a Mg treatment of the melt. The graphite formation tends to diminish as the interval between the treatment and the solidification increases (fading effect). As a consequence, the expansion effect will be reduced as graphite formation is decreasing. This will of course have an effect on the amount of porosity. ProCAST 2007 integrates the modeling of graphite fading in SGI and therefore allows better porosity modeling.

One illustration of this new model is presented above for two extreme cases: on the left the FADING value is one while on the right the FADING value is zero. It is seen that in this latter case the porosity is decreased to zero.

PARALLEL PROCESSING

Continuous efforts are being devoted to improve the scalability, repeatability and availability on various platforms of the ProCAST DMP solver. The following improvements have been made in ProCAST 2007:

The Microstructure module is now available in the DMP solver,
The Freckle calculation is now available in the DMP solver,
The Core blowing option is now available in the DMP,
Improved performance of the stress parallel solver,
Improvements in lost foam modeling and interpenetrating mesh option.

CORE BLOWING

ProCAST allows now improved modeling of the core blowing process. When modeling the sand injection process, the air and sand are modeled as a homogeneous fluid in which the air-sand mixture is treated as a single phase. Thus, the process is considered as a filling with ad-hoc material properties and boundary conditions.

FLUID FRONT TRACKING

The “Fluid Front Tracking indicator” is based on an algorithm which is calculating in the solver the tracking of the free surface front. This allows identifying the locations where oxides and impurities trapped at the free surface are most likely to end-up as