CAE Software Simulates Industrial Casting Processes

By DE Editors

This model of a turbocharger wheel demonstrates the use of STAR-Cast for centrifugal investment casting analysis.

CAE technology developer CD-adapco (Melville, NY) and metallic materials and casting processes research experts Access (Aachen,  Germany) have teamed up to release STAR-Cast, a new tool for industrial casting simulations. Based on what is described as a comprehensive and fully coupled computational continuum mechanics approach, STAR-Cast is said to offer ease-of-use,  automatic simulation of casting process, and a new level of multi-disciplinary analyses to simulation results.

Leveraging, in part, the advanced technology used in CD-adapco’s STAR-CCM+ and STAR-CD CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software tools, STAR-Cast reportedly offers a comprehensive process for multiphase casting simulation—liquid, solid and gaseous – including conjugate heat transfer, a sharp resolution of the filling front, free-surface fragmentation,  motion of trapped gas bubbles in melt, natural convection in melt, and gas.

“STAR-Cast is an entirely new concept in casting simulation that for the first time places industrial strength simulation technology in the hands of foundrymen, casting designers, and tool makers,” says CD-adapco President Steve MacDonald. “The partnership between CD-adapco and Access has resulted in a formidable tool that I sincerely believe will lead to unprecedented levels of innovation and cost-reduction in industrial casting.”

Access Managing Director Robert Guntlin says, “STAR-Cast is a best practice example for excellence in science demonstrated in application. The joint knowledge from CAE technologies, materials research and metal casting processes opens the door to a new realm of simulation technology in industrial casting.”

STAR-Cast can be used for automated gravity die-casting as in this example of a hydraulic block.

STAR-Cast has features for HPDC (high-pressure die casting).

STAR-Cast is said to be suitable for for a broad range of casting processes, including gravity sand casting, gravity (tilting) die casting, low pressure and counter pressure casting, HPDC (high-pressure die casting), centrifugal casting, and continuous casting. Its many casting-specific features are reported to make it possible to accurately account for special initial and boundary conditions such as low gas pressure (vacuum casting), permeable mold (gas escape through sand or small slots), and moving boundaries (pouring, centrifugal casting). Its melt flow calculation is coupled with both a solidification model and a heat transfer model at metal-mold interfaces. A thermo-mechanical module allows accurate prediction of heat flow, dimensional stability, residual stresses and mechanical properties of castings. For material data input, STAR-Cast interfaces the material database starcast.mat.

For complete details visit the STAR-Cast page on the CD-adapco website.

Read about STAR-Cast applications here.

Sign-up for a STAR-Cast brochure.

See why DE’s Editors selected STAR-Cast as their Pick of the Week.