An Example of Technologies in Through-Process Simulation

This paper covers a chained simulation series for a full manufacturing to component analysis. The series encompasses simulation of ingot casting, multi-pass ingot to bar reduction, forging, heat treatment, microstructure evolutions and grain size predictions, a welding process, and thermo-mechanical structural analysis with fatigue and crack propagation. Throughout the chain microstructual state variables are carried forward for utilization in manufacturing-induced properties optimization.
Integral to a through-process or ICME simulation is model-change, multi-scale, and multi-physics technologies. In this presentation we cover the importance of those aspects along with details of the impact of these manufacturing processes on the material performance. The story of the material within the simulation is particularly sensitive because different models are used at different stages in order to best capture the physics all the while being constrained by reasonable computational time.
Perspectives in the paper lead to possibilities for integrating more predictive material sensitivity to the processing, but overall the knowledge of microstructual elements like chemistry, grain structure, and residual stresses greatly aids in the engineering interpretation of final results.