A hybrid method for casting process simulation by combining FDM and FEM with an efficient data conversion algorithm

This paper proposes a combined numerical procedure with a data conversion that is developed for simulating casting processes. Casting processes accompany liquid/solid phase transformation subjected to cooling. On simulating a casting process there are usually dilemmas that the finite different method is very useful to flow analysis but not efficient for stress analysis below solidus temperature; on the other hand, the finite element method (FEM) is true for the contrary. So we propose this hybrid method to take both advantages of the finite difference method (FDM) and the FEM for casting simulation. Temperature history obtained from a solidification simulator using FDM is used to calculate the thermal strains in FEM, interpolating the nodal temperatures by finite difference heat transfer calculation onto the finite elements nodal values. In order to validate the proposed algorithm, numerical examples are presented and compared with a commercial stress analysis program. A fully three-dimensional casting simulation as an application is proved to be satisfactory. The interface data conversion program in this study can be used for any FDM and FEM programs.