Phasewise Numerical Integration of Finite Element Method Applied to Binary Alloy Solidification

Abstract

Phase change is a very complex physical phenomenon that governs a lot of industrial situations. Due to the inherent difficulties that arise in manufacturing activities they need a numerical treatment using models to predict the behaviour of the different phases involved in the process. Historically, solidification problems were solved considering only the solution of an energy balance with insothermal phase change including conduction and or convection in the material. Nowadays computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is becoming a well-suited numerical technique to investigate all kind of transport phenomena, especially when coupled fields are involved. This trend has addressed the research in solidification problems towards the solution if models combining incompressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled with heat and mass transfer including phase change. In this work we present a phasewise discontinuous numerical integration method to solve thermal phase change problems in a fast and accurate way. This methodology was extended to coupled fluid flow, energy balance and species transport with success. Future trends are oriented towards the application of this methodology to multicomponents alloy solidification with macrosegregation.