Solidification/Thermal Analysis Module CAP

 

About CAP

CAP (or Casting Analysis Program) is a 3-D finite element analysis program that simulates heat transfer and solidification.  It was concieved with die-casting in mind, but the code is so robust and flexible that it can be adapted to any other process by the user.  Sand casting, semi-permanent mold, investment, lowpressure, squeeze, and SSM  are all processes CAP can simulate with ease.

 

What does CAP do?

CAP's specialty is the ability to perform a multi-cyclic analysis.  CAP performs calculations so efficiently that many cycles of a manufacturing process (10 or more, however many you need)  can be perfomed overnight.  This way you can ensure that your simulations have reached a steady state condition all while giving you results in a timely fashion.

Figure 1a.  The number of cycles the competitors can do in 1 week.

Figure 1b.  The number of cycles we can do on the same model. In one night!

 
Take a look at the graphs above.  On the left are thermocouple temperature readings on a simulation performed by the competitor's software.  After 5 cycles they decided to quit because it had already been a week and it sure looked like steady state to them.  We performed an analysis on the same model.  Using the speed and efficiency of CAP, we were able to determine that the simulation needed much more than 5 cycles to reach steady state.  We were also able to provide these results in 1/5th the time.
 

CAP also has the special ability to perform porosity analysis. Instead of the user just visually scanning for signs of shinkage in a simulation, CAP takes all solidiifcation data into account to give you the most reasoned and accurate prediction of porosity size and location.

Figure 2. Porosity prediction in a USCAR mule casting.

The porosity code in CAP was based on a paper done by Dr. Kimio Kubo of Japan and Dr. Robert Pehlke of the University of Michigan.

Mathematical Modeling of Porosity Formation in Solidification - Metallurgical Transactions B, June 1985
 

Other Examples

 Read more about the abilities of CAP, with the following publications.

An Application of 3-D Solidification Analysis to Large Complex Castings - Presented at the 2nd Pacific Rim International Conference on Modeling of Casting and Solidification Processes, January, 1995

Modeling of the Die-Cast Process - Article published in the November, 1996 issue of Die Cast Engineer