®
MAGMASOFT
Version 4.4
MAGMASOFT® Active Feeding
Simulation of Pressure Definition in Feeders
Manual
2 MAGMASOFT® 4.4 ACTIVE FEEDING MANUAL
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
Table of Contents
1 The Active Feeding Option ............................................................................................ 5
1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 5
1.2 Defining Control Points in the Preprocessor .................................................. 5
1.3 Defining Pressure............................................................................................... 6
1.4 Displaying Control Points in the Postprocessor............................................. 9
4 MAGMASOFT® 4.4 ACTIVE FEEDING MANUAL
CH. 1.1: INTRODUCTION 5
1 The Active Feeding Option
1.1 Introduction
By using the Active Feeding option, you can define a certain pressure at certain points within feed-
ers, which is put on one or several feeders from outside. This enables you to control the feeding
behavior individually. This function is available for both batch production and single casting with
sand molds.
To use Active Feeding, you have to:
• define control points of the type 'ACTIVE FEEDING' in the feeder geometry(-ies) in the pre-
processor.
• activate the button 'active feeding' when defining the parameters for solidification simulation
and then define the pressure for each control point.
1.2 Defining Control Points in the Preprocessor
Proceed as follows to define an 'ACTIVE FEEDING' control point:
Ö Click on the 'Ctrl Point' button in the menu field in the right part of the screen. The
corresponding menu appears in the lower part of the menu field.
Ö Select the 'ACTIVE FEEDING' entry.
Ö Choose the function 'SET' with the left mouse button.
Ö Move the mouse cursor into any of the two dimensional views and click with the left
mouse button at the required location for the control point. The control point is now
established in two dimensions.
Ö To set the coordinate in the 3rd dimension, move the cursor into a different two di-
mensional view and enter the third coordinate of this point with the left mouse but-
ton. The control point is now set and appears as a cross in all views.
Ö Repeat the previous two steps for all control points you wish to define.
Ö Choose 'SAVE' at the bottom of the menu field. The defined control points are
stored.
6 MAGMASOFT® 4.4 ACTIVE FEEDING MANUAL
Control points may also be constructed via the keyboard. You always start and finish control point
definition using the commands 'BEGIN CC' and 'END CC'.
SET CTRL AP
BEGIN CC
Define the 'ACTIVE FEEDING' control point type
Start of control point definition. Each 'SET POINT' def-
inition that follows this statement is interpreted as being
allocated to control points until the function 'END CC' is
entered.
SET POINT ... Define the coordinates of the control point(s)
SET POINT ...
SET POINT ...
END CC End of control point definition.
You can define as many control points within your feeder geometries as you like using this proce-
dure. To each control point the 'AP' label is assigned, and a number is automatically assigned to
it (in numerical order).
Please refer also to Ch. 3.10, page 3-98 of the MAGMASOFT® 4.4 Manual, where the definition
of control points is explained in detail.
1.3 Defining Pressure
Now you have to define the pressure at the control points in the feeder(s) that you have defined
in the preprocessor. This is done during the solidification simulation setup. Proceed as follows:
Ö In the window 'solidification definitions' (Î Ch. 5.2.7, page 5-49 of the MAGMASOFT® 4.4
Manual), there is an 'active feeding' entry. Activate it by pressing the left mouse button. Two
small buttons, 'yes' and 'no', appear. Choose 'yes' to activate the function and to get to the
window 'active feeding definitions' (Fig. 1-1). If 'yes' has already been activated, you have to
press the button again to start 'active feeding definitions'.
CH. 1.3: DEFINING PRESSURE 7
Fig. 1-1: Activating control points for active feeding
In this window, each line refers to one control point. The individual values (columns) have the fol-
lowing meaning:
'control point' The serial numbers of the control points are displayed. If there are other
control points existing in your geometry (e.g. of the types Thermocouple
or Tracer), their numbers are taken into account in this counting, too.
'description' The control point is provided with the number that has been assigned to
it during definition. So the first point of the type 'ACTIVE FEEDING' gets
the number 1, the second gets the number 2, etc. Syntax: "AP<nr>".
'pressure [mbar]' The absolute pressure that has been defined for the control point is dis-
played in mbar. If you have not yet defined the pressure, the entry here
is zero.
Ö To define the pressure at control point, mark the point and choose the button 'options'. The
window 'active feeding options' appears (Fig. 1-2).
8 MAGMASOFT® 4.4 ACTIVE FEEDING MANUAL
Fig. 1-2: Defining pressure at control points
Ö The three entries 'control point', 'description' and 'pressure [mbar]' appear here, too. The first
two fields are displays only. So all you have to do is to enter the absolute pressure in mbar.
After doing this, proceed as follows to store your input and to continue the definition of simu-
lation parameters:
Ö Confirm your input in the field 'pressure [mbar]' by pressing the return key.
Ö Confirm your choice by pressing 'ok'. This opens the former window 'active feeding defini-
tions'.
Ö There, as well as in the 'options' window, activate the 'ok' button. Your settings are stored, and
you reach again the 'solidification definitions' window. By activating the 'cancel' buttons you
can always abort your input. In this case your settings are not saved.
! Please note that the entire feeding behavior in the casting is changed by the exerted
pressure. Feeding is mainly controlled by this pressure.
! If you perform changes at 'ACTIVE FEEDING' control points in the preprocessor after
defining pressure for these points in the simulation setup, a corresponding message ap-
pears if you open again the window 'active feeding definitions'. Pressure is set to zero
for all points. You must always re-open the 'active feeding definitions' window and define
the pressure again.
CH. 1.4: DISPLAYING CONTROL POINTS IN THE POSTPROCESSOR 9
1.4 Displaying Control Points in the Postprocessor
After the end of the simulation calculation, you can display the control points of the 'ACTIVE
FEEDING' type in the postprocessor within the calculated mesh. You can thus check if the control
points have been properly placed and enmeshed. Proceed as follows:
Ö Open the postprocessor.
Ö Choose the 'Results' tab and then the 'Geometry' folder.
Ö Choose the 'Feeding_points' entry from the list (please note that there are further entries in
the list, e.g. 'Materials' and 'Mesh Quality' and maybe further control point types).
Ö Now the mesh of the selected material groups appears transparently in the 'X-Ray' mode. All
existing control points of the 'Feeding_points' type appear with the numbering of the prepro-
cessor. They are marked yellow. Enlarge (zoom) the view to check the individual control
points.
10 MAGMASOFT® 4.4 ACTIVE FEEDING MANUAL
Notes
