Abstract. Verification, the process of checking a modelling output
against a known reference model, is an important step in model development
for the simulation of manufacturing processes. This manuscript provides
details of a code-to-code verification between two thermal models used for
simulating the melting and solidification processes in a 316 L stainless
steel alloy: one model was developed using a non-commercial code and the
Finite Volume Method (FVM) and the other used a commercial Finite Element
Method (FEM) code available within COMSOL Multiphysics®. The
application involved the transient case of heat-transfer from a point heat
source into one end of a cylindrical sample geometry, thus melting and then
re-solidifying the sample in a way similar to an autogenous welding process
in metal fabrication. Temperature dependent material properties and
progressive latent heat evolution through the freezing range of the alloy
were included in the model. Both models were tested for mesh independency,
permitting meaningful comparisons between thermal histories, temperature
profiles and maximum temperature along the length of the cylindrical rod and
melt pool depth. Acceptable agreement between the results obtained by the
non-commercial and commercial models was achieved. This confidence building
step will allow for further development of point-source heat models, which
has a wide variety of applications in manufacturing processes.
Code-to-code verification for thermal models of melting and solidification in a metal alloy: comparisons between a Finite Volume Method and a Finite Element Method
