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POLYFLOW 3.10 adds to the tried and proven strengths of the POLYFLOW CFD code in extrusion. Fluid structure interaction (FSI) can result in excessive stresses that could degrade some solid parts of an extrusion die. In addition, any deformation of a die lip usually affects the shape of the die’s extrudate, especially for a flat die. POLYFLOW 3.10 can now calculate the thermo-mechanical stress and deformations induced by generalized Newtonian or viscoelastic flows on a neighboring solid region. The new Graphical User Interface has a Windows look and feel making it easier to use. As part of the new interface, a navigation tree format helps users easily identify their location in the problem set-up.
POLYFLOW 3.10 is coupled with the optimization code, VisualDocTM, marketed by Vanderplast Inc. An optimization loop using POLYFLOW allows the user to define the geometrical parameters, as well as the operating conditions or any material properties, that will be automatically adjusted in order to match the objective function being calculated. The optimization of POLYFLOW 3.10 also allows the user to calculate the initial thickness profile of a blow molding parison in order to obtain a desired thickness for the blown product.
The new advanced adaptive meshing feature available in POLYFLOW 3.10 allows a CFD simulation to be more independent from the initial mesh generated by the user. Using a sizing function, the POLYFLOW solver will automatically refine the mesh in the vicinity of geometrical details for blow molding and glass forming applications. This adaptive meshing can also be used to refine the mesh where large variations of selected quantities are calculated. The mesh refinement therefore improves both the robustness of the simulation and the accuracy of the results.
Thierry Marchal, Fluent’s POLYFLOW Product Manager, states, “Fluid structure interaction and optimization nicely complement the wide range of POLYFLOW features for the extrusion process; while also addressing some practical needs of industrialists. Adaptive meshing frees the user from having to generate an ideal mesh; the solver now adjusts the grid to the process requirements. POLYFLOW 3.10 is a big step forward in simulating these complex applications more easily than ever before.
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