An object - oriented approach to the nite element modeling and design of material processes

An object-oriented approach to the analysis and design of metal forming and directional solidi cation processes is presented. A number of speci c ideas are introduced on how a deformation or a solidi cation process can be partitioned into subproblems that can be independently developed and tested in the form of class hierarchies. Class development based on mathematical and/or physical arguments is emphasized. General ideas are provided to demonstrate that an OOP approach to the FEM modeling and design of material processes can lead to e cient simulators that are easily maintainable and expandable. A metal forming example is presented to demonstrate the ability of the deformation simulator to handle the analysis of industrial metal forming processes. Also, a design directional solidi cation example is presented to demonstrate the substantial bene ts of using OOP techniques for the design of processes with a desired solidi cation morphology.