MICRESS 7.1: The Gold Standard in Predictive Microstructure Simulation
MICRESS 7.1 (Microstructure Evolution Simulation Software) is the world’s premier, commercially supported phase-field simulation software dedicated to predicting the complex evolution of material microstructures. It provides materials scientists, metallurgists, and research engineers with a powerful computational tool to virtually “grow” and observe microstructures under defined thermal and chemical conditions. By solving the coupled partial differential equations for phase transformation, diffusion, and interface motion, MICRESS offers unprecedented insight into processes like solidification, solid-state phase transformations, grain growth, and precipitation—bridging the gap between atomic-scale mechanisms and macroscopic material properties.
Core Philosophy: From Processing to Properties via Virtual Microstructures
The core value of MICRESS lies in its ability to predict the final microstructure (grain size, morphology, phase fractions, chemical segregation) that results from a specific manufacturing process (e.g., casting, heat treatment, welding, additive manufacturing). This virtual microstructure can then be linked to predicted mechanical, thermal, or corrosion properties, enabling a true “materials-by-design” approach where processing parameters are optimized on the computer to achieve a desired performance outcome, reducing costly physical trial-and-error.
Key Simulation Capabilities & Physical Models:
1. Multi-Component, Multi-Phase Solidification
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Dendritic & Eutectic Growth: Accurately simulates the formation of intricate dendritic structures during the casting of metals and alloys, as well as cooperative growth in eutectic systems.
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Coupled Thermo-Calc Integration: Its hallmark feature is the seamless, on-the-fly coupling with the Thermo-Calc thermodynamic and mobility databases. This provides accurate Gibbs free energies, phase diagrams, and diffusion data for real, multi-component commercial alloys (e.g., steels, aluminum, nickel superalloys), ensuring realistic chemical driving forces.
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Microsegregation & Peritectic Transformations: Predicts solute redistribution (microsegregation) between solid and liquid and models complex peritectic reactions.
2. Solid-State Phase Transformations
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Diffusional Transformations: Simulates processes like austenite decomposition into ferrite, pearlite, or bainite in steels, and precipitation of secondary phases (e.g., gamma-prime in superalloys).
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Massive & Order-Disorder Transformations: Models transformations that occur by rapid interface motion without long-range diffusion.
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Recrystallization & Grain Growth: Simulates the nucleation and growth of new, strain-free grains during annealing, including the effect of stored deformation energy and particle pinning (Zener drag).
3. Advanced Numerical Methods & Scalability
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Adaptive Mesh Refinement: Dynamically refines the computational grid at moving phase boundaries (interfaces) to capture sharp gradients accurately while keeping computational cost manageable for large domains.
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Parallel Computing: Supports high-performance computing (HPC) to simulate large representative volume elements (RVEs) relevant for component-scale predictions.
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Quantitative Output: Provides extensive quantitative data on phase fractions, interface velocities, concentration profiles, and grain statistics.
