Jasper Kidger, Fluent Europe Ltd

at MpCCI UF 2007

This paper presents the methodology and results of a co-simulation using MpCCI (v3.0.5), FLUENT (v6.3) and ABAQUS (v6.6-2). The simulation concerns a pressure-moulding application, where the interest lies in the movement of a flexible plastic membrane, forced into a mould by a high external pressure. Whereas the basic moulding process could be simulated using the FE code alone, in this case it is important also to account for the movement of the air within the mould cavity.

The loading is applied as a uniform external pressure in the ABAQUS model, on the top surface of the flexible membrane. The FLUENT model simulates the air region inside the mould, which deforms as the membrane moves.