Home » News » Speed Improvements in Thermo-Calc 2016a

Speed Improvements in Thermo-Calc 2016a

Thermo-Calc 2016a offers significant speed improvements when compared to previous versions of the software.

The speed improvements were achieved by optimizing global minimization and optimizing two of the largest databases.

 

Global Minimization Optimized

Global minimization has been optimized in Thermo-Calc 2016a, improving the speed of most calculations, including single point equilibrium, property diagram and phase diagram calculations as well as Scheil solidification simulations.

Benchmark tests compared the calculation speed improvements seen in 2016a to 2015b and, in some cases, to Thermo-Calc Version S.

In tests with property diagram calculations for 5 to 8 component alloy systems, the speed improvements ranged from 9 to 38%, with significant improvements shown for the larger TCNI8, TCMG4 and TCFE8 databases, as shown in figure 1.

Speed_Ver-S_02

Figure 1. Benchmarking with Thermo-Calc Version S, 2015b and 2016a for property diagram calculations for 5 to 8 component alloy systems show the increased speed of Thermo-Calc calculations for different databases.

When the comparisons were made for phase diagram calculations at a constant temperature with 5 to 12 component alloys, the speed improvements ranged between 5 to 17%, as shown in figure 2.

Speed-Comparison_Phase-diagrams_03-600x394

Figure 2. Benchmarking with Thermo-Calc 2015b and 2016a for phase diagram calculations at a constant temperature for 5 to 12 component alloy systems show the increased speed of Thermo-Calc calculations for different databases.

Database Optimization

Two of the large databases, TCHEA for high entropy alloys and TCNI versions 8, 7 and 6 for nickel, have also been optimized, improving both loading and calculation times.

Benchmarking of the loading time of the original TCNI8 compared to the new, optimized version using Thermo-Calc 2016a shows speed improvements of 49 to 55%, as shown in figure 3. Similar results were found for the loading times of TCNI 7 and 6 and TCHEA, the high entropy alloys database.

Speed_database-loading_02-600x411

Figure 3. Benchmarking of the loading time of the TCNI8 database in Thermo-Calc 2016a shows a speed increase of up to 55%.

Benchmarking for the TCNI8 database was also done to compare calculation times in Thermo-Calc Version S, 2015b, 2015b with the optimized database and 2016a with the optimized database. Results show speed improvements of 29-68% in Thermo-Calc 2016a when compared to 2015b with the non-optimized databases, as shown in figure 4.

Speed_database-calculation_04-600x415

Figure 4. Benchmarking of TCNI8 database calculation times comparing Thermo-Calc Version S, 2015b, 2015b with optimized database and 2016a showing up to 68% faster times.

Three of the calculations in figure 4 were taken from examples included in the TCNI8 Extended information flyer.

Read the complete release post for more information about the Thermo-Calc 2016a release.

More News & Events

All News
Blog
Getting-Started-Guide-thumbnail_wp_900x700

New Getting Started Guide for the Diffusion Module (DICTRA)

Screenshot of example question in a tutorial on the Role of Diffusion in materials

Tutorial on the Role of Diffusion in Materials

A screenshot of the activity tree in Thermo-Calc and a right-click menu with "Group" selected.

Tips and Tricks: Managing Multiple Activities

Let Us Help You

Find the Right Products

Request a Free Consultation
Contact Us