Thermo-Calc 2022b Available Now

Webinar on Thermo-Calc 2022b Release

Join our release webinar to learn about the exciting new features and new databases included in Thermo-Calc 2022b. In this webinar, three of the developers who worked on the release will speak directly about these exciting new developments.

New Look and Feel

Thermo-Calc has a new look and feel with the 2022b release. The primary purpose is to improve the user experience and offer a more modern presentation. Thermo-Calc has expanded in recent years with new modules and property libraries. To address this, the homescreen has been reorganized into categories to help users more easily locate modules and resources. A Getting Started section has also been added to the homescreen to help users learn about or gain a deeper understanding of the software.

Additionally, all of the icons in the software have been updated with a simpler, more modern feel so that they are easy to identify on the range of screen sizes and resolutions in use today. The overall appearance of the software, such as the buttons and form fields, has also been simplified to make it easier to navigate through the program.

Plot Themes

Thermo-Calc 2022b introduces plot themes, which allow users to save custom plot settings to easily use them again and ensures consistency when exporting plots. Users can define plot size, colors, fonts, image quality, and more. When plots with the same theme are generated in the software or exported to an image file, they will have consistent sizing and appearance. You can save themes for presentations, reports, publications, or any other instance in which you want to maintain consistency.

Saving new plots themes is easy and can be done directly from the Plot pane. Right click on a plot and select Properties. Define your plot settings, then click Save As to name the new theme. 

Themes can be exported and shared with others to keep plots consistent among those you work with. 

Thermo-Calc 2022b comes with four predefined plot themes, and users can choose which theme will be used as the default. 

Plot themes are available in both Graphical and Console mode.

Process Metallurgy Module in TC-Python and TC-Toolbox for MATLAB^®

The Process Metallurgy Module is now available in both TC-Python and TC-Toolbox for MATLAB^®, our two most powerful APIs. All functionality that is currently available in the Graphical Mode version of the Process Metallurgy Module is now available in both of these APIs, including equilibrium calculations and kinetic process simulations.

The strength of the Process Metallurgy Module is that thermodynamic calculations and even full simulations of a liquid steelmaking process, such as a ladle furnace, can be set up easily, and the results can be easily interpreted. For example, slag composition is directly available per component (CaO, Al2O3, FeO, Fe2O3, etc…), not only per element.

The integration into the APIs now gives the full power of a programming language to the Process Metallurgy Module. But it also makes it easier to use for integrating calculations and process simulations directly with the data available in steel plants, for example, from a data warehouse. However, such integrations currently need to be developed by the user.

Five new examples are available in TC-Python and TC-Toolbox for MATLAB^® to demonstrate how the Process Metallurgy Module can be used in these APIs.

This new integration is available to users who have a license for the Process Metallurgy Module and either TC-Python or TC-Toolbox for MATLAB^®. Contact your local representative to learn how to obtain a license for these powerful new tools.

Timeouts for TC-Python and TC-Toolbox Calculations

TC-Python and TC-Toolbox for MATLAB^® now allow users to set timeouts for each calculation in a script in order to prevent the program from hanging on calculations that take too long. If a calculation cannot be completed in the set time, the program will move on to the next calculation, rather than aborting the entire script. The timeout parameter is set in the Calculate method and is available with all calculation types except for single equilibrium stateless calculations. 

Reminder Legacy TC-Toolbox will be Deprecated After this Release

The legacy version of TC-Toolbox for MATLAB^® will no longer be supported after this release period, ending January 2023. Users are encouraged to migrate their scripts to the new TC-Toolbox for MATLAB^®, which was introduced in December 2021.

New Ferrite Model in Steel Model Library and Improved TTT and CCT Diagrams

A ferrite model has been added to the Steel Model Library. This new model describes the thermodynamics and isothermal kinetics of grain-boundary ferrite transformation from austenite. The Ferrite model can calculate diffusional growth rate constant, grain-boundary nucleation rate, and isothermal transformation times of ferrite.

The new ferrite model has also been incorporated into the TTT and CCT diagrams in the Steel Model Library. These combine the Pearlite, Bainite, Martensite, and now Ferrite Property Models and calculate the kinetics of concurrent transformation of austenite into ferrite, pearlite, bainite, and martensite.

This new ferrite model is available to users who have a license for the Steel Model Library and a valid Maintenance and Support Subscription.

A new example is available to help users learn about this new model: PM_Fe_09_Fe-C-Ni_Ferrite. Three examples have also been updated to incorporate the new ferrite model into the TTT and CCT diagrams: PM_Fe_06_Fe-C-Mn-Si-Cr-V_TTT, PM_Fe_07_Hardenability_Design_of_Steel, and PM_Fe_08_Fe-C-Mn-Si-Cr-V_CCT.

New Calculation Examples for Thermophysical Properties

Over the past several years, many new thermophysical properties have been added to Thermo-Calc databases, including molar volume, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity. The 2022b release includes new examples for both Graphical Mode and Console Mode to demonstrate how easy it is to calculate these properties with Thermo-Calc.

The 2022b release includes examples showing how to calculate the molar volume and thermal expansion coefficients of the L12-type Al3Sc and the L12-type Al3Zr, respectively. The new examples are:

• Graphical Mode: T_15_Molar_Volume_and_Thermal_Expansion_Coefficient.tcu
• Console Mode: tcex58.TCM and tcex59.TCM

The release also includes examples showing how to calculate the electrical resistivity (ELRS) and thermal conductivity (THCD) of pure Cu. The new examples are:

• Graphical Mode: T_16_Electrical Resistivity_Thermal_Conductivity_Cu.tcu
• Console Mode: tcex60.TCM

The examples can be run by anyone with a license for Thermo-Calc 2022b or newer, including those who are using the free Educational Package.

A new video is available demonstrating graphical model example T_16_Electrical Resistivity_Thermal_Conductivity_Cu: