Diffusion Simulations

Questions Diffusion Simulations Can Help You Answer

The Diffusion Module (DICTRA) is a general tool for making diffusion simulations, but some typical questions it can help you answer are:

How long of a holding time is required at a specific temperature to homogenize the as-cast microstructure?
How long of an annealing time is needed to dissolve precipitates of a given size?
How does the cooling or heating rate influence the amount of phases transformed?
What elemental profiles result post welding or other similar joining operations?
Will undesirable phases form when joining two dissimilar materials?

The Diffusion Module (DICTRA) Allows You to Simulate:

Microsegregation during solidification
Homogenization of alloys
Growth/dissolution of secondary phases, such as carbides, nitrides, or intermetallic phases
Coarsening of precipitate phases
Allotropic phase transformations, such as austenite to ferrite transformations in steel, or hcp (alpha-Ti) to bcc (beta-Ti) in titanium alloys
Carburization, nitriding, and carbonitriding of high-temperature alloys and steels
Interdiffusion in compounds, such as coating systems, dissimilar joints, and so on
Post weld heat treatment (interdiffusion and related phase changes)
Sintering of cemented-carbides

Generic Models for Flexible Use

In order to allow diffusion simulations to be performed with realistic conditions on alloys of practical importance, emphasis during the development of the Diffusion Module (DICTRA) has been on linking fundamental models to critically assessed thermodynamic and kinetic data.

As a result, the Diffusion Module (DICTRA) is very general and it is primarily the access to thermodynamic and kinetic data that determines if a problem can be simulated or not. This is, of course, under the assumption that the problem in question is diffusion controlled and that all other basic model assumptions are met.

It should also be emphasized that diffusion simulations are one-dimensional and that three different geometries, planar, cylindrical, and spherical, can be used. This is sufficient to model many cases of interest. A cylindrical geometry may, for example, be used both for modeling of diffusion through a tube wall, as well as the dissolution of a rod-shaped precipitate.

Databases for Diffusion Simulations

The Diffusion Module (DICTRA) requires a mobility database in addition to the standard thermodynamic and properties database that is used with Thermo-Calc. The mobility database contains information about the atomic mobility of individual components in relevant phases. Each mobility database is developed to correspond to a specific thermodynamic and properties database.

See Available Databases

Diffusion Module (DICTRA)

About the Diffusion Module (DICTRA)

Questions Diffusion Simulations Can Help You Answer

The Diffusion Module (DICTRA) Allows You to Simulate:

Generic Models for Flexible Use

Databases for Diffusion Simulations

Availability

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