Microstructure calculating apparatus

A microstructure calculating apparatus to predict microstructure of aluminum, wherein, with regard to an industrial process for manufacturing aluminum, the industrial process including first to N-th steps,

• i is a natural number satisfying 1≤i≤N,
• t represents a time in an i-th step, t=0 represents a time at which the i-th step starts, and t=tfi represents a time at which the i-th step ends,
• PC(i) represents a piece of information indicative of a processing condition for the aluminum in an i-th step,
• TMP(i, t) represents a piece of information indicative of a thermo-mechanical processing condition for the aluminum at a time tin an i-th step, and
• MS(i, t) represents a piece of information indicative of a microstructure of the aluminum at a time tin an i-th step,
• the microstructure calculating apparatus comprising:
• an inter-step information integration section configured to acquire PC(1) to PC(N) and MS(1, 0) as pieces of preset information;
• a step calculating section including first to N-th step calculating sections;
• and
• a microstructure calculating section configured to find a change over time in MS(i, t) based on an MS(i, t) and a TMP(i, t),
• the microstructure calculating section including a plurality of calculation modules configured to find changes over time in a respective plurality of metallurgical phenomena,
• an i-th step calculating section of the step calculating section being configured to find a TMP(i, t) based on a PC(i),
• the plurality of calculation modules being configured to receive respective MSs(i, t) having a common data structure,
• wherein, in the order of from i=1 to i=N,
• the inter-step information integration section supplies a PC(i) and an MS(i, 0) to each i-th step calculating section, and
• in each i-th step, in the order of from t=0 to t=tfi,
• the i-th step calculating section (i) supplies an MS(i, t) and a TMP(i, t) to the microstructure calculating section and thereby causes the microstructure calculating section to find an MS(i, tfi) and (ii) supplies the MS(i, tfi) to the inter-step information integration section, and
• the inter-step information integration section sets, as an MS(i+1, 0), the MS(i, tfi) received from the i-th step calculating section;
• wherein the microstructure calculating apparatus determines a policy for MS control including the PC(i) for a machine for performing the industrial process for manufacturing aluminum having a desired microstructure.