Free-Software Development in Computer Science Education for Interface Representation in Casting Processes

The aim of this work is to emphasize the advantages of the use of free software in computer science education for accurately representing complex interface shapes such as those that arise in casting processes during the filling of a mould cavity or during the solidification of the molten metal. A new scheme, based on free software, for reconstructing complex interface shapes in three dimensions has been specifically developed in order to facilitate its implementation by the students of a PhD course in the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT). In particular, a procedure to initialize the volume fraction occupied by a fluid body in computacional cells, and another to reconstruct the interface shape based on the initialized volume-fraction distribution, are proposed. Finally, different practical applications of this new scheme are presented.