Simulating Polyurethane Foams Using the MoDeNa Multi-scale Simulation Framework

The MoDeNa project [20] aims at developing, demonstrating, and assessing an easy-to-use multi-scale software framework application under an open-source licensing scheme that delivers models with feasible computational loads for process and product design of complex materials. The concept of MoDeNa is an interconnected multi-scale software framework. As an application case, we consider polyurethane (PU) foams, which are excellent examples of a large turnover product produced in a variety of qualities of which the properties are the result of designing and controlling the material structure on different scales, from the molecule to the final product. Hence, various models working at individual scales will be linked together by this framework such as meso- and macro-scale models. OpenFOAM\(^{\textregistered }\) is deployed on the macro-scale level. A new solver (MODENAFoam) is formulated and validated to demonstrate the interconnectivity of the scales using the MoDeNa framework. The efficiency of the multi-scale model is evaluated by comparing the numerical predictions of foam density and temperature evolutions with experimental measurements. Validation results showed the capability of the framework when it is assessed for simulation of a complex system such as polyurethane foam.