Flow Science, Inc. founder Dr. C.W. “Tony” Hirt was awarded the prestigious John Campbell Medal at the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers award ceremony on March 25, 2022, in London. Dr. Hirt received the award for his unique, long-lasting contributions to the science and practice of metal casting through his development of the CFD software FLOW-3D and its casting-specific version, FLOW-3D CAST.
Dr. John Campbell presented the award to Dr. Hirt, “In gratitude for making significant, really significant benefit to the foundry industry which we continue to enjoy to this day.” The award was accepted on behalf of Dr. Hirt by Flow Science’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Michael Barkhudarov.
The John Campbell Medal is awarded to an individual who has made a sustained contribution to the science and understanding of metal casting through research and development. Each year, the Institute writes to leading international castings research organizations and individuals, including Dr. John Campbell, the relevant Department Heads of the University of Birmingham and Mississippi State University, CAST-CSIRO, VDG and Cti, requesting nominations for an award shortlist.
Tony’s contribution to simulation is not only in developing useful modeling tools based on fundamental principles of physics but mentoring several generations of engineers that continue in his steps. The award is also welcome as a recognition that simulation tools have become an integral part of casting design and production as the industry matures and evolves, commented Dr. Michael Barkhudarov.
Dr. Hirt pioneered the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method while working at the Los Alamos National Lab. He went on to found Flow Science in 1980. FLOW-3D is a direct descendant of his development of the VOF method. This approach was expanded and perfected in FLOW-3D to the TruVOF technology, with cutting-edge and groundbreaking improvements in speed and accuracy in the simulation of flow with different liquid and gas interfaces. Today, Flow Science products offer complete multi-physic solutions with diverse modeling capabilities, including fluid-structure interaction, moving objects, and multiphase flows.
