Bridging Theory and Practice in Materials Science: Using ANSYS Simulation to Teach Solidification Concepts

ABSTRACT This work presents a teaching strategy designed to enhance student understanding of solidification processes in materials science through the integration of experimental practice and numerical simulation. The approach was implemented in an undergraduate engineering context, where students analyzed the thermal behavior of pure zinc during cooling using both experimental measurements and ANSYS‐based simulations. The instructional design combined hands‐on experimentation, where molten zinc was poured into a sand mold and monitored using thermocouples, with the development of a transient numerical model that replicates real processing conditions. By comparing experimental cooling curves with simulation results, students were able to visualize key concepts such as phase transformation, thermal gradients, and solidification fronts. The results demonstrate that the combined use of experimental and computational tools supports deeper conceptual understanding, particularly in identifying the thermal plateau associated with phase change and interpreting discrepancies between idealized models and real‐world conditions. This dual approach fosters the connection between theoretical principles and applied engineering practice. Overall, this study illustrates how simulation‐supported learning environments can improve the teaching of complex thermal processes in materials science and provides a transferable framework for incorporating computational tools into engineering education.