Metalcasting Industry Funded & Monitored Research
American Metalcasting Consortium/U.S. Dept. of Defense/ Defense Logistics Agency Funded Projects
Castings for Improved Readiness (CIR) Program E-357 AluminumStatistical Properties
The E-357 Aluminum Statistical Properties Project has received funding as part of the CIR program. The E-357 project will pro- duce cast A&B design property allowables for this aluminum alloy for inclusion in the MMPDS (old Mil Spec Handbook 5) to meet FAA requirements. This will allow aerospace design en- gineers to specify castings without using design safety factors. Various working groups are actively looking at melt practices, test casting gating and filling, heat treatment parameters, testing protocol and weld repair standards. The initial casting trials were conducted for 1.5 x 2.5-in. plate cast in both horizontal and verti- cal gating approaches, and a heat treat study was conducted at various participating foundries. These plates have been tested for tensile properties and undergone microstructural evaluation. The project is now complete and presentation will be made to MMP- DS for incorporation into the standards. The results will also be reviewed at AFS 2012 Metalcasting Congress and presented to the ASM AeroMat 2012. For more information, contact Steve Robison, AFS, at
stever@afsinc.org.
Casting Standards and Specifications
Accessing state-of-the-market technical, specification and train- ing materials for castings is challenging. AFS is working to pro- vide current and qualified information in a network friendly form to users of castings. The effort includes both archival and recent technical information in searchable databases. Specifications and standards are summarized, and the user is guided in their appli- cation. Tutorials covering the fundamental design concerns are also presented. The development of an online material design property database will greatly enhance the ability for the next generation of component designer to create the lightest weight and most efficient parts quicker and at lower cost. These tools facilitate more effective and efficient procurement to both DoD and industry in the support of weapon systems. Along with data from various AFS research projects, like the recently completed 08-09#01 & 08-09#03 projects for the Development of Fatigue Properties Database, AFS has also incorporated the USAMP Light Metals Materials Database properties and recently strain life fatigue data for CGI Grade 400 and a hi-alloy Class 40 Gray Iron into the AFS Casting Alloy Data Search (CADS) onto the AFS design website:
www.metalcastingvirtuallibrary.com/cads/ cads.aspx. This completes this phase of the project and AFS is working with ASM to create Cast Alloy Material Property Data- sheets to be put on the AMS Material Selector and AFS websites
For more information, contact Thomas Prucha, AFS, at tpru-
cha@afsinc.org or AFS Information Resource Assistant Katie Doherty Matticks at
katie@afsinc.org.
68 SuperiorWeapons Thru Casting (SWC) Program
Three new AFS projects were started under the Superior Weap- on Systems Thru Castings (SWC) Program. This program has funding secured for both FY09 and FY10 and is under a co- operative agreement obtained by Advanced Technology Insti- tute (ATI) for American Metalcasting Consortium (AMC) with Benet Labs. The AFS projects include High Strength & High Toughness Cast Aluminum Alloy at UAB, Developing an Im- proved Combination of Strength and Permeability for Invest- ment Shells used with Foam Patterns at Missouri University of Science and Technology, and Visual Inspection of Casting (joint sponsorship with Steel Founders’ Society of America and North American Die Casting Association) at Iowa State Uni- versity and Schorn Associates. Updates on these projects and others under this AMC slate of projects were given during the JDMTP Benet Technology Review held June 6-7, 2011. Those interested in information on the program or attending should contact Thornton C. White, ATI, Senior Program Manager, at
whitet@aticorp.org or visit the ATI website to register online at:
amc.aticorp.org/techreview.html.
High Strength, High Toughness Cast Aluminum Alloy
There is an ongoing need to reduce the weight and cost of mili- tary weapon systems. High strength, high toughness cast alumi- num alloys could meet this need in applications such as armor and structural components. During the first year of research the chemistry was optimized for an existing high strength alu- minum alloy (BAC 100), which may be suitable for mortar base applications, and develop a mechanical property database for designers. This alloy was developed for military applications as a potential substitute for wrought aluminum alloy 2519 but needs to be optimized for specific applications. After this optimiza- tion, the statistical variation in mechanical properties (strength, toughness) was measured to assist in obtaining properties for design purposes. The goal of this material development pro- gram was to produce an aluminum casting alloy with proper- ties that meet MIL-DTL-46192C, aluminum alloy armor, rolled plate and weldable standards. In the second year, the focus of the research is to develop ultra-high strength (>600 MPa yield strength), cast aluminum alloys with reasonable tensile ductility (>8%) based on the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu system. These advanced, ultra high strength, cast aluminum alloys can have exception- ally high strength but suffer from a lack of ductility (essentially zero). It is hypothesized that the lack of ductility is caused by the combination of two microstructural features; an interden- dritic network of intermetallic particles and randomly dispersed microporosity. These microstructural features are caused by the solidification characteristics of these alloys (long freezing
International Journal of Metalcasting/Winter 2012
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