Metalcasting Industry Funded & Monitored Research
American Metalcasting Consortium/U.S. Dept. of Defense/ Defense Logistics Agency Funded Projects
Castings Solutions for Readiness (CSR) Program
AFS, as part of its efforts in the American Metalcasting Consortium (AMC), has recently secured contracts funded through the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Supply Center Philadelphia and the Defense Logistics Agency, Ft. Belvoir, VA. The group of projects is under an AMC program entitled Castings Solutions for Readi- ness (CSR). The two new projects are continuations of previ- ous AFS AMC efforts, including one project called Cast High- Integrity Alloy Mechanical Property Standards (CHAMPS) and the other Casting Standards and Specifications.
CHAMPS Project― Additional Alloy Design Data
The CHAMPS Statistical Properties Project goal is incorpora- tion of material property design data for additional cast al- loys, A206-T4 and T7 in the initial phase and then 17-4-PH or Ti6Al4V in second phase, into MMPDS (Metallic Materi- als Properties Development and Standardization) handbook, which replaced Mil-handbook 5, so that this material can be specified and used to design and manufacture flight critical components in military and civilian aircraft. This builds on the original just completed E357 effort of establishing a frame- work to design a series of test specimens that encompass the various section thicknesses used in these applications utilizing process simulation software, validate the approach metallo- graphically, coordinate collection of required samples from a consortium of qualified foundries and submit the data for statistical analysis and approval by MMPDS board for incor- poration into the MMPDS standards. The benefit to DLA is that the development of statistical based property data will permit the use of castings across a broader range of applica- tions and will provide the following benefits. The Engineering Support Activities at the DLA will be able to make cast alloy conversion / replacement decisions with assurance using sta- tistical data on tensile, compressive, shear, and bearing prop- erties from the FAA recognized source, MMPDS Handbook. Also reduced lead times with cast components competing on an equal basis with forging and assemblies from sheet, plate, and extruded mill products.
As with the E-357 project, the intended outcome will be cast A&B design property allowables for the alloys selected for inclusion in the MMPDS (old Mil Spec Handbook 5) to meet FAA requirements. This will allow aerospace design engineers to specify castings without using design safety factors. Various working groups will be actively looking at melt practices, test casting gating and filling, heat treatment parameters, testing protocol and weld repair standards. The initial casting trials will follow the approach taken for E357 and conducted for
International Journal of Metalcasting/Volume 8, Issue 2, 2014
1.5 x 2.5-in. plate cast in both horizontal and vertical gating approaches, and a heat treat study was conducted at various participating foundries. These plates will be tested for tensile properties and undergo microstructural evaluation. The proj- ect is now starting with the initial activity investigating model- ing the gating and rigging used for a previous E357 project followed by some casting verification trials. Those wishing to participate or wanting more information should contact Steve Robison, AFS, at
stever@afsinc.org.
Casting Standards and Specifications
Accessing state-of-the-market technical, specification and training materials for castings is challenging. AFS is working to provide current and qualified infor- mation in a network friendly form to users of castings via the Casting Stan- dards and Specifications project. The effort includes both archival and recent technical information in searchable da-
tabases. Specifications and standards are summarized, and the user is guided in their application. Tutorials covering the fundamental design concerns are also presented. The development of an on- line material design property database will greatly enhance the ability for the next
generation of component designer to create the light-
est weight and most efficient parts quicker and at lower cost. These tools facilitate more effective and efficient procure- ment 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 various groups, including design software providers, the design departments of OEMs and ASM to create Cast Alloy Material Property Datasheets to be put on the ASM Material Selector and AFS websites. This work has been compiled into an updated DVD that is available from the AFS bookstore. This is an outstanding resource for those needing validated the needed mechanical properties that design engineers need to make the most efficient components. The work planned under this project will add design properties for 4-5 additional cast metal alloys per year, while continuing to upgrade the CADS online database. During the first year work was com-
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