ings, the customer’s design team used the crash course in metalcasting to ease its transition to the new process. “Pier helped us develop a greater understanding of designing for metal castings,” said the buyer’s mechanical engineer. “Tey were easy to work with.” Te casting design featured a num- ber of isolated sections, including the 10 spokes emanating from the central hub. Te varying thick and thin sec- tions required a number of iterations from the Pier team to ensure proper feeding and maximize casting yield. While aiding in design to
improve castability, Pier Foundry deferred to the customer for finite element analysis to ensure the de- sign would hold up to the rigors of the mining application. The custom- er, meanwhile, allowed Pier Foundry to concentrate on casting-specific design considerations. “For the most part, I designed the
Pier Foundry’s engineering team ran multiple simulations for the hub, which included 10 isolated section extending from the central hub.
product to do what we needed and to hold up to the constraints we put on
The cast iron hub (in yellow), underwent destructive testing by the customer. The 10 aluminum blades were at- tached to the hub before steel rods were shot at the impeller (above). After testing (left), the blades were de- stroyed, but the hub remained functional.
38 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | Jul/Aug 2014
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