integrity die castings, it could reduce weight and manu- facturing costs,” said Russ Cochran, associate technical fellow, Boeing. “We hope to demonstrate that advances in high vacuum diecasting will produce parts that meet all the rigorous performance specifi cations we require, while realizing weight and effi ciency goals.” In current high-speed aluminum diecasting, microscop- ic air bubbles can form inside the part as the molten metal races through the mold. T ese tiny bubbles are not an issue for most diecast parts in typical applications, and engineers
allow for them by using more metal and making parts thicker to meet strength and other performance require- ments. T ese aluminum parts can achieve tensile strengths up to 47 ksi and minimum wall thicknesses of 0.04 in. For this project, however, researchers are looking at methods to cast thinner walls with increased strength for structural applications, and for that, the bubbles can be detrimental. By applying a vacuum to the mold, diecast- ers remove air from the environment. Air is the culprit for porosity.
Boeing and The Ohio State University are lead partners in a project to develop a vacuum diecasting process and computational model to produce thin-walled aluminum parts. This technology will lead to lighter weight parts used in airplanes like this one.
24 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | Nov/Dec 2015
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