Metalcasting Industry Research
Support of research is critical for North America to maintain a strong, vibrant, healthy and continually advancing metal- casting industry. Part of AFS’ mission is to promote these activities for the betterment of our membership, our industry and our society.
AFS directly funds research projects from allocation of a por- tion of the annual dues paid by AFS Corporate Membership. The current AFS Funded Research Projects are described be- low. The other projects are funded through research partner- ships, government funding and industry contributions. AFS participates in these projects by securing industry partners
and providing technical management and oversight. Current research funding partnerships include: Achieving Lightweight Casting Solutions for Defense Applications (ALCS) Congres- sional Appropriation & Cooperative Agreement with Benet Labs, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Industrial Technology funded through the Cast Metals Coalition (CMC) Program and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) funded through the American Met- alcasting Consortium (AMC) Castings for Improved Defense Readiness (CIDR) Program and Superior Weapons Thru Cast- ing (SWC) Program, which is a Congressional Appropriation & Cooperative Agreement with Benet Labs on behalf of AMC.
. AFS Funded & Monitored Research
Seven projects are currently being funded through the allocation of a portion of the AFS Corporate Member Dues in FY2009-2010.
Standard Test for Machinability of Cast Iron (06-07#03)
Coordinator: Finn Metalworking & Cutting Solutions and AFS Cast Iron Division (5)
Objective of this project is to develop an easy standard ma- chinability comparative test that could compare material of the same grade from different lots made in the same foundry, qualify material of the same grade to a benchmark material and qualify material of the same grade from different found- ries. Members of the AFS Cast Iron Committee (5-J) sug- gested that the measurable observation of the test would be the V30
cast iron. The V30
Value based on a tool life database for each grade of Value is the maximum cutting speed for
The cutting tool (insert) would be removed and measured for flank wear. The heat or lot of cast iron would pass the ma- chinability test, if the flank wear did not exceed the “end-of- test” criterion.
a thirty-minute cutting tool life. The members envisage that the in-house or contracted testing laboratory would run the machinability test on a representative disc for thirty minutes at the V30
Status Update: Machining test, determination and validation of Taylor Lines for Class 35B gray cast iron are continuing at the participating foundries and Finn Metalworking. The proj- ect is still seeking an additional facility to conduct ma- chining tests. Those interested in participating should contact Mike Finn, Finn Metalworking, at
finnmwcs@aol.com or the Steering Committee Chairman Brad Steinkamp, Dura Bar, at
bsteinkamp@dura-bar.com.
International Journal of Metalcasting/Spring 10 Value (specified speed) for that grade of cast iron.
Ultrasonic Testing Cast Steel Gage R&R Study (07-08#03)
Coordinator: Saginaw Valley State University and AFS Steel Division (9)
As quality demands for steel castings continually increase, de- livering the desired quality economically remains a challenge. Foundries have traditionally used radiography for quality test- ing. The reliance on this technique stems from its visual nature and historical precedent. For medium to large steel castings, ra- diography can become expensive. The expense results from the shielding, regulator requirements and acquisition cost of the highly radioactive source needed when penetrating six inches of steel. Ultrasonic testing (UT) can provide significant cost savings over radiography, because it has significantly fewer safe- ty requirements and costs less than a high energy x-ray source.
Adoption of UT has been limited by several factors. First, many customers perceive UT as less reproducible than x-ray inspec- tion. This attitude has formed because UT output is a line scan, not the image associated with radiography. Some customers re- late that they prefer the ability to archive x-ray films to maintain quality records. Second, surface roughness affects the ability of UT to detect defects; however, little data exists on the magnitude of this effect in castings and none exists for steel castings. As a result many foundries machine or grind casting surfaces before UT inspection, which increases cost. There are foundries that have found appropriate equipment and couplants to perform UT on as cast surfaces; however, there is no documentation on how this affects detection limits. The most significant factor is that the majority of foundries and foundry customers have extensive ex-
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