| INTCAST | This project is in progress |
| An Integrated Approach to the Design and Manufacture of Volume Produced Cast Aluminium Components |
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Context In their search for ways of reducing vehicle weight, manufacturers wish to make further use of cast aluminium components particularly in safety critical applications such as suspension components. Castings are naturally prone to porosity because of the contraction that occurs on freezing. This is particularly a problem if volumes of liquid metal become isolated from the feed liquid during solidification. It is critical that these regions of porosity do not coincide with regions of high stress in the casting during service. Present design tools cannot predict where porosity is likely to occur and this can only be discovered after prototype castings have been made. Aims To develop a method for predicting the occurrence of porosity in cast aluminium components at the design stage and allow this to be taken into account in calculations of the likelihood of component failure during service. Method Suspension arms to a design known to suffer from porosity in highly stressed regions will be made and the reasons for failure studied. A design methodology for predicting the onset of porosity will be developed and applied to the design of an improved version of the suspension arm. Casts made to the new design will be fatigue tested to evaluate the new methodology. The influence of foundry procedures and alloy choice on the fatigue properties of the suspension arm will be investigated. Benefits The participants in the project will immediately benefit from a reduction in the time and cost needed to develop a new safety critical aluminium casting. Ultimately the design software will be of benefit to the automotive industry and to all suppliers of castings in aerospace and general engineering. Participants Swansea University Land Rover Copal Castings Tritech Precision Products Alphacast Software |
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