Organized by Light Metals & Diecasting Study Groups of

Associazione Italiana di Metallurgia

9-10 April2008Montichiari(Brescia, Italy)

High TechDie Casting 2008

4TH International Conference

in cooperation with

with the support of

AMAfonD

ASSofonD

ASSoMet

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sCIenTIfIC CommITTee

Diran Apelian · WPI, USALars Arnberg · NTNU, University of Trondheim, Norwayfranco Bonollo · DTG, Università di Padova, Italy Lorella Ceschini · Università di Bologna, ItalyMario Conserva · Edimet, Italyenrico evangelista · Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, ItalyGian Luca Garagnani · Università di Ferrara, Italyelisabetta Gariboldi · Politecnico di Milano, ItalyMichael Gasik · Helsinki University of Technology, FinlandJavier Goñi · INASMET, SpainJohn Jorstad · JLJ Technologies, USALothar Kallien · University of Aalen, GermanyPlato Kapranos · The University of Sheffield, UKWilfried Kurz · Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, SwitzerlandAsbjorn Mo · SINTEF, NorwayRoberto Molina · Teksid Aluminum, ItalyBernardo Molinas · Venezia Tecnologie, ItalyClaudio Mus · AIM, ItalyMichel Rappaz · Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Switzerlandfarhad Rézaï-Aria · Ecole des Mines d’Albi Carmaux, FranceRoberto Roberti · Università degli Studi di Brescia, ItalyDidier Rollez · Umicore Zinc Alloying, BelgiumMario Rosso · Politecnico di Torino, ItalyIngvar L. Svensson · School of Engineering, Joenkoeping University, SwedenAlberto tiziani · DTG, Università di Padova, ItalyMaurizio Vedani · Politecnico di Milano, Italy

orgAnIsIng CommITTee

federica Bassani · Associazione Italiana di Metallurgia, Italyfranco Bonollo · DTG, Università di Padova, Italy fabio Grosselle · DTG, Università di Padova, ItalyGiulio timelli · DTG, Università di Padova, Italy Stefano Zanolini · Edimet, Italy

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sCope

Startedin2002,theInternationalConferenceHighTechDieCasting(HTDC)hasbecome,duringtheyears,oneoftheprimaryeventsinthefieldoflightalloysfoundry.In2008,thefourtheditionofHTDCwillbekeptonceagaininMontichiari(Brescia,Italy)withtheaimofcoveringallthetopicsrelatedtodiecasting(gravity,lowandhighpressure)ofAluminium-,Magnesium-,Copper-andZinc-basedalloys.

TheScientificCommitteehassucceededinsettingupanexhaustiveConference,withabout50papers,offeringanoverviewofallthescientificandtechnologicalinnovationsintheinternationalscenarioofDieCasting,whichiscontinuouslygrowingitsindustrialrelevance.

Papersandcontributions,fromaveryqualifiedpanelofexperts,bothacademicandindustrial,willcoverthekey-issuesoftheactualandfutureopportunitiesofdiecastingprocesses,including

-Alloysandrelatedtreatments, -ToolingandEquipments, -Exploitationbyprocessevolution, -Metallurgicalandmechanicalchallenges, -Designandapplicationsofdiecastcomponents

HTDC2008isorganisedbytheAssociazioneItalianadiMetallurgia(AIM)andwillbehostedbyMETEF,themaininternationalexhibitiononlightalloystechnologies.

WearelookingforwardtowelcomingyouinItaly!

progrAmme

Wednesday, 9th April 2008 – ITALIA room

10.00/ 13.00 Registration

11.00 FoundryRoadmapforum:Foundryprospectivesinemergingcountries EventorganisedbyMETEF AIDAROOM

14.00 Welcomeaddressesby: Prof.WalterNicodemi,AIMPresident Prof.FrancoBonollo,AIMLightMetalsStudyGroupPresident Dr.MarioConserva,EdimetCEO Dr.AmedeoAlti,Assiral

sessIon ALLoys AnD reLATeD TreATmenTs Chairmen:F.Bonollo,L.Arnberg 14.15 Castabilitymeasuresfordiecastingalloys:fluidity,hottearing,anddie

soldering B.Dewhirst,S.Li,P.Hogan,D.Apelian-MetalProcessingInstituteWPI,

Worcester,USA Tautologically,castabilityisacriticalrequirementinanycastingprocess.Traditionally,castabi-

lityinsandandpermanentmoldapplicationsisthoughttodependheavilyonfluidityandhottearing.Givencapital investmentsindies,diesolderingisacriticalparametertoconsiderfordiecasting.Wediscussquantitativeandrobustmethodstoinsurerepeatablemetalscastingfordiecastingapplicationsbyinvestigatingthesethreeareas.Weightreductioninitiativescallforprogressivelythinnersections,whichinturnaredependentonreliablefluidity.Quantitativein-vestigationofhottearingisrevealinghowstressdevelopsandyieldsasalloyssolidify,andthishas implicationsonpart distortionevenwhenpressure-castingmethodologiesprecludehottearingfailures.Understandingtheunderlyingmechanismofdiesolderingpresentsopportuni-tiestodevelopmethodstoavoidcostlydowntimeandextenddielife.Throughanunderstandingofcastabilityparameters,greatercontroloverthediecastingprocesscanbeachieved.

14.40 Anewcosteffectivealternativefortherotarydegassingofaluminiumalloys M.Gittus,D.Whincup,A.Wynn-MorganMoltenMetalSystems,Worcester,UK Anewonepiecedegassingrotor, incorporating innovativeSiC/Graphitematerial technology,

andapurposedesignedrotorhead,hasbeenspecificallydevelopedtoprovidefoundrieswith

�

amorecosteffectivesolutiontotherotarydegassingofaluminiumalloys.Thisnewrotorhasbeendemonstratedtoprovidefoundrieswitharealalternativetotheindustrystandardimpre-gnatedmachinedgraphiterotorswhichdominatethisapplication.Materialpropertiescriticaltotheapplicationarepresentedandcomparedwithimpregnatedgraphite.Inserviceperfor-mance results for the new SiC/Graphite degassing rotor are presented, in comparisonwithastandardmachinedgraphiterotor.Atonealuminiumfoundrythemachinedgraphiterotorlastedfor160x10minutedegassingcyclesbeforetheefficiencyofthegasremovaldeterio-ratedduetoerosionoftherotorhead.UsingthenewSiC/Graphitedegassingrotor,degassingcyclesincreasedbeyond300.Thenewrotorheaddesignalsoallowedareductionintherotorspeedfrom470to360rpmwithnolossindegassingefficiencyandareductioninnitrogenusage.Thenewrotoralsodisplayedamorenon-wettingsurface,makingitmucheasiertokeepclean.Theerosionoftheshaftandrotorwasconsiderablyreducedcomparedtothemachinedgraphiterotor.FurthertrialsatarangeofaluminiumfoundrieshaveconfirmedthaterosionofthenewSiC/Graphitematerialatthemetal lineismuchslowerthanwithmachinedgraphiterotorsandconsequentlylivesofrotorshavebeentypicallydoubled.Thisresistancetoerosionalsomeansthattherotorprofile ismaintainedforthe lifeoftherotorsothere isno lossofdegassingefficiencythroughoutitsservicelife.

15.00 Combiningquality,ecologyandeconomyinthemetaltreatmentofaluminiumalloysthroughtheMTS1500process

R.Simon-FosecoGmbH,Borken,Germany Today’saluminiumfoundriesoperateunderseveralneeds.Environmentalsafetechnologies

areoneofthefuturechallengesforall foundriesbutespecially for foundriesusingchlorinegasorchlorinereleasingagentsintheirprocess.TheMTS1500-automatedMetalTreatmentStation-isarecentdevelopmentbyFOSECOthataddressesallthevariousneedsofthefoun-dryandiscapableofmakingasignificantcontributiontothemodernaluminiumfoundry.ThenoveldesignofthepatentedFDRrotorhelpscreatetheoptimumvortexfortheadditionofthetreatmentproducts.Regarding thefluxes,a rangeofnewfluxesbrandedCOVERALMTShasbeenspecificallyformulatedforusewiththeMTS1500.Thisrangeincludescleaning/drossing,sodiummodifying,andgrainrefining.Anagentforalcaliandearthalcalielemetremovalfromaluminiummeltsisthelatestdevelopmentenabelingfoundriestoreplacechlorinetreatmen-ts.TheMTS1500helpsfoundriestoachievebetterenvironmentalperformancesbytheuseof fewerconsumables(fluxand inertgas), lessdrossproduced, reducedemissionsaswellasshortertreatmenttimesandmeltsuperheatwithassociatedenergysavings.Casestudiesfromvariousfoundriesillustratecontributionstoobtainahealthierandsaferenvironmentincombinationwitheconomicalimprovements.AcasestudydescribesthereplacementofinertgaspluschlorinegasinjectionbythenewMTS1500processinaEuropeanpistonfoundry.ThemeltqualityiscomparedprovidingspectralanalysesresultsandPrefillcurves.Theenviron-mentalandeconomicalimpactisanalyzedtoshowexcellentimprovements.

15.20 Predictingcompositions/propertiesofaluminumdiecastingalloysusingartificialneuralnetwork

L.Wang,D.Apelian,M.M.Makhlouf,W.Hwang-MetalProcessingInstituteWPI,Worcester,USA

Despite the largenumberof existingalloysandvariousalloydatabases, identifyingproperalloysforspecificapplicationsstillremainsachallenge.Tofacilitatetheselectionandpredic-tionofaluminumdiecastingalloys,anelectronicdatabase“i-Select-Al”hasbeendevelopedbyMPIandNADCA.Thekeytothepredictionsisthedeterminationofarelationshipbetweenalloyproperties,alloychemistry,andprocessvariables.Theoretically,theserelationshipscanbe“accurately”determinedusingfundamentalengineering,chemical,orphysicalprinciples. However,inpractice,theunderlyingmechanismsofAldiecastingalloysarenotfullyunder-stoodanddifficulttobeutilized.Inthiscase,approximateempiricalmodelsmustbeconside-red.Inversion1.0ofthesoftwaretrendequationsweregenerated.Thenatureofthesetrendequationslimitstheapplicabilityandpredictabilityofthesoftware.Toimprovethepredictionpowerofthesoftware,relationshipsbasedonartificialneuralnetwork(ANN)wereexploitedinversion2.0oftheprogram.ANNhasproventobeahighlyflexiblemodelingtool,suitabletotreatmultiple-inputconditionsandnonlinearphenomenawithcomplexrelationshipsbetweeninputandoutputvariables. ThisarticlepresentsANNworkingmechanisms;specificconsi-derationsforANNselection,development,andintegration;operatingprinciplesofthemodule;comparisonsofselectedcaseswithexperimentaldata;boundariesofapplicability;andfuturedevelopments.TheresultsindicatethatANNisavaluablemodelingtoolforpredictingproper-ties-from-compositionandcomposition-from-propertiesforaluminumdiecastingalloys.

15.40 Progressinductilealuminiumhighpressurediecastingalloysfortheautomotiveindustry

F.Casarotto,D.Dragulin,R.Klos,R.Franke-AluminiumRheinfeldenGmbH,Rheinfelden,Germany

Todaythediecastingprocessisusedtocastpartswithhighqualityrequirementssuchasen-ginecradles,crossmembersandnodesforspaceframeconstruction.Thishaspresentedthechallengetodesignalloyswithsuperiormechanicalproperties.Forcrashrelevantpartsrequi-ringhighductility(elongation>12%)oneoptiontomeetthesepropertiesisbyheattreatingalowironAl-SialloytoaT4orT7temper.Howeverheattreatmentcanleadtopartdistortionandblisteringresultinginhighercostsfortheproducer.ThesecondoptionisAl-Mgalloystypewhi-chfulfilltheserequirementsintheas-caststatebutthealloysarenoteasytocast.ResearchwasstartedusingtheeasytocastAl-Sialloysystemtargetingahighelongation(>12%)andyield-strength(>120MPa)alreadyintemperFandnotshowinganylongtermagingbehavior.Thispaperwilldiscuss the technicalprogresswhichbegan in theearly1990ies,gaining inimportancewiththefirstseriesspaceframeAluminumcar,continuingwithstructuralpartsappliedintheascaststateandapproachingafuturewithanincreasingamountoflightweightcomponentsreplacingsteelandheattreatedAluminumdesigns.

1�.00 Coffeebreak

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sessIon TooLIng AnD eQUIpmenTs Chairmen:M.Rosso,L.Kallien

1�.15 Innovativetechnology.Releaseagents G.Natesh-ChemTrend,Howell,USA Thepresentationwilldescribethenewconceptsofwaterbasereleaseagents,specificallyde-

velopedfortheHighTemperatures.TheimpactandtheinfluenceofhighperformancereleaseagentinthemodernDiecastingprocesswillbepresented.Itwillbeexplainedhowitispossibletohavefastercycletime,lessdown-time,lessscraps,reducethethermalshockusingthenewHightemperaturereleaseagents.

1�.35 DevelopmentoftheNewHot-workToolSteelDominialHP1fordiecastingdies

D.Deterding,I.Schruff-Kind&Co,Wiehl-Bielstein,Germany Today-morethaninearlieryears-thelifetimeofdiecastingdiescontrolstheprofitabilityof

thediecastingprocess.Herethethermalfatigueresistanceofthehot-worktoolsteel,whichisdirectlyinfluencedbythesteel’stoughnessandhigh-temperaturestrength,isaveryimportantfactor.Afewyearsagothespecialhot-worktoolsteelDOMINIALTQ1hadbeenintroducedtothemarketcombininghigh-temperaturestrengthandhigh-temperaturetoughnessinawaythathadbeenuniqueatthattime.Characterizedbyhighestcleanlinessandlowestconcentrationsofdetrimentaltraceelementsthissteelhasproveditssuitabilityasadiesteelforhighestrequi-rementsinvariousdiecastingapplications.AstheexcellentpropertiesofDOMINIALTQ1dependtoahighdegreeonthealloyelementmolybdenum,whichisexposedtoextremefluctuationsofthemarketpriceonthestockexchange,itwastheintentionofKind&Cotodevelopanewequivalenthot-worktoolsteelwithareducedcontentoftheelementmolybdenum.ThereportwilldescribethealloyconceptforthenewhotworktoolsteelDOMINIALHP1aswellasthesteel’sprofileofpropertiesandwillalsodescribetheresultsofindustrialapplicationsofthissteel.

1�.55 Die-casting;S.D.C.Steel,acontinuousmetallurgicinnovationtomeetwiththeproblems

F.Piana,A.Grellier-Aubert&Duval,TrezzanoS/Naviglio,Italy Theabstractisnotavailable

17.15 Thoughtnessofmould,comparisonofseveraltestingmethods C.Torriani-SiederiaConsultingSrl,Torino,Italy E.Aspesi-LaPantastampiSrl,CassanoManiago,Italy A.Silipigni-TAGSrl,Dolzago,Italy G.Zambardieri-SMTSrl,Pozzod’Adda,Italy Amouldwithmin500KgcriticalmasswillbeprovidedofseveralImpacttestroughspecimen

accordingtothecommonuseandknownspecifications.themouldwillbeheattreatedaccor-dingNADCAspec.Fromtheroughspecimenandfromthemouldwillbetakenoffsampleforimpacttest.Troughthecomparisonweaimtohaveakeyto interpret impactvaluederivingfromspecimens.wealsoaimtodeterminateifthereisamethodtocarryoutresilienceofthemouldwithhighsignificanceandlowcostsofapplication.

17.35 I.M.S.(IntegratedMonitoringSystem)fullintegratedprogramminganddiagnosticsystemimproveOEEinmodernHPDCproductioncells

R.Boni-IdraSrl,Travagliato,Italy Foundry’severydaychallengeisrelatedtocostreductionthatmeans,inotherwords,tobetter

equipmentutilizationandlowerrejectrateandgethigherOEE(OverallEquipmentEfficiency)levels.Faulttracingandrepairingactionaretimeconsumingactivityinacomplexproductioncellwithseveralequipmentswithindipendentoperatorinterfaces.IdrahasdevelopedtheInjectComputerII,hislastgenerationofsupervisionsystem,thatincludebesidemachinesettingandcompleteprocesscontrol,integrationofallperipheralsequipments.Metalladleanddiespryerprogramscanbesetinspecificdedicatedpageslikeothermachineparameters.Otherdevicesconnectedwithprofibuswhilemustbeprogrammedontheirdedicatedprogrammingunit,ha-vespecificdiesettinglaunchedwiththeHPDCprogramjustrecallingoneprogramfromInjectComputerIIdatabase.Morethan1.350differentalarmsareavailableonI.CIIdisplaywithacleardescription,locationoffaultcomponentanddirectionhowtofixtheproblem.Hydraulicaswellelectronicschemescanbeeasilyrecalledongraphiccolourdisplayandeachalarmmes-sagecanbeenrichedwithcommentsandpicturesdirectlybymachine’susercreatingamultimediacustomizeddatabase.Besidefullcomprehensiveprocesscontrolincludingmachine’sparametersandotherexternalvalueslikemetalanddietemperature,diesprayerairpressureandreleaseagentflow,theI.M.Sgivesasignificantsupportaimedtodowntimereductionandboosttheskilloffoundrypeople.

17.55 Casestudiesofinnovativediecastingmachines A.Benini-Italpresse,Brescia,Italy Thispaperconcerns thedesignandmanufacturingofone innovative two-platendiecasting

machine, togetherwith thepresentationofsomecasehistoriesabout thepracticalapplica-tion.Inthefoundryworldthehighclosingforcesnecessarytofacethemoltenmetalshotintothediecavity,are traditionallyobtained throughthe “Toggle”mechanismwith link rods:onthecontrary,thetwo-platenmachineclosingforceisprovidedbyacompletelyhydrodynamicsystem.Themainadvantagescomingfromthisengineeringsolutionarerepresentedbyafarbetterlinearrelationbetweentheinvolvedphysicalquantitiesaswellasaninnerrigidityofthewholesystem.Nowadays,thankstotheoutstandingtechnologicalprogress,moreandmoreinnovative instrumentsanddevicesareavailable: thefiniteelement (FE)simulationsallowreliablecomplexstructuralcalculations,whileontheothersidetheevolutionofelectronicsde-velopspowerfulandconsistentinstruments.Alltheseelementsrepresentapossibleanswertothecurrentrequestofmachinesabletomeetelevatedproductiveflexibilityandrepeatability,includingaprocesssimplification:astartingpointtoobtainstructurallyreliableproductswhi-chalsorespondtoelevatedqualitystandards.

20.00CONFERENCEDINNER atVillaFenaroliPalaceHotel ViaMazzini14-Rezzato(Brescia)

10

Thursday, 10th April 2008 – ITALIA room

sessIon eXpLoITIng DIeCAsTIng By proCess eVoLUTIon

Chairmen:R.Roberti,D.Apelian

9.05 Newdevelopmentsingasinjectionforhighpressurediecastings L.Kallien-AalenUniversityofAppliedSciences,Aalen,Germany Highpressurediecastingisaprocesswhichcombinesshortcycletimesandhighproductivity

withtheproductionofhighlyintegratedmetalpartsofcomplexshape.Plasticinjectionmoldingisacomparableprocessfortheproductionofplasticpartsbeingsimilarinmanyaspectstodiecasting.Gasinjectionisaspecialvariationofplasticinjectionmoldingallowingtheproductionofhollowstructures.Theadvantagesofgasinjectionarefreedesignofthickandthinwallsinonepart, localfeedingpressurereducessinkmarksanddistortionandshortercycletimes.ThispaperdiscussesnewresultsandachievementswhichhavebeengainedatAalenUniver-sityofAppliedSciences.

9.30 Metalcastingusingself-removingmouldsproducedbyselectivelasersintering N.K.Tolochko,Y.A.Shienok-VitebskStateUniversity,Vitebsk,Belarus T.Laoui-UniversityofWolverhampton,Telford,UnitedKingdom In thepresentpaper,somephenomenarelatedtothebehaviourofmetalcastingprocesses

basedontheuseofself-removingmouldswerediscussed.SelectiveLaserSintering(SLS)asoneofRapidPrototypingandManufacturingtechniqueswasappliedtofabricatemouldsusingpowders containing quartz sand (average particle size 315μm)mixed with epoxy-basedpolymer(25vol.%)orparaffin(10vol.%)binder.Mouldsintheshapeofacylinder(20mminbothdiameterandheight)possessingcavitiesintheshapeofright-angleparallelepipeds(10×10×16mm3)forcastingthemetalweremadebySLS.Polymerandparaffinbindershadmeltingpointsof180°Cand54°Candthermo-inducedchemicaldestructionpointsof250°Cand200°Crespectively.Varioustypesofmetalswithdifferentmeltingpoints(Tm)wereusedintheexperiments:Rosealloy(Tm=98°C),Sn-Pballoy(Tm=180°C),Zn(Tm=427°C),andAl(Tm=660°C).Inthecourseofcastingprocess,themouldsweresubjectedtobreaking-downundertheactionofhightemperature.Inparticular,themouldswithpolymerbinderweresubjectedtochemicaldestructionwhilethosewithparaffinbinderweresubjectedtomelting.Experimentsshowedthatafterfillingthemouldcavitieswiththemoltenmetal,askinofsolidifiedmetalwasformedatthemelt-mouldboundaryfollowedbythecrystallizationoftheremainingliquidmetal.Asaresult,inspiteofmouldbreaking-downduetoheattransfer,themetalingottooktheshapeofthemouldcavity.

9.50 PorosityreductionpossibilitiesincommercialaluminiumA380andmagnesiumAM60alloycomponentsusingtherheometal[TM]process

O.Granath,M.Wessén,H.Cao-JönköpingUniversity,Sweden TheRapidSlurryForming(RSF)technology,whichisavitalpartoftheRheoMetalTMprocess,

iscapableofproducinglargeamountsofmetalslurriesinshorttimes.UnlikeotherrheocastingprocessestheRSFtechnologyisbasedonanenthalpyexchangebetweentwoalloysystemstoproduceslurrywithacertainsolid fraction.Acommercialcomponenthasbeenproduced

frombothaluminiumA380(ENAC46000)andmagnesiumAM60alloysbyhighpressurediecasting(HPDC)andRSFrheocasting.ThefollowingprocedurewasusedduringtheRSFrheoca-stingtrials;meltdosing,slurryformationandmanualpouringofslurryintotheshotsleeveofthehighpressurediecastingmachine.IntheHPDCreferencetrialstheautomaticequipmentofthemachinewasusedformeltdosing.Theaimofthispaperistoinvestigatethepossibilitytoreduceporosity,andtherelatedeffectsonthetensilepropertiesobtainedinRSFrheocastcomponents.Significantlyreducedporositycontentwasobtained intheRSFrheocastA380andAM60alloycomponents,ascomparedtotheHPDCcomponents.ThiswasconfirmedbyX-rayanalysis,microstructureanalysis,polishedcomponentsectionsandtensiletesting.TheturbulentfillingbehaviourinHPDCproducessevereamountsofincludedgastypeporosity.Itwasalsofoundthatgasporeswereoftenconnectedtoshrinkagetypepores.Polishedcompo-nentsectionsrevealedthatalaminardiefillingandafineglobularprimaryphasestructuredslurrymaterialreducesporositytolargeextents,eveninpoorlydesignedcomponentregions.

10.10 InfiltrationofFreeze-Casting-Performsbyhighpressurediecasting L.Kallien,T.Weidler-AalenUniversityofAppliedSciences,Aalen,Germany Thegoaloftheresearchistoinfiltratefreeze-castingceramicpreformsusingthehighpressu-

rediecastingprocess.TheAl2O3-Freeze-casting-Preformshavebeenproducedwithalamellarstructureusingfreezecastingtechnology.AconsortiumoffiveUniversitiesinGermanycarriesoutthisresearchproject.Thesepreformshavebeenprocessedbyconventionalhighpressurediecastingatdifferentcastingparameters.Theresultingstructureoftheinfiltratedcomposi-teswasstudiedusing3Dx-raycomputedtomographywithhighresolution.Noporosityandmicrocrackscouldbefoundwithinthecastings.

10.30 Theeffectoffabricationmethodonthemicrostructureof5182aluminumalloyfeedstockforthixo-extrusion

P.Kapranos-UniversityofSheffield,Sheffield,UnitedKingdom T.Haga-OsakaInstituteofTechnology,Osaka,Japan E.Bertoli,A.Pola,R.Roberti-UniversitàdegliStudidiBrescia,Brescia,Italy Extrusionisawellestablishedtechnologyfortheproductionofcomplexsectionsofaluminum

alloys. Thixo-extrusion in comparison to traditionalhot-extrusionoffersseveraladvantagessuchas lowerextrusionandfriction forces,highermaterialfluidity, longertool lifeetc…Alu-minumalloy5182alloyisanimportantcommercialalloycharacterizedbyhighstrengthandductility,highcorrosionresistanceandgoodformability;itiscommonlyusedfortheproduc-tionofwroughtautomotivecomponentsanditisalsosuitableforsemi-solidapplicationsthanktoitswidesolidificationrange.Theaimofthispaperistoattempttheshapingof5182Al-Mgalloythroughthethixo-etrusionprocessusingaceramictoolandevaluatingtheeffectofdiffe-rentroutesofmakingthefeedstockhaveonthesemisolidmicrostructure.Particularly,threedifferentmethodswereinvestigated:near-soliduscasting,roll-castingusingacoolingslope,andultrasonictreatmentofthealloyinthesemi-solidrange.Allthesamplesproducedwerecharacterizedbymetallographicanalysisinordertomeasureglobulesizeandshapefactor,asthemaincriteriausedforassessingthixo-formability.

10.50 Coffeebreak

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sessIon meTALLUrgICAL AnD meCHAnICAL CHALLenges In DIeCAsTIng Chairmen:G.L.Garagnani,I.Svensson

11.05 Acomparativestudyofdefectsandmechanicalpropertiesinhighpressurediecastandgravitydiecastaluminiumalloys

S.Akhtar,L.Arnberg-NTNU,Trondheim,Norway M.DiSabatino-SintefMaterialsandChemistry,Trondheim,Norway G.Timelli,F.Bonollo-UniversitàdiPadova,Vicenza,Italy Defectssuchaspores,hottears,entrainedoxidesormacrosegregationcanoccurinaluminium

diecastingsandwillimpairthemechanicalproperties.Thenature,extentanddistributionofsuchdefectswill,however,differbetweendiecastingprocesses.To investigate thesediffe-rences,acomparativestudybetweengravitycastingsofanA356alloyandhighpressurediecastingsofanA380alloyhasbeencarriedout.Thedefectdistributionsofthecastingswereinvestigatedbymetallography,radiographyandfractography,andthetensilepropertiesweremeasured.Thegravitydiecastingswereproducedinastepmouldwithandwithoutfilterandatdifferentcontrolledhydrogenconcentrationsinthemelt.TheU-shapedpressurediecastin-gswereproducedwithsystematicvariationsofprocessparameterssuchasplungerspeed,commutation point between first and second phase and pouring temperature. It has beenfoundthatbothcastingscontaindefects,primarilyporesandoxides,andthatthepresenceanddistributionofthesedefectsarehighlysensitivetotheprocessconditions.Significantva-riationsofthedefectdistributionhave,however,alsobeenfoundincastingsproducedunderthesameconditions,particularlyinthepressurediecastingsindicatingthestochasticnatureofdefectsindiecastings.Thedominatingdefecttypeinthegravitydiecastingishydrogenpo-rositymainlyathighhydrogenmeltconcentrations,whereasinthehighpressurediecastings,oxidesandentrappedairporositydominate.Thetensilepropertiesinbothtypesofcastingsareaffectedbytheamountanddistributionofdefects.Thiseffectisparticularlyprominentforthepressurediecastingswherethedefectareafractionhasbeenfoundtodeterminethetensilestrength.Inthegravitycastings,hydrogenporositydecreasesthetensilestrength,butthiseffectbecomessignificantonlyatquitehighhydrogenmeltconcentrations.Thetensilepropertiesaswellastheporosityalsodependedonthecrosssectionofthecastings.

11.30 TheinfluenceofFecontentandcoolingrateonthemicrostructureandmechanicalpropertiesofA380-diecastingalloys

S.Seifeddine,I.Svensson-JönköpingUniversity,Jönköping,Sweden Inthepresentinvestigation,themicrostructureandtensilepropertiesofaluminiumdie-cast

alloys,basedonA380,arestudiedindetailsasafunctionoftheironandmanganesecontentandsolidificationrate.OnesetofexperimentswasdesignedtoexaminethesolelyeffectofFecontent,whichvariedfrom0.1upto1.6wt%andanothersetwithmanganeseadditions,Mn:Fe∼1:2.Threesolidificationratescorrespondingto∼10,25and60µminsecondarydendri-tearmspacing,SDAS,respectivelywereemployedbyusingtheuniquegradientsolidificationtechnique.Microstructureanalysisrevealsthatatrelativelyhighcoolingratesandironlevels,theiron-richprecipitatesaresuppressedtosomeextentandthestrengthismaintainedathigh

levels,buttheductilityisgraduallydecreased.Theamountofiron-richintermetallicsdoesnotappeartoinfluencethesizeandareafractionofporosityandconsequentlytheresultsuggeststhattensilepropertieshavenotbeenadverselyaffectedbyporositylevel.Theseresultsofferadditionalinsightintocommonlydiscussedmicrostructurefeaturesandtheirroleinthedeter-minationofthequalityandsoundnessofAl-Sicastalloys.

11.50 AboutmechanicalandfatiguestrenghtofHPDCaluminiumbasedcomponents M.Rosso,I.Peter-PolitecnicodiTorino,Torino,Italy G.Tonno-FomtSpa,Grugliasco,Italy Theworkaimstofocustheinfluenceoftheprocessparametersonthemechanicalpropertiesof

highpressurediecastingofaluminiumalloys.Microstructuralfeaturesandtensilepropertiesha-vebeenobservedandtestedmainlyonAlSibaedalloys,moreoveraxialfatiguetestshavebeendoneonsuitableseriesof samples.,usingaservo-hydraulicmachine.Asspecimens forbothfatigueandmechanicaltestshavebeendrawndirectlyfromproductioncomponents,samplesdimensionswerethemaximumallowedbycomponentdimensions.Onthetransversalsectionsofsamplesthemetallographicanalysishasbeenperformed,forthemeasurementsofsizeandmicrostructuralconstituents,suchassecondarydendritearmspacingandporosity,havebeencarriedoutbymeansofopticalmicroscopy,supportedbyanimageanalysissoftware.

12.10 MicrostructurevspropertiescorrelationinAl-Sicastalloys F.Grosselle,G.Timelli,F.Bonollo,A.Tiziani-UniversitàdiPadova,Vicenza,Italy E.DellaCorte-Enginsoft,Padova,Italy ThepaperspresentsaninvestigationonmechanicalbehaviourofcastAlalloys,asafunction

ofmicrostructureandprocessinghistory.EN-AB46000and46100alloyshavebeengravitycastusingastep-barpermanentmould.Microstructuralinvestigationshavebeencarriedout,leadingtotheevaluationofvariousquantitativeparameters,suchasSDASorcellsizeofα-Alphase,averagearea,length,roundnessandaspectratioofeutecticSiparticles,amountofpri-maryα-Alphaseandofeutectic,respectively.Resultswereobtainedforstepsofthickness5,10,15and20mm.Microstructuralparametershavebeencorrelated,ononeside,withtheresul-tscomingfromthenumericalsimulationofthecastingprocess(coolingrate,localsolidificationtime)and,ontheother,withthemechanicalbehaviourofthecastalloys(YS,UTS,elongation).Ingeneral,porositylevel,SDASanddimensionsofeutecticsiliconparticlesincreasedwithsec-tionthicknessand,consequently,mechanicalpropertiesdecreased.Inaddition,asatisfactoryagreementbetweensimulationandexperimentaldatahasbeenfound.

12.30 AboutpropertiesofaluminiumbasedcomponentsobtainedthroughLiquidForgingprocess

M.Rosso,I.Peter-PolitecnicodiTorino,Torino,Italy D.Innocente-CentroRicercheFiat,Orbassano,Italy P.Claus-Tecnopres,Chieri,Italy G.Tonno-FomtSpa,Grugliasco,Italy R.Molina-TeksidAluminum,Carmagnola,Italy Thepaperdealsaboutanewpatentedprocessabletotheproductionofhighresistanceand

hightoughnessparts,takingintoconsiderationalsothetoolingneed.Themoltenalloyisintro-ducedintothediecavityatlowpressure,thenthealloyisforged.Theforgingactiontakesplaceduringthealloysolidificationprocess,favouringthereductionofthedurationoftheprocess

14

andtheproductionofpartscharacterisedbyveryhighmechanicalandductilityproperties.Theveryhighmechanicalcharacteristicsof theproducedpartsareobtained thank to theirvery lowporositycontent,aswell as to theiruniquemicrostructure features.Moreover, theprocessallowtheoptimisationoftheyieldofthealloy,infactthefeedingsystemandtheri-sersarepracticallyabsent,thismeansminimumproductionofscrapstoberecycled.Afterashortdescriptionofthemainfeaturesoftheequipmentandoftheprocess,theworktakeintoconsiderationthealuminiumbasedproducedparts, in theirascaststateandafterT6heattreatment,comparingtheircharacteristicswiththoseobtainablebythemosttraditionallowpressureandgravitycastingprocesses.Inparticular,samplesfortheevaluationofthetensi-leandimpactmechanicalpropertieshavebeenmachinedfromtheproducedpartstoobtaintheirtensilestrengthandimpactresistance,togetherwiththeirductilitycharacteristics.Themaximumattainedhardnessvalueshavealsobeenevaluated.Tensilestrengthhigherthan440MPa,withelongationupto18%withhardnesshigherthan125HBareeasilyattainableonAlalloystypeA356.Lightmicroscopyobservationsperformedonthetransversesectionofpolishedsamplesandtheanalysisofthefracturesurfacesaftermechanicaltestsallowedtofocustheattentiononthemicrostructuredetailsandtohighlighttheductileaspectsofthefracturetoconfirmthehighqualityandhighperformanceoftheproducedparts.

12.50 Lunch

14.00 Aprobabilisticapproachformodellingoffractureinmagnesiumdie-castings

C.Dørum,D.Dispinar,T.Berstad-SintefMaterialsandChemistry,Oslo,Norway O.S.Hopperstad-NTNU,Trondheim,Norway Quasi-staticmaterial tests using specimens cut froma generic cast component havebeen

performedtoestablishadatabaseofthemechanicalbehaviourofthehigh-pressurediecastmagnesiumalloyAM60. Inthiswork,theexperimentaldatahasbeenappliedtoestablishavalidatedprobabilisticmethodologyforfiniteelementmodellingofthin-walleddiecastingssu-bjectedtoquasi-staticloading.Thematerialtestspecimensaremodelledintheexplicitfiniteelement(FE)codeLS-DYNAusingshellelements.ThecastmagnesiumalloyAM60ismodelledusinganelastic-plasticconstitutivemodelconsistingofahigh-exponent,isotropicyieldcrite-rion,theassociatedflowlawandanisotropichardeningrule.Anewprobabilisticapproachformodellingoffractureinthin-walledmagnesiumdie-castingsusingfiniteelementanalysisisdeveloped. Theapproachcombines theductile fracturecriterionproposedbyCockcroftandLathamwiththeclassicalWeibulltheory.Comparisonbetweentheexperimentalandpredictedbehaviourofthecastmagnesiumspecimensgivesverypromisingresults.

14.20 EffectofartificialageingoncreepbehaviourofZemak5die-castingalloy A.Pola,G.Cornacchia,R.Roberti-UniversitàdegliStudidiBrescia,Brescia,

Italy D.Rollez,M.Gilles-NyrstarR&D,Balen,Belgium Highpressurediecastingisawellknownandcosteffectivetechnologyforproducingcheap

andaccuratepartsinzincalloys.Theadvantageofthisfineaccuracyis,however,oftenlostduetothebadcreepperformanceofthehexagonalstructureofthezincalloys.Zinccomponentsobtainedbyhighpressuredie-castingalsosufferfromthevariationoftheirmechanicalperfor-manceswithtimebecauseofnaturalageingeffectthatinducesaredistributionofmetastable

phases.ConcerningcreepbehaviourofZamak5alloy,itwasobservedthatthetotalstraindu-ringprimarycreepisinfluencedbyageingtimes;particularlyitdecreasescontinuouslytillanasymptoticvalueforthelongestageingtimes.Theaimofthispaperistoasseswhether,duringcreeptests,mayoccurconcurrentartificialageingthatinterfereswiththecreepbehaviourofthealloy.Forthisreason,differentartificialageingtimesandtemperatureswereinvestigatedinordertoreachsteadystatemicrostructureandmechanicalpropertiesandsubsequentlytocomparethemwiththestandardparametersusedduringzincalloyscreeptest.Theartificialageingtemperaturesabletoinfluencecreepbehaviourwerefoundtobehigherthanthosenor-mallyprescribedformechanicaltrials.

14.40 Controlleddiffusionsolidification:applicationtometalcasting K.Symeonidis,D.Apelian,M.M.Makhlouf-MetalProcessingInstituteWPI,

Worcester,USA In theControlledDiffusionSolidificationProcesstwoprecursoralloysofcontrolledcomposi-

tionandtemperaturearemixedresultinginapredominantlyglobularmicrostructurewithouttheuseofanygrain refiners.TheundercoolingexperiencedandtheoperatingsolidificationmechanismduringCDShasbeenstudied.Theformationoftheglobularmicrostructureisgrea-tlyrelatedtothedensityoftheprimarycrystals,whichinturnisrelatedtothedegreeofunder-cooling.Thedevelopedmodelpointstothecritical(aswellasoptimum)processparametersinordertoattainhighlyrefinedglobularmicrostructure;coolingrateanddegreeofmixingbeingthetwoimportantvariables.Thepredictionsofthemodelaredirectlycomparedtoexperimen-taldatacollectedfortheAl-Cusystem.Theresultswillbereviewedanddiscussedalongwithimplications.

15.00 POSTERREVIEWANDBESTPOSTERAWARD

15.20 Coffeebreak

1�

sessIon DesIgn AnD AppLICATIons of DIeCAsT ComponenTs

Chairmen:G.Valentini,J.Jorstad

15.35 Aluminumdiecastingrapidtooling:stateoftheartandinnovativeapproaches C.Mus-MPIResearchAssociate,Aosta,Italy Die cast and thin-walled HPDC structural components for automotive applications require

soundknowledgeduringpart/cardesignandproductionprocessset-upaimedatdefiningca-stingpropertiesandperformances.Thereisaneedofrepresentativeprototypesintheearlydesignphase.Thoseprototypeshavetobeasmuchaspossiblesimilartothefinalprocesscomponentbothondimensionalfeaturesandmechanicalpropertiesinordertoavoidmislea-dingtestingevaluationthatmay involvecostlydesign/processchanges intheoptimizationloop.Ontopofthis,innowadaysproductdevelopment,thereisaneedofreducingthetimetomarket.Rapidprototypingtechniquesareprevalent inmodernmanufacturingmethods.Forfoundryproducts,rapidtoolingtechniquesarealsobecomingprevalentinreducingleadtimeandyieldingmetallicdies,abletoprovidehighsolidificationrateofthecoolinginjectedalloyanddimensionalrepeatability(bothinwallthicknessandoverallcastingsizes).Themanufac-turingofcomplexHPDCdiesisanexpensiveandtimeconsumingprocess.Roughmachiningofforgedsteelblocks,drillingofthermo-regulatingcircuits,EDMofcavitiesdetailsandfinalassemblywithsurfacefinishing,completedwithhandpolishingoperationstypicallyrequiresseveralweekstodeliverlargeHPDCdies.Manyeffortsareinplacetodevelopalternativetech-niquestoproduceshorterdeliveryHDPCdiesabletosuccessfullycompromisedielife,partsqualityandtime.Astateoftheartofavailabletechniquesandanoverlookoninnovativeap-proachesonrapidtoolingwillbegivenandcompletedwithcasestudies.

1�.00 Diecastcoppermotorrotors:energysavingefficiency&economicfeasibility J.Jorstad-JLJTechnologiesInc,Richmond,USA M.Thieman-THTPressesInc,Dayton,USA Replacingaluminumwith copper in thedie cast squirrel cageconductorbars inelectric in-

ductionmotorrotorshasenormouspotentialbenefitintermsofimprovedefficiency,energysavings,reducedmaintenanceandreducedweightandcost.Themajordeterrenttothatcon-versionhasbeentheshorttoollifeassociatedwithcastingmoltencopper;however,researchsponsoredbytheCopperDevelopmentAssociationidentifiedrecommendedtoolmaterialsandcastingpracticesthatsignificantlyimprovetoollife.THTPresses,Inc.hasdevelopedaverticaldiecastingmachine,designespeciallyespeciallyforcastingmotorrotors,andhavedemon-stratedcapabilitytocastawiderangeofcopperalloysandmotorsizesonthatequipment.THT’sSubLiquidus rheocastingprocessprovides futureopportunity forevenbetter tool lifewhendiecastingcopperalloys.

1�.20 Newchallengesanddirectionsforhighpressurediecastmagnesium L.Zaffaina,F.Bonollo-UniversitàdiPadova,Vicenza,Italy R.Alain-MeridianTechnologiesInc. Magnesium,beingthelighteststructuralmaterial,isattractivewheneverweightisaproblem.

Transportindustryislookingforsolutionstodealwithincreasingenergycostandpollution:themainwayistomakelightvehicles.Applicationofmagnesiumalloysisextendingtomanynew

componentsandengineershavetodealwithmaterial’sweaknesssuchascreepresistance,corrosionprotectionandflammability.Thisworkisanattempttoplotthedirectionsoftheon-goingdevelopmentsonapplications’frontier.

1�.40 Combininginnovationandriskswhileassuringhighperformancesandcostreductions:thedesigner’schoices

S.Magrini-CNHSpa,Modena,Italy E.Costa,E.Ferri,G.Donzelli-Cermet-Sez.ISML,CadrianodiGranarolo,Italy Thedesignerroleiscrucialinthelifeofabusiness,butnotalwaysitisunderstoodinallits

implications. Infactthedesigner isrequestedtoaccomplishtasksandtakeresponsibilitiesregarding:

-Compliance with the component/group/system functionality specifications (performancesanddurability)

-Compliancewiththebindingregulations(conformitywithlaws,directivesandrules) -Compliancewiththebusinesspoliciessocialresponsibility,sustainability,etc.) -Compliancewiththecostspecifications(costreduction) Governingallthesecategoriesmightbeextremelycomplexandthis,untiltherecentpast,lead

totheadoptionofabasicallyconservativeapproach,turnedto“polishing”theimplementationdetails of consolidatedproductsandobtainingsomemarginal profit,without leavingmuchscopeformoreoriginalsolutionsconsideredtooriskyapriori.Thegrowingcompetitionontheinternationalmarketwith non-European competitors has drastically changed the referencescenario, leadingtoan increasinglygreaterpressure towards the researchof technologicalsolutionsabletogenerateformsofcompetitiveadvantageontheproductscomingfromthegrowing economies. This innovation has considerablymodified the approach that the desi-gnershavetotakewhentheyareinvolvedinacompetitionrecoveryprogram(costreduction):theconservativereasoningbasedonthedevelopmentofsmallmarginalupdatingisnolongerwinning;therefore,thedesignersskillstotaketheirunconventionalchoicesshallbeenhancedastheyarerighttohittheplannedtargets.Thisscenarioconfirmshowtheinnovationinthematerialsandrelatedtechnologies isofprimary importanceasastrategic factor to remaincompetitiveintheshortandmediumtermfuture.Asacasetobestudiedforthisnewscena-rio,wehaveincludedinthepaperanapplicationreferredtotheagriculturalmachinerysectorwhere,throughacarefulredesigningwork,wesucceededindevelopingasafetycomponent(clutchpedal),traditionallybuiltupwiththeassemblybyarcweldingofcarbonsteelblankparts,usingdie-castaluminumalloys.Thishasallowed,keepinganequalresistancetotheexpectedworkingstresses,tointegrateseveralfunctionalpartsinonlyoneelement,thusim-provingthefit-for-purposedegreeofthecomponentandbringingsignificantadvantagesfromthepointofviewofcostreduction,suchastoputthenewcomponentintoproduction.Takingasstartingpointthesurroundingelementsthathavecharacterizedthisexperience,thepaperalsoincludessomemethodologicalconsiderationsonthenewchallengesthatthedesignersshall faceandaboutthe importanceofanadequateknowledgeofthe“innovative”materialpropertiesandoftherelevanttechnologicaltransformationprocesses.

17.00 Squeezecastautomotiveapplicationsanddesignconsiderations Z.Brown,C.Barnes,J.Bigelow-ContechU.S.,Kalamazoo,USA P.Dodd-ContechUK,Welshpool,UnitedKingdom Withincreasingemphasisonvehicleweightreduction,thedemandforlighterweightautomo-

tivecomponentscontinuestoincrease.Squeezecastingisanestablishedshape-castingpro-

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cessthatiscapableofproducinglight-weight,highintegrity,automotivecomponentsthatcanbeusedforstructuralapplications.Inrecentyearsthesqueezecastingprocesshasbeenusedwithvariousaluminumalloystoproducenear-netshapecomponentsrequiringhighstrength,ductility,pressuretightnessorhighwearresistance[1].Squeezecastinghasproventobeaneconomicalcastingprocessforhighvolumeapplicationsandoffersdesignandmaterialsengi-neersanalternativetoconventionalcastingprocessessuchasgravitypermanentmold(GPM),lowpressurediecasting(LPDC),sandcastaluminum/iron,andconventionalhighpressurediecasting(HPDC).ThispaperdescribesContech’ssqueezecastingtechnology(P2000TM)andprovidesexamplesofhighvolumeautomotivecomponentsmanufacturedatContech.Thispaperalsoincludesproductdesignconsiderations,anoverviewofprocesssimulationtechni-ques,acomparisonofmechanicalproperties,andcasestudiesforselectautomotivecompo-nents.

17.20 Diecastingforchassiscomponents V.Ilotte-Fonderie2A,Santena,Italy In2006Volvo3PNorthAmericalaunchedarequestforquotationforsomecomponentofits

newchassis.Thesepartsarethebracketswhichareholdingtheradiatorsinthetruck.Theirmainfunctionistosustaintheradiatorunderthenormalsolicitationsoftheroadandundertheaccidentalones.“fonderie2a”,foundryspecializedintheproductionofsmall,mediumandlargedie-castedcomponents,wasoneofthepartnerwhichVolvo3Pinquired.Itsproposalcon-sistedindevelopingapieceobtainedbyaluminiumhighpressuredie-casting.Thissolutionshowedasignifi!canteconomicgaininthefinalcostofthecomponent.Ithasthenbeendeci-dedtolaunchafirststudyinordertoentermoreinthedetailofthesolutionproposed.“fonderie2a”hadtoengineertheparts,takingintoconsiderationthespecificationsofVolvo3Pinthefieldsofmechanicalstrength,reliabilityandmountability.Inordertoanswertotheserequests,“fonderie2a”firstdesignedthepiecesinordertofindacompromisebetweenhighpressurediecastingrequirementsandVolvo3Pspecifications.Oncefoundthebestdesign,“fonderie2a”proposedthebestalloyforsuchapplicationtogetherwithaspecificheattreatmentinordertoimprovethemechanicalpropertiesofthepartsandvalidateditbyFEMsimulation.Attheend,“fonderie2a”realisedthefirstprototypeswhichhavebeentestedondifferentplatforms:thefinalresultsshowedthatthenewpiecescanfulfilVolvo3P’srequirements.Followingtheseve-rypositiveresults,Volvo3Pdecidedtohomologatethisnewapplicationandintroducedthemonitstrucks.

17.40 Predictionofthedeformationofanautomotivedoorpanelcastingusingsimulation

M.Aloe-CalcomESISA,Lausanne,Switzerland Theabstractisnotavailable

18.00 ClosureoftheConference

posTer

X-Raydiffractionappliedtotheanalysisofsurfaceresidualstressesinaluminiumdiecastingmouldsanditsrelationtoheatchecking

A.Argüelles,J.M.Artimez,R.Coto-CentroTecnológicodelAceroyMaterialesMetálicos,Avilés,Spain

A.Martinez,E.Carreira,J.Romero-FundacióASCAMM,CerdanyoladelVallès,Spain F.J.Belzunce-UniversidaddeOviedo,Oviedo,Spain Thesurfaceofdiecastingmoulds issubjected to thermalcyclesspanningawide rangeof

temperaturesinshortperiodsoftime.Asaconsequence,thermalfatiguecrackingusuallyoc-curs.Cracks,orheatchecks,initiateastheresultofsuccessiveexpansionsandcontractions,sometimesaccompaniedbymicrostructural changes. Theseactions induce tensile residualstresseswhich,inturn,promotetheinitiationofcracksatthemouldsurface.Eventhoughsuchcracksdonotaffectthemouldintegrity,theybecomeanimportantproblemastheydecreasethesurfacequalityofinjectedproducts.Theirdimensionsrangefromseveralmicrometersto2mminlength,andfromlessthan1mmtomorethat50mmindepth.Residualstressesindiecastingmouldsarenotonlyproducedduringservicebutevenduringtheirfabricationproces-ses.Theknowledgeofresidualstressesaccumulatedatthediecastingmouldsurfacecouldleadtothepredictionofheatchecking.Thus,themouldcouldbechangedbeforetheproductsqualitywasaffected. Inthissense,anon-destructive,fastandpreciseenoughtechniqueisneededforthein-situmeasurementsofresidualstresses.Takingintoaccountsuchcriteria,X-raydiffractionhasbeenselected.Thepresentworkwasdevotedtotheanalysisofsurfacere-sidualstressbyXraydiffractioninausedmouldsubjectedtoagreatnumberofthermalcycles.Bymeansofthistechniqueandwiththeaidofmetallographicanalysis,therelationbetweensurfaceresidualstressesandfatiguecrackswasanalysed,lookingforamaximumthresholdvalueofstressthatallowedustoanticipatethefailureofthemould.Fromthisstudy,suitabilityofX-raydiffractionasananalyticaltechniqueforpredictingsurfacequalityofmouldsbeforefailurewasevaluated.

Themicrostructure,porosityandmechanicalpropertiesofAE44magnesiumdiecastings

T.Rzychon,A.Kielbus-SilesianUniversityofTechnology,Katowice,Poland Theneedforweightreductioninaerospaceandautomobileindustrieshasstimulatedengi-

neersandscientiststodevelopthenewmaterials fortheseapplications.AZ91,AM50andAM60magnesiumalloysarefrequentlyemployedtomanufacturecomponentsforautomo-tivesectors.However,theirapplicationsarerestrictedwhenthetemperaturesurpasses130°C.Rareearthelementsareaddedto themagnesiumalloys, inorder to improvetheirele-vatedtemperatureproperty.Recently,HydroMagnesiumhasdevelopedanewHPDCalloy,AE44(4%Aland4%RE),whichhasattractivehightemperaturemechanicalproperties,die-castabilityandcorrosionresistance.TheAE44magnesiumalloyhasbeenpouredinahotchamberhighpressurediecastingmachinewithametallicmold.Theprocessparameters(plungervelocityin2ndphase,melttemperature,dietemperature)havebeenvariedtoun-derstandtheprocess-microstructureandprocess-mechanicalpropertiesrelationships.Op-ticalmicroscopy(OlympusGX-70),scanningelectronmicroscopy(HitachiS3400)andX-raydiffraction(PhilipsX’Pert)wereusedtoexaminethemicrostructureofthisalloy.Theporosi-

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tywascalculatedbycomparingofthetheoreticalandmeasureddensityandbyquantitativemetallography.TensiletestingwascarriedoutonascrewdrivenInstronmachineatroomandelevatedtemperature.ThemicrostructureofAE44alloyconsistsofequiaxedgrainsofα-Mgsolidsolutionwith lamellarofAl11RE3andglobularAl2RE intermetallicphases.Theincreaseofplungervelocityin2ndphaseresultsintheincreaseofgasporosityandinthedecreaseofgrainsize,volume fractionof intermetallicphases, tensilestrengthandyieldstrength.ThechangeofmeltanddietemperaturehasnotinfluenceonthemicrostructureandmechanicalpropertiesofAE44alloy.

Productionofaluminum-siliciumalloywheelsbylowpressurediecastinginArgentina

M.R.Ricci-Melt.R&DMetallurgicalCenter,Campana,Argentine TheleaderproducerofAl-SiwheelsinArgentinaforOEMbylowpressurediecasting,requesta

consultantinordertoincreaseperformanceoftheproductioncycleandqualityofdiecasts.Itwasdonesuccessfully.TheywerenotabletoachievetheASTME155standardsofproductionspecificationsthatestablishedtheformanddistributionofdefectsobservedbymeansofXrays100%controlontheline.Theyreacheddownto30%ofscrapwheels,andASTME155tole-ratesupto10%.Itwasappliedthecause/effectmethodofIsikawafishbonediagram,accordingwithproducerpoliticofcontinuequalityimproveaim.Theanalysismethodincludedalsome-tallographicanalysis,simulationoflowpressurediecastingwithLOWPRESSUREINTERFACETM.Theprognosistookcareoftransferknowledgeofmetallurgicaltechnologytothepersonnel.Theprocedurewasnovelfortheargentinefoundrysectorandcausedaremarkableincreaseintechnologicalqualityandmanagement.Basically,thesolutionresultedinthemodificationofproductionparametersoflowpressuremachines,timesandmethodsofproductioncycle.Itwasachievedamaximumscrapof6%,higherattimesoftheEuropeanOEMproducers,saybyOEMinspectors.

Anewreferencedieformechanicalpropertiesevaluationindiecasting Part1-Designandprocessoptimisation G.Timelli,F.Grosselle-UniversitàdiPadova,Vicenza,Italy F.Voltazza-Toolcast,Brugine,Italy E.DellaCorte-Enginsoft,Padova,Italy Evaluationofmechanicalpropertiesinhigh-pressuredie-castingisarelevantissue,which

isnotfullycoveredbyexistingInternationalStandards.Thispaperpresentsthedesignandthesetupofareference-die,tobeusedfortheproductionofcastingssuitableforvariouskindsof technological tests. Theselectionofprocessingparameters, carriedoutwith thehelpofnumericalsimulationandofNDTtechniques(radiographicinspections,I.R.camera),isdescribed.

Anewreferencedieformechanicalpropertiesevaluationindiecasting Part2-Microstructuralinvestigationsandtensiletesting G.Timelli,F.Grosselle,F.Bonollo-UniversitàdiPadova,Vicenza,Italy F.Voltazza-Toolcast,Brugine,Italy L.Capra-RMC,Brescia,Italy Cast to shape specimens have been produced using a multicavity reference-die. EN-AB

46000 and 46100 alloys have been high-pressure die-cast. Themoltenmetal has been

submitted todifferentdegassing treatments.About400pieceshavebeenproducedwithsystematicvariationsofprocessparameterssuchasplungerspeedandcommutationpointbetweenfirstandsecondphase.Microstructuralinvestigationshavebeencarriedoutonre-presentativespecimenswherethethicknessrangedfrom6to1mm.Theamountofprimaryα-Al phase has been evaluated and it is observed to increasewith increasing specimenthickness.Ingeneralsurfaceregionsshowaloweramountofα-Alphasethanthecentrallocationofspecimens.Furthermore,acompletemechanicalcharacterisationhasbeenper-formedonflattensilespecimensandit isshownhowmechanicalpropertiesdependuponprocessparameters.

EnhancementsofHPDCdiesresistancetroughthermalbarriersand/orPVDnanocoatings

D.Ugues,E.Torres,M.Rosso-PolitecnicodiTorino,Torino,Italy WearandfailureofHPDCtoolinginvolveacomplexinteractionbetweenvariousmechanisms.

Inparticularwearandheatcheckingcausefailureduetodifferentphenomena,forexampletotheso-calledwashoutdamagesonworkingdiesurfaces,beingattributedtoerosion,corro-sionandsoldering;howeverthermalfatiguecouldbethemostimportantfailuremodeindiecastingapplications.Differenttoolingmaterialsandsuitableheattreatmentsareavailableforthemanufacturingofhighperformancediesandtools,bothplayanimportantroletocontrastthethermalfatiguedamages.Thepaperdiscussthemost importantfeaturesrelatedtotheoptimalchoiceamongtheavailablehotworkingalloysandtheoptimisationoftheirheattreat-mentsfortheHPDCapplications.Moreover,furtherimprovementsoftoolingperformancescanbeattainedthanktosuitablecoatings.Inparticular,theuseofwearresistantthermalbarriersappliedbyadvancedthermalspraytechnologiescangiveastrongcontributiontotheincreaseofdielifeandperformances.DifferenttypeofthermalsprayedcoatingsfortheprotectionofHPDCdiesareherepresented;thesampleshavebeenobtainedbyplasmaandHVOFprocessesandtheresultsofwearandheatcheckingtestsareherediscussed.Moreover,thesectorofsurfacethinPVDcoatingsisconstantlyenhancinginordertomeettheincreasingdemandforimprovedperformancesoftooling.AdvancedPVDcoatingsaredesignedtowithstandseveremechanicalandthermalstressconditions.ACrAlSiNnanostructuredcoatingsystemwasde-positedonthebasematerial,modulatingthechemicalcompositionsoastoincreaseeitherthechromiumorthealuminium-siliconcontent.Experimentalsampleshavebeenobtainedtotesthardnessproperties,wearandheatcheckingresistances.Theobtainedresultsandthemainmicrostructuralfeaturesareherepresentedanddiscussed.

AninvestigationonthediffusionbondingabilityofWC-Niceramic-metalcomposites

A.Erol,A.Yonetken,M.Cakmakkaya-AfyonkarahisarKocatepeUniversity,Afyonkarahisar

Inthisstudy,theproductionofparticlereinforcedceramic-metalcompositesandtheirdiffu-sionbondinghavebeencarriedout.WCreinforcementparticleswereNiplatedbyelectrolesstechnique.Twosetsofspecimenswereprepared;firstgroupofspecimenwasproducedfromWCandNipowderswhichwereseperatelyusedforsinteringandsecondgroupofspecimenwe-reproducedfromWCpowderswhichwereNiplatedbyelectrolesstechnqiueandthensintered.Specimenscomposedof70wt%WCand30wt%Niweresinteredattemperaturerange900°C-1300°CunderAratmosphere.Anattempttodiffusionbondofspecimenssinteredat1200°Cweresuccesfullat1170°CunderAratmosphere.Averagehardnessvalueswere found tobe

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259HVand346HVforfirstandsecondgroupofspecimens,respectively,thatweredeterminedbytakingmeasurementfrom15differentpoints.Hardnessmeasurmentsshowedthatthehar-dnessvalueincreasesasthedistancetobondlinedec!reases.Inaddition,itwasshownthatthehardnessvaluesforthespecimensproducedfromelectrolessNiplatedWCpowdershavehigherhardnessvaluescomparedtoothersetofspecimens.ThebondlineofdiffusionbondedspecimenswereexaminedusingopticalandScanningElectronMicroscope.

Role,functionsandheattransferofdiecoatinginthealuminumdiecastingprocess

G.Muneratti-FosecoSrl,Vermezzo,Italy Numericalmodellingofheattransferinthecastingprocesscanrevealthelikelyoccurrence

ofdefectssuchassolidificationshrinkage.However,foraccuratemodelsofsolidificationitisnecessarytohaveaccuratedatawithwhichtosolvetheproblem.Thismeansnotonlyaccu-ratevaluesforthethermalconductivity,specificheatcapacity,densityandlatentheatfortheparticularalloyunderconsideration,butalsoaccuratevaluesfortheheattransfercoefficient,h, thatdescribes theboundaryconditionof themathematicalproblem, i.e.,how theheat istransferredfromthecastingtothemould.Althoughvariousaspectsofthepermanentmouldcastingprocesshavebeenstudiedanddeveloped,suchasalloyselection,machineautoma-tion,runnersandfeedersdesign,etc.,littleattentionhasbeengiventotheproducts(andtheirproperties)andmethodsforpreparingthesurfaceofthedie.Afterabriefdescriptionoftheroleandfunctionsofdiecoatings,thispaperresumesarecentworkdevelopedforFosecoInt.byGriffithsandKawaiofBirminghamUniversity,whichinvestigatedheattransferduringthediecastingofAlalloyswherethediesarecoatedwithdifferentcommercialdiecoatings.Exa-minationofthecasting-coateddiesteelinterfaceinexperimentsintendedtoduplicategravitydiecastingconditionshasledtoanimprovedunderstandingoftheheattransfermechanismduringcastingsolidification.EvaluationofthesemechanismshasledtoequationstopredicttheheattransfercoefficientinAldiecastingthatcanleadtoimprovedsolidificationmodelling.Thisestimationof theheat transfercoefficienthasshownthe important roleplayedbytheoccurrenceofalayerofairtrappedbetweenthecastingandcoatingsurfacesthatisrespon-sibleforthemajorityoftheinsulationatthecasting-dieinterfaceduringcastingsolidification.ThethermophysicalpropertiesofthemajorFosecoDycotehasbeenincludedintheFosecoProModule,apackagethatcanbeusedassociatedwithMagmainordertoobtainaccuratesimulation.

ALSPEKMQ:adevicetoindicatethecleanlinessofanAluminiummelt R.Kendrick-FosecoFSLtd,Tamworth,UnitedKingdom Theexpectationoftheperformanceofmanytypesofcastingscontinuestogrowandsothe

qualityrequirementsofthecastingsthemselvesmustimprove.Foundriesresponsetimeandstockarealsobeingreducedandsorightfirsttimebecomesagiven.Toensurecastingsareconsistentandpredictablethereisagrowingrealizationthatcriticalparameterssuchasmetalcleanlinessmustbemeasuredpriortocasting.Thereareexisting,acceptedmethodsformea-suringthecleanlinessofanAluminiummeltbutthesecanbebothslowandcostly.ALSPEKMQhasbeendevelopedtoofferthefoundryapractical,simple,rapidandmeaningfulmethodofmeasuringandbenchmarkingthecleanlinessofanAluminiummelt.ALSPEKMQgeneratesaMetalQualityIndex(MQI)inlessthanaminuteatanaffordablecost.A1.5kgsampleistesteddirectlyinthebathwithnolossofmetal.ALSPEKMQcanbeusedtocompareAluminiummeltsindifferentstagesofpreparationgeneratingaMQI,whichfoundriescanuseaspartoftheirprocesscontrolandqualitycontrolprocedure.

Thefirstpartbeforediecastinginmagnesium R.Poss,H-P.Reichel-LMPV,Karlsruhe,Germany DiecastingofMagnesiumalloysisnotsomethingreallynew,buthowcanyoubesurethat

thecomponentfitsinyoursystemandwilldoititswork?Ifyouareworkingwithaluminiumyoutakeapieceofaluminiumandmachineit.Thanyoucanchecktheproperties.ButwheredoIgetmagnesiumplatesformaching?Weproducemagnesiumplatesandwroughtproductsandwecanmachinethemtopartsforacompletsystem.WealsocanweldMagnesimparts,evencastedparts.Ourpresentationwillgiveyouan ideawhatyoucandobeforeyoustartyourmagnesiumdiecastingproduction.Whentheproductionisrunningwearesearchingforanewtask.Andwealsocanrepairoldpartswhicharenotanymoreproduced.LMPV,L=Light,M=Metal,P=ProductionandV=Machining,Germanwordfor“Verarbeitung”.

TheinfluenceofdiecastingparametersonmicrostructureandmechanicalpropertiesofAJ62magnesiumalloy

A.Kielbus-SilesianUniversityofTechnology,Katowice,Poland TheAJ62magnesiumalloyexhibitgoodelevated-temperaturetensileproperties,excellentcreep

resistanceandgoodcastability.Thisalloycontainsapproximately6%aluminumandabout2,5%strontium.Typically,itisusedinautomotiveindustryfortheenginecrankcaseandpower-traincomponents.ThestudywasconductedonMg-6Al-2Sr-0.5Mnalloy(AJ62).Diecastingwascarriedouton280tonelockingforcehot-chamberdiecastingmachine.Forthemicrostructureobserva-tion,aOlympusGX+70metallographicmicroscopeandaHITACHIS-3400Nscanningelectronmi-croscopewithaThermoNoranEDSspectrometerequippedwithSYSTEMSIXwereused.ThephaseidentificationofthesealloyswasidentifiedbyX-raydiffraction(JDX-75).TheexaminationofthemechanicalpropertieswasconductedonanInstronmachineattwotemperatures:ambientand175¢XC.Afterhot-chamberdie-casting,onlythe(Al,Mg)4Sreutectic+solidsolutionƒÑandtheglobularprecipitateoftheMn5Al8phasewereobserved.Incastingswiththickerwalls,amassiveAl3Mg13Srphasewasalsopresent.ThepresenceofthemassiveAl3Mg13Srphasedependsonthesolidificationrate.Variationsofplungervelocityin2ndphasehavethesignificanteffectonporosityformationandmechanicalproperties.Theincreaseofplungervelocityledtodecreaseofmechanicalpropertiesduetoinreaseofcastingporosity.

Ultrasounds:anewtechnologyforalloysdegassing,grainrefinementandobtainmentofathixotropicstructure

A.Pola,A.Arrighini,R.Roberti-UniversitàdegliStudidiBrescia,Brescia,Italy Theobtainmentofamicrostructurefreeofporosityandcharacterizedbyfinegrainsensureshi-

ghmechanicalperformancesofcastingcomponents.Basedonthisassumption,manyresourceshavebeenfrequentlyspent for the improvementofgrainrefinementanddegassingtreatmentsusuallyperformedonalloysduringfoundryprocesses.Highpressuredie-castingpieces,moreover,sufferfromporosityinducedbythefluidflowturbulencesoriginatedintheinjectionphase.Diffe-renttechnologies,assemisolidprocess,havebeenstudiedinordertoavoid,oratleastreduce,airentrapmentduringdiefilling,enhancingcastingsquality.Ultrasoundwavesappliedtofluidscreatecavitationphenomena:inliquidmetalstheycauseanincreaseofthenumberofthesolidificationnuclei,withthesubsequentobtainmentofafinegrainmicrostructurethatinvolveshighermecha-nicalproperties.Theaimofthisstudyistodemonstratehowtheapplicationofultrasonicwaves,characterizedbyproperfrequency,onliquidaluminiumandzincalloyscanstronglymodifytheirmi-crostructure,intermsbothofgrainrefinement,withoutadditionofexpensiveinoculants(asTiB2),andofgasporosityreduction.Cavitationphenomena,infact,canenactadegassing,becauseofthe

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coalescenceofgasbubblesinsidetheliquidthat,increasingintheirsize,caneasilyescapefromthemelt.Anultrasonicequipmentwasproperlymanufacturedinordertoallowthetreatmentofliquidmetals;differenttestswerecarriedoutonthemoltenalloys,changingworkingtemperatures,ultrasoundapplicationtimes,mouldsetc.Alltheproducedsampleswerecompletelycharacterizedbymetallographicinvestigationsinordertoevaluatetheeffectofprocessparametersoncastingsquality.Ultrasonictreatmentwasalsoappliedtosolidifyingalloystoverifyitsapplicabilityinprodu-cingfeedstockmaterialsforthixocastingasanalternativeandenvironmentalsafesystemtothecommercialones.Comparisonsbetweensamplesproducedviamechanicalandultrasonicstirringwereperformedinordertoevaluatethepotentialityofthenewtechnologyused.Metallographicanalysismadeonsemisolidsamplesshowed,finally,abettermicrostructure,intermsofglobuleshapeandsize,fortheultrasoundtreatedcastingsthanthoseproducedbytraditionalmethod.

Classificationcriteriafordefectsindiecastcomponents E.Gariboldi-PolitecnicodiMilano,Milano,Italy M.Rosso-PolitecnicodiTorino,Torino,Italy F.Bonollo-UniversitàdiPadova,Vicenza,Italy ThepaperdescribestheworkcarriedoutbytheWG“Qualityofdie-castingparts”oftheDie-

casting technicalcommitteeof ItalianAssociationofMetallurgy. Themainkindsofdefectsoriginatedindiecastingprocessesarereviewedanddescribedintermsoforigin,morphology,possiblecorrectiveactions.Someclassificationcriteriaareproposed,withtheaimsofmakingavailableanusefultoolfordiecastingfoundriesandofimprovingthequalityofproducts.

NewreleaseofanItalianspecificationon“Acceptancecriteriafordiecastingtoolsteelinasdeliveredandheattreatedstate”

D.Ugues-PolitecnicodiTorino,Torino,Italy G.Ceselin-AQMSrl,Provagliod’Iseo,Italy RecentlytheAssociazioneItalianadiMetallurgia(AIM),ItalianAssociationforMetallurgyhadre-

leasedaspecificationconcerningtheacceptancecriteriafordiecastingtoolsteelinasdeliveredandheattreatedstate.Thisdocumentwasdiscussed,preparedandorganizedwithinthe“Co-mitatoPressocolata”(DieCastingCommittee),whichbelongstothemoregeneralAIMAssocia-tion.Theworkinggroupisbasedonexpertisecomingoutfromdifferentfields:toolsteelmakingshop,heattreatment,foundry,testingmaterialslaboratoryanduniversity.Inthepresentpapertheobjectiveofsuchspecification, itsmainfeatures, theaudiencetarget, thecorrelationwithNationalandInternationalStandardsarediscussed.AsfarasthematerialsareconcernedthemostdiffuseddiecastingtoolsteelareconsideredwithaparticularattentiontoCr-Mo-Valloyedhotworktoolsteelswithmediumcarboncontent.Minimumfeaturesfordiecastingtoolsteelsin termsofhardnessandmicrostructure in theannealedandheat treatedstatearedefined.Remarkson theeffectsofdifferentoriginaldimensionsof thesemi-product(forgedbarsandblooms/hotrolledandannealedbars)ontheultimatepropertiesofthedieblockaregiven.Theheattreatmentcheckprocedureisdescribedtogetherwithaclearindicationofminimumlevelstobeachieved.Furthermore,suggestionsforactualheattreatmentpracticewiththepresenceofatestcouponrecordingallthemetallurgicalfeaturesprovidedtotherealtoolarereported.Animportantfeatureofthespecificationisthatsteelclassification(inthreecategories)isbasedonlyonmeasurablefinalminimumcharacteristicsandnotonthespecificfabricationroutese-lectedbyeachsteelproducer.Thesteelqualityisinparticularcontrolledthroughthefollowingcharacteristics:1)chemicalcomposition;2)hardness;3)microcleanliness;4)microstructurehomogeneity;5)carbidesdistribution;6)impacttoughness.

TensileandfatiguebehaviourofanAlSi10Cualloycastundercontrolledsolidificationconditions

L.Ceschini,I.Boromei,A.Morri-UniversitàdiBologna,Bologna S.Seifeddine,I.L.Svensson-JönköpingUniversity-SchoolofEngineering,

Jönköping,Sweden Anumberoftechnicalarticleshavebeenpublishedintheliteratureaboutthecorrelationbetween

microstructureandmechanicalpropertiesofcastA356aluminiumalloy,whilefewdataareavaila-bleonotherhypoeutecticAl-Sialloyswithhighsiliconcontent,suchastheA354.InthisworkthreeAlSi10Cucastingalloys,withdifferentcontentofFe(from0.1to0.5wt%)andMn(from0to0.25wt%)werecast.Aspecialapparatuswasusedtoproducecastsamplesundercontrolledsolidifica-tionconditions,inordertoobtainmicrostructureswithtwovaluesofthesecondarydendritearmspacing(SDAS),equaltoabout8 μmand50 μm.ThecastwereheattreatedattheT6conditionbeforemachiningthetensileandfatiguespecimens.Microstructuralcharacterizationofthealloyswascarriedoutbyoptical(OM)andscanningelectronmicroscopy(SEM)equippedwithenergydi-spersivespectroscopy(EDS).Imageanalyseswereperformedontheopticalmicrographstoevalua-teSDAS,grainsize,aswellassizeanddistributionofthecastingdefects(gasporesandshrinkagecavities).Inordertorelatethesemicrostructuralfeatureswiththemechanicalbehaviourofthete-stedalloys,tensileandrotatingbendingfatiguetestswereperformed.SEManalysesofthebrokenspecimenswerecarriedout,inordertostudythefracturemechanisms.Thestaticmechanicalpro-perties,asyieldstrength,ultimatetensilestrengthandelongationtofracturehavebeenevaluatedfortheselectedalloysandcoolingconditions.Thematerialhasalsobeenevaluatedinrespectofelasticandplasticdeformation.Thefatiguetestsandfractographicanalysesshowedthatcastingdefects,whosesizeanddistributionisstrictlyrelatedtothesolidificationconditionsmainlycontrolthefatiguebehaviour.Highdensityoflargegasporesandshrinkagecavities,wereobservedinthespecimenswiththelargerSDASvalue,of50μm,leadingtoalowfatigueresistance,about60MPa,andawidescatterofdata.Onthecontrary,asignificantlyhighfatigueresistance,about180MPa,wasmeasuredinthespecimenscharacterizedbyalowdensityofsmallcastingdefects,relatedtothelowerSDASvalueof8μm.NosignificantdifferencesbetweenthealloyswithdifferentFeandMncontentwasinsteadobserved,beingdominanttheeffectofthesolidificationdefectsandSDAS.

Processoptimizationflowforthedesignofanenginebracket S.Antonioni,S.DiRosa-CentroRicercheFiat-TrentoBranch,Trento,Italy FiatResearchCenterhasdevelopedamethodologyofintegrateddesignforaprocess/product

optimization.Theapprochinvolvestheuseofprocesssimulationandtopologicaloptimizationinstruments.IntheprocesssimulationphaseaDOEsequenceofselectedinputparameters(initialtemperature,materials,pouringrate...)andasetofobjectives(porosity,thermalstress,fluxvelocity...)aredefined.TheParetosetrelativetotheplanneddesignsiscalculatedandthebestonesallowthereachingofalltheselectedobjectives.Thisprocedureisalsoappliedtothestructuralanalysisinordertodesignthemostsuitablegeometrytofulfillthefunctionalrequirementsofthecomponentitself.Thetwofluxshavetobeintegratedwiththepurposeofdefinitionofanoptimumsolutionintermofprocessandtopologicalapproach.Thisloopcouldberepeateddifferenttimesuntilthesurfaceresponsederivedfromageneticalalgorithallowsthefulfillmentofalltheobjectives.Thismethodologyisreallyinnovative:nowtheprocessandthetopologicalexpertisescouldworkinteamandtheco-designcanberealisticdeveloped.

HowthetreamtechnologycanbeimplementedintoHTDC R.Pederzoli-MeccanicaPi.Erre,Bedizzole,Italy Theabstractisnotavailable

2�

generAL InformATIon

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9-10 April2008Montichiari · ItalyHigh Tech

Die Casting 20084TH International

Conference

WeinformyouthatdatacollectedwillbetreatedfollowingthenormalinstitutionalactivityofAIM.Inaccordancetoarticle130oftheD.lgs196/03ineverymomenttheinterestedpartyhastherighttoopposethetreatmentofone’spersonaldata.YourdatawillbedealtwithinaccordanceoftheD.lgs.in30thJune2003n.196,guaranteeingtherightsoftheinterestedpartiesforeseeninthe7art.oftheDecree.WealsoinformyouthatAIMwillcommunicatetoforeignpartnersthepersonaldataonlyforabovereasons.Wealsoinformyouthatyourpersonaldatawillbeonthelistoftheconferenceparticipants.WealsoinformyouthattheholderofthepersonaldataisAIMinMilaninP.leMorandi2,whileownerofthepersonaldataisprof.WalterNicodemi,availableneartheAIMoffices.Inthecasethatyoudonotwanttoappearonthislistyoumayblockthemailbox m

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TIme TABLe

WeDnesDAy, 9 AprIL 2008

AIDAROOM

11.00 FoundryRoadmapforum:Foundryprospectivesinemergingcountries

ITALIAROOM

14.00 WELCOMEADDRESSES

14.15 ALLOySANDRELATEDTREATMENTS

1�.00 Coffeebreak

1�.15 TOOLINGANDEQUIPMENTS

20.00 Conferencedinner

THUrsDAy, 10 AprIL 2008

ITALIAROOM

9.05 EXPLOITINGDIECASTINGByPROCESSEVOLUTION

10.50 Coffeebreak

11.05 METALLURGICALANDMECHANICALCHALLENGESINDIECASTING

12.50 Lunch

14.00 METALLURGICALANDMECHANICALCHALLENGESINDIECASTING

15.00 POSTEROVERVIEWANDBESTPOSTERAWARD

15.20 Coffeebreak

15.35 DESIGNANDAPPLICATIONSOFDIECASTCOMPONENTS

18.00 ClosureoftheConference

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