Advance Lightweight Casting Technologies and the Use of Casting Simulation and on-Line Alloy Database

The presentation will out line the overall driving factors for the research; brief description of the technologies being developed, such as the casting process (MMC, dual-phase iron) and alloy/material (7075 aluminum, ADI Austempered ductile iron, low cost Ti alloy and FeMnAl alloy - low density high strength steel) with benefits over currently used conventional alloys and processes; and potential applications and engineering data, useful for the design and materials engineers as well as system integrators of various military platforms.  Each research areas will have the case study, which will include the application of the modern process modeling and simulation tool in assisting the design and manufacturing engineers.    Some of the case studies will include the actual demonstration test articles designed, developed and fabricated for the current military programs.  In some cases, relative cost comparison over the current process and alloys will be presented also to assist design and manufacturing engineers make down selection.  Also, there will be a detail description of the on-line casting alloy database search (CADS) tool and case studies will be presented describing how a design engineer can chose from various casting alloys and process applicable at it’s conceptual stage using CAPS (Casting Alloy and Process Selector) tool and how they can down select the applicable casting alloy and download the engineering data, including fatigue and high temperature properties for some alloys using CADS tool.