Worcester Polytechnic Institute receives $424,000 to develop aluminum-matrix composites

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mass., has received a three-year, $424,000 award from the National Science Foundation to support the development of a new way of manufacturing aluminum-ceramic composites to make vehicles lighter and more energy efficient. The award will support research by Prof. Diana Lados, ASM member and founding director of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Integrative Materials Design Center.

The research will focus on ceramic-reinforced aluminum composites, which are produced by incorporating small ceramic particles within aluminum to enhance its strength and high operating temperature. Manufacturers would like to use these light composite materials in cars, trucks, boats, and airplanes to increase their fuel efficiency without sacrificing strength and ductility> However, current manufacturing methods cannot achieve the nanoscale size and uniform distribution of the ceramic particles necessary to fabricate parts that meet these requirements and perform well at both ambient and elevated temperatures.

With the NSF award, Prof. Lados will conduct fundamental and applied research aimed at developing a novel energy- and cost-efficient process for making nano-ceramic reinforced composites, overcoming the limitations of existing processes, and enabling the creation of materials with unprecedented combinations of beneficial properties and sustainability benefits.

"This project is another significant step in a large ongoing research program dedicated to developing novel materials and processes using a combination of fundamental materials science knowledge, property evaluations, and computational modeling," Prof. Lados said.

Unlike current methods, in which the ceramic particles are mixed into the metal during processing, the new technique involves the formation of nano-reinforcements directly within the molten metal. The resulting composite materials will contain ceramic particles of the proper size, distributed uniformly in and firmly bonded to the metal matrix. Less expensive and more flexible and energy efficient than existing methods, the process can be used with a broad selection of metal-ceramic systems to manufacture a wide variety of structural components.

http://www.wpi.edu

Ipsen builds small-footprint heat treating system for Mercedes-Benz

September 10, 2014
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Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., developed and delivered a special atmosphere three-row pusher heat treating system that required comparatively little floor space and power consumption for a Mercedes-Benz facility. The system included a furnace for the thermal processing of gearbox parts, crown wheels and drive pinion wheels, with the entire system installed in a limited space.

Ipsen continued to provide solutions during this installation, utilizing the available space by carefully linking the high- and low-temperature furnaces, cleaning systems and quenching equipment – all of which provided flexibility for the various types of parts and minimized the space needed. In the end, Ipsen used a highly integrated transfer machine to service the entire system and required components in the compact area.

The pusher furnace utilizes three rows in all of its main operating zones and is the first continuous heat treatment furnace from Ipsen to feature the new, patented Lock up system. This system incorporates an entrance vestibule and an oil bath, both of which are separated from the Pusher furnace's heat treatment chamber by gas-tight doors. The furnace atmosphere thus fluctuates less in terms of temperature and carbon potential, resulting in precise, steady characteristics which are easy to monitor and can be adjusted accurately.

The pusher system also employs time-tested, durable Ipsen masonry consisting of refractory bricks for hot face insulation and microporous material for backup insulation. Compared to conventional designs, this results in up to a 30% reduction of waste heat, as demonstrated by comparatively lower process costs.

http://bit.ly/3RowPusher

KPS Capital Partners to sell Waupaca Foundry to Hitachi Metals

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KPS Capital Partners LP, New York, has signed a definitive agreement, through an affiliate, to sell its portfolio company Waupaca Foundry Inc., Waupaca, Wis., to Hitachi Metals Ltd. for $1.3 billion in cash. Waupaca is the largest iron foundry company in the world, producing gray and ductile iron castings by state-of-the-art technology.  It is North America's leading supplier of iron castings to the automotive, commercial vehicle, agriculture, construction and industrial markets.

"KPS recognized the potential of our business two years ago," says Gary Gigante, Chief Executive Officer of Waupaca. "Working in partnership with KPS, we invested significantly in our operations and people, which included an expansion of our production capacity and launching numerous continuous improvement initiatives across all six of our foundries.  We are very grateful to KPS for its leadership and its commitment to improving and growing our business.  We are thrilled to join Hitachi Metals, which has the resources, foundry experience, access to capital and global reach that will enable Waupaca to achieve an even higher level of success."

Headquartered in Waupaca, Wis., the iron metal caster operates six manufacturing facilities, located in Waupaca (3 individual sites), Marinette, Wisconsin; Tell City, Indiana; and Etowah, Tennessee.  Waupaca employs approximately 3900 people.

www.waupacafoundry.com.

www.kpsfund.com

International Molybdenum Association publishes emissions study

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The International Molybdenum Association (IMOA), London, has published a study demonstrating that lightweight components manufactured from advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) can reduce attributable greenhouse gas emissions by around 29% compared with traditional component designs. The study, conducted by PE International, measures the lifetime environmental impact of replacing the B-Pillar in the latest Ford Fusion model with a new AHSS design.

The B-Pillar is one of the most critical components in a vehicle body, protecting occupants by helping to maintain structural integrity in a side impact. Traditionally made from press-hardened boron steel, it has been replaced in the new model with a hydro-formed component made from a mix of DP800 and DP1000 steels. The molybdenum in the steel supports modern forming processes while imparting exceptional strength, reducing the amount of steel required and making the new B-Pillar just as strong but 4 kg lighter.

The environmental benefit was calculated using life cycle assessment (LCA) to measure the total lifetime environmental impact from manufacture and use through to end-of-life. A number of environmental metrics relevant to vehicle performance were used, covering climate change, air pollution and energy resource use.

The results generated indicate that the new design has a lower impact across all environmental metrics assessed, with a saving of 29% in Global Warming Potential (GWP) compared with the previous component. Over an estimated lifetime mileage of 200,000 km, this equates to a GWP saving for both B-Pillars of 165 kg CO2e for a petrol drivetrain, and 141 kg CO2e for a diesel drivetrain. This is a saving equivalent to the emissions from driving the vehicle for over 1000 km. The new B-Pillar also performs better in side impact crash tests, and Ford estimates that it has yielded a significant cost saving.

www.imoa.info/sustainability/LCA-studies.php

Al-Fe Heat Treating becomes Rolls-Royce approved supplier

August 13, 2014
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Al-Fe Heat Treating's Wadsworth, Ohio, plant has been named an approved supplier for Rolls-Royce Corporation of Indianapolis. The scope of the approval is for Rolls-Royce Corporation sub-tier suppliers, heat treating, AMS 2770, AMS 2771, AMS 2772, AMS-H-6088, ASTME-10 and ASTME-18. The company operates plants throughout the Midwest and Southeast serving aerospace, automotive, military and commercial customers with both ferrous and non-ferrous facilities.

"We have a sincere commitment to continuous improvement at Al-Fe, and receiving this approval from Rolls-Royce is another validation that we are achieving our quality commitments. We look forward to our future working with such a prestigious company as Rolls-Royce and our other valued customers," says Michelle Carver, quality supervisor, Al-Fe Wadsworth.

Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Al-Fe Heat Treating, Inc., is the largest commercial aluminum heat treating operation in the United States.

http://www.al-fe.com