Defect Simulation of AL319 in Lost Foam Casting – an REU Undergraduate Research Experience

The primary field of a multi-year Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) project at Tennessee Technological University (TTU) was industrial application of sensing, modeling and control. The NSF funded research focus was in the metal casting industry, a multibillion dollar industry that has been struggling as a result of foreign competition and lack of research innovation. The industrial partners were General Motors, Foseco Morval, Inc, and Metal Casting Technology, with government agency partnership at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The research process and results presented are an example of the undergraduate research outcomes that were achieved with the “Student as Principal Investigator (SPI)” mentoring model that the REU project employed over three years with more than 30 students. This exemplar project examines the simulation of the solidification of Al319 in the Lost Foam casting process and inspection of defects after rapid cooling techniques. SOLIDCast simulation was used to generate images of the ideal metal fill, cooling data, and solidification images. The simulation outcome was used to predict possible locations of defects. An experimental sand and coating were used during production. It was found that the combination of styromol coating in the experimental mullite sand produced the fastest cooling rate, and the combination of the experimental coat in the control mullite sand produced the cast with the least number of internal defects. The undergraduate student participated in this research experience received credits toward her senior project capstone culminating experience in engineering technology. Moreover, the student demonstrated her compliance with Criteria 3-Student Outcomes: a, b, c, d, f, and g. Currently she is employed by GM Smyrna plant as Production Supervisor & Group Leader.