This chapter gives an overview of how steel castings may be effectively adapted to modern concurrent engineering processes. The chapter discusses computer aided design programs, solid modeling, solidification simulation programs, and rapid prototyping.

This chapter discusses various factors pertinent to the applications of low-pressure permanent mold casting process, namely decorative automotive wheels, critical safety structural components, and chassis components.

This appendix provides a brief introduction to Thermo-Calc, explains what it is, and lists its uses. Instructions for accessing a demonstration version of the software are also provided.

This chapter is a brief account of various factors pertinent to the development of an engineering component. The discussion covers the disciplines and interactions of design development, engineering of component design, validation of design and process analysis, and matrix of design and manufacturing elements.

This chapter discusses the various factors pertinent to gravity permanent mold (GPM) castings, along with their advantages, limitations, and significance. The discussion covers the geometric factors, process and manufacturing elements, gating practices, and feeding principles of and pouring systems in GPM. The influences of mold coatings on GPM and low pressure permanent mold castings are described. The chapter also discusses various processes involved in the engineering of core boxes and cooling of GPM for casting integrity and cycle time control. It provides information on some of the processes involved in post-casting operations, namely de-coring and de-gating. The key design aspects for consideration in water quenching during the T6 heat treatment are reviewed. The chapter also provides information on two critical cycle events important in engineering at the manufacturing facility: tipper cycle planning and table or cell cycle planning.

Inclusions and chemical segregation are factors in many process-induced failures involving steel parts. Inclusions are nonmetallic compounds introduced during production; segregation is a type of chemical partitioning that occurs during solidification. This chapter discusses the origins of segregation and inclusions and their effect on the mechanical properties and microstructure of steel. It explains how to identify various types of inclusions and characteristic segregation patterns, such as banding. It also describes the effect of hot work processing on solidification structure and the chemical variations produced by interdendritic segregation.

Steels with chromium contents above 12% show high resistance to oxidation and corrosion and are generally designated as stainless steels. This chapter discusses the compositions, microstructures, heat treatments, and properties of martensitic, ferritic, austenitic, ferritic-austenitic (duplex), and precipitation hardening stainless steels. It also describes solidification sequences and explains how chromium carbides may segregate to grain boundaries at certain temperatures, making grain boundary regions susceptible to intercrystalline or intergranular corrosion.

This chapter provides an overview of how the disciplines of design, material, and manufacturing contribute to engineering for functional performance. It describes the interaction of product designers and casting engineers in product development. It discusses the consequences of component failure, uncertainty in data and assumptions, and selection of the factor of safety. The chapter also presents an overview of the functional requirements for product performance and provides an overview of product design development. It also presents a partial list of the different tests that are performed on prototypes and examples of product testing. The chapter describes the requirements of a traceability system.

Many of the structural characteristics of steel products are a result of changes that occur during solidification, particularly volume contractions and solute redistribution. This chapter discusses the solidification process and how it affects the quality and behaviors of steel. It explains how steel shrinks as it solidifies, causing issues such as pipe and voids, and how differences in the solubility of solid and liquid steel lead to compositional heterogeneities or segregation. It describes the dendritic nature of solidification, peritectic and eutectic reactions, microporosity, macro- and microsegregation, and hot cracking, as well as the effects of solidification and remelting on castings, ingots, and continuous cast products. It explains how to determine where defects originate in continuous casters and how to control alumina, sulfide, and nitride inclusions.

Casting is one of the most economical manufacturing processes for providing shape to components of machinery and is used in a wide range of industries. This chapter is a brief account of the advantages, applications, limitations, and market growth of aluminum casting. It also provides information on the process of conversion of steel and iron parts to aluminum.

The formation of defects in materials that have been fusion welded is a major concern in the design of welded assemblies. This article describes four types of defects that, in particular, have been the focus of much attention because of the magnitude of their impact on product quality. Colloquially, these four defect types are known as hot cracks, heat-affected zone microfissures, cold cracks, and lamellar tearing.

Ductile iron has far superior mechanical properties compared to gray iron as well as significantly improved castability and attractive cost savings compared to cast steel. This chapter begins with information on graphite morphology and matrix type. It then discusses the advantages and applications of ductile iron. Next, the effects of various factors on the grades, chemistry, matrix, and mechanical properties of ductile iron are covered. This is followed by a section detailing the ductile iron treatment methods and the quality control methods used. Guidelines for gating and feeder design are then provided. Further, the chapter addresses the technology of ductile iron castings, including the performance and geometric attributes, molding and core-making processes used, material grades, mechanical properties, and chemical compositions of a few applications. Finally, it describes ductile iron casting defects and presents practical cases of problem-solving.

This chapter covers the practices and procedures used for shape casting metals and alloys. It begins with a review of the factors that influence solidification and contribute to the formation of casting defects. It then describes basic melting methods, including induction, cupola, crucible, and vacuum melting, and common casting techniques such as sand casting, plaster and shell casting, evaporative pattern casting, investment casting, permanent mold casting, cold and hot chamber die casting, squeeze casting, semisolid metal processing, and centrifugal casting.

The casting engineer contributes to a successful component design by offering expertise in molding, core making, and material characteristics and by recommending the most suitable casting process to use to meet quality and cost targets. The casting engineer's responsibilities include recommending locator positioning; advising about lugs, hooks, or holes for casting handling through all processes; determining the choice of a parting plane and pouring orientation; designing cores for accurate positioning, suitable venting, and proper cleaning; guiding decisions about wall thicknesses and junctions; making suggestions about casting design to eliminate distortion; optimizing the gating design for slag-free metal; and establishing the feeding techniques to eliminate shrink porosity. This chapter provides the guidelines for these responsibilities. In addition, the guidelines for the use of chaplets and chills in cast iron castings; guidelines for drafts, machine stock, tolerances, and contraction or shrink rule; and guidelines for pattern layouts and nesting are also covered.

This chapter discusses the advantages, limitations, and applications of various aluminum casting processes, namely green sand casting process, air set or no-bake molding process, vacuum molding process, evaporative foam casting process, and die casting process. The processes covered also include gravity permanent molding, low-pressure permanent molding, counter pressure, squeeze casting, investment casting, rapid prototype casting, cast forge hybrid, and semisolid metal processes.

Steel is broadly classified as plain-carbon steels, low-alloy steels, and high-alloy steels. This chapter begins by describing microconstituents of low- and medium-carbon steel, including bainite and martensite. This is followed by a section discussing the effect of alloying elements on steel. Then, it provides an overview of steel casting applications. Next, the chapter reviews engineering guidelines for steel castings and feeder design. The following section provides information on feeding aids. Further, the chapter describes the elements of gating systems for steel castings. It also describes the alloys, properties, applications, and engineering details of steel. Finally, the chapter explains defects in steel castings and presents guidelines for problem solving with examples.

This chapter begins with information on the historical development of aluminum alloy castings. It then covers the basic factors involved in the selection of a casting process. This is followed by sections describing the various categories of casting processes and their variants: expendable mold gravity-feed casting, nonexpendable (permanent) mold gravity feed casting, and pressure die casting. Next, the chapter describes the technologies used to produce premium engineered castings and when such castings may be relevant. The chapter concludes with descriptions of other process technologies used with castings, including metallurgical bonding, metal-matrix composites, and hot isostatic pressing.

This chapter describes the physical characteristics, properties, and behaviors of solid solutions under equilibrium conditions. It begins with a review of a single-component pure metal system and its unary phase diagram. It then examines the solid solution formed by copper and nickel atoms. It discusses the difference between interstitial and substitutional solid solutions and the factors that determine the type of solution that two metals are likely to form. It also addresses the development of intermediate phases, the role of free energy, transformation kinetics, liquid-to-solid and solid-state phase transformations, and the allotropic nature of metals.