Where are castings used

Competiveness of Aluminium castings
in the automotive industry
Konkurenčnost aluminijevih ultikov
v avtomobiliski industrji
Prof. Dr. Peter Schumacher
Maribor 4.6.2015
In the past castings where highly visible….
14. Century BC
8 kg Bronze and Gold
Today castings are not obvious
21. Century AD
350 kg Aluminium and Magnesium
Where are castings used ?
Where are castings used ?
Where are castings used ?
Power train
Gear housing
Engine periphery
Steering / pedals
Where are castings used ?
Engine block
GJV
Scania
BMW
Audi
Lightweight design
Low Density materials
High Strength
Area Moment of Inertia
Specific strength: Rp/d
Stiffness
Lightweight design
Bionic Design: “Design like mother nature”
(Design “Osteoporosis“)
High degree of design freedom
Challenges for Casting
Filling before solidification
Shrinkage during solidification
Strength without deformation
Simulation
Heat treatment
The Competition
Competition of materials and processes
Foto: BMW
Mechanical properties of
Steels in the bodywork
 Every colour is a different type of material (Steel)
HSS
PHS
Al
HSS
Bild: GM/Opel
Mechanical properties of
Steels in the bodywork
70
High manganese
Containing Steel
60
LIP
TWIP
TRIP
50
ULC(IF)
80
Fracture
elongation
[%]
Bruchdehnung
A [%]
 What is requirred? Strenght, ductility, deformation …
40
ULC -Steel
LC -Steel
LC
TRIP Steel
Dual phase Steel
Partial martensitic Steel
BH
30
TRIP
20
10
0
0
HSLA
Isotrope Steel
High Strength -IFSteel
Bake -hardening Steel
Carbon
- Manganese Steel
Micro-alloyed Steel
200
400
DP
PM
600
800
1000
1200
Zugfestigkeit [MPa]
Strength
[MPa]
L
© Bild: Coca Cola, Rasselstein, Böhler Edelstahl
Steel production
 Ore and scrap make steel!
Casting
www.steeluniversity.com
Deformation
 Steel to pre-material (rolled product)
Deformation: „from sheet to part“
 Intial platine for Jeep Cherokee Body side panel
 Body Side (right)
Quelle: voestalpine europlatinen
Deformation: Simulation
Quelle: voestalpine europlatinen
Deformation: Difficulties
Cost of production
 Additional welding
 Large scale tooling
 Sequence of Dies required (Cutting stamping cutting)
Technological Disadvantages
 Still one sheet thickness
 Still heavy steel
 No rips, no real light weight design freedom
Spaceframe Concept
Space frame AUDI A2
Casting
Sheet
Extrusion
Aluminium production
It starts with sand:
Coke Anodes
Cryolite / Al2O3 Melt
Coke
refractory
Refractory
Fe vessel
Aluminium-melt
High Pressure Die Casting
structural casting
High Pressure Die Casting
Production cell
Quelle: Müller-Weingarten
High Pressure Die Casting
Production cell

High Pressure Die Casting
Mashine
Quelle: Müller-Weingarten

High Pressure Die Casting
princial set-up
Moveable platen
Fixed platen
Closing mechanism
die
Anker rods Pressure
reservoir
Hydraulic plate
Hydrauliccylinder
Ejection
plate
Anker rods
Cold
chamber
Casting
piston

High Pressure Die Casting
working area
High Pressure Die Casting
die open
High Pressure Die Casting
cold chamber filling
High Pressure Die Casting
rapid filling and solidification
High Pressure Die Casting
die opening and ejection of casting
High Pressure Die Casting
die lubrication spraying

High Pressure Die Casting
production cell
Einlegeteile
Dosierofen
Presse
Vollständigkeitskontrolle
Gussteil
Tauchbecken
Kreislaufmaterial
Markieren
High Pressure Die Casting
production simulation
High Pressure Die Casting
simulation
High Pressure Die Casting
crank casings
Casting
Finished part
Quelle: Müller-Weingarten

Low pressure die casting
Low pressure die casting
Process
Low pressure die casting
Process
Low pressure die casting
Process
Low pressure die casting
Process

Low pressure die casting
Wheel in upper die
Quelle: bbs Fahrzeugtechnik AG
Low pressure die casting
examples
RW-Rad AAG;
Quelle: schweiger-carparts.de
Borbet Binno B4
Quelle: www.cw-fahrzeugtechnik.de

Low pressure die casting
Bionic Design – Foam structures
Low pressure die casting
core technology
Low pressure die casting
complexity - cylinderhead
Computer tomography
Computer Tomography
Simulation of microstructure
Courtesy Charles Gandin
Summary
 Castings are ideally suited to lightweight (bionic) design
 Castings processes can be simulated and controlled
 Castings can be non destructively tested by computer tomography
 Microstructures can be simulated
 Local mechanical properties can be predicted
BUT
 We have to control heat flow in the casting process
 We have to understand microstructure formation better
 We have to understand defect formation better