Collaborative Research: Planning Grant: I/UCRC: Center for Solidification Processing

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

1266169 Purdue University; Matthew John M Krane 1266050 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Brian Thomas The proposed center will be a focal point of research in the science and engineering of solidification processing, performing fundamental research while working with industry to advance commercial metal casting practices and develop new commercial solidification processes. Purdue University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are collaborating to establish the proposed center, with Purdue University as the lead institution. The two products of this proposed center will be physical research results advancing process understanding and improvement, and human resources supplying the next generation of casters and researchers. The work proposed for this center is a uniquely well-integrated mix of experimental and numerical work, examining continuum phenomena coupled across length scales from the submicron to several meters. Research into a variety of casting processes is planned, with a mixture of bench-top experiments, plant trials, and numerical simulations. The center will encompass three main program areas: investment casting, continuous casting, and electro-slag and vacuum arc re-melting processes of wrought alloys. The proposed center will yield technical advances across large segments of the metals processing industry, as well as aircraft and land-based turbine engine development, bolstering US competitiveness in manufacturing. Expected impacts include: higher productivity and lower defect levels in large-scale steel production, higher efficiency gas and steam turbine engine designs, with associated reductions in emissions, for industrial and transport applications enabled by advanced alloy processing developments, and improved alloy and product quality across multiple manufacturing sectors. The proposed center will also have a strong emphasis on career development for graduate students, research experience for undergraduates, and advancing diversity goals.