Laboratory Assessment of Automotive Tread Cracking
Team Members
Tori Keerl, Kylie Lettow, Wyatt Hurst, and Peter Seim, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Erik Herbert, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor
Ford Motor Company
Project Overview
Tire tread surface degradation is a type of failure that occurs between tread surfaces
on a tire. This type of cracking is not structurally compromising, but cosmetic issues
are displeasing to customers. Currently, there is no accelerated laboratory test method
to accurately replicate this failure mode. The team will develop and test a method
in order to determine crosslink density with applied load and environmental conditions.
The results from this test will determine what tire will degrade quicker and help
establish which should be used in order to best serve customers.
Mitigation of Galvanic Corrosion in Aluminum—Copper Busbars
Team Members
Emily Petersen, Catherine Galligan, George Castle, and Jonathan Vajko, Materials Science
and Engineering
Advisor
Douglas Swenson, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor
Yazaki Corporation
Project Overview
Pressure to optimize fuel efficiency has challenged automotive industry suppliers’
ability to transition to lightweight materials. Traditional copper busbars are being
replaced with aluminum alloys, with particular attention to conductivity and corrosion
resistance. This study serves to build upon prior work in which aluminum was alloyed
with tin. Existing literature suggests alloy improvement by the addition of a third
element to minimize the difference in electrical potential of pure aluminum and copper,
as well as create a corrosion-resistant passivation layer. Metallography, conductivity,
mechanical testing, and salt-fog corrosion were performed and the result compared
to the sponsor’s current copper alloy.
Corrosion of Modified 6082 Aluminum Alloys for Automotive Applications
Team Members
Philip Bednarczyk, Joshua Cicotte, Janine Erickson, and Violet Thole, Materials Science
and Engineering
Advisor
Dan Seguin, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor
Ford Motor Company
Project Overview
Ford utilizes an extruded aluminum rocker bar as a structural component of their F150
trucks. They have experienced inconsistent quality of the material’s corrosion resistance
when sourced from different suppliers. This study investigates the effects of composition
and processing parameters of 6082 extruded aluminum on corrosion resistance. Billet
homogenization practices, composition, and post-extrusion thermal processes were systematically
varied to examine how these factors may influence the microstructure and corrosion
resistance in the material.
Machinability of Additively Manufactured Cobalt-Based Superalloy Components
Team Members
Jeffrey Brookins, Ben Gruber, Emily Hunt, and Zach Verran, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Walt Milligan, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor
GE Aviation
Project Overview
GE Aviation is using additive manufacturing (AM) processes to produce intricate parts
from a cobalt-based superalloy for their next-generation aircraft engines. However,
within these components there is a requirement for threaded holes to be machined after
AM production. Currently, GE utilizes a time-consuming machining process to create
threaded holes within their additively manufactured parts. Our team was tasked with
investigating the material properties of the alloy in order to develop a faster, tapping-based
machining process. By characterizing the deformation process of the alloy, tooling
and process recommendations can be made to GE Aviation.
High Pressure Die Casting Vent Optimization
Team Members
Julia Scruton, Materials Science and Engineering, and Stephen Hanley, Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
Russ Stein, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor
Mercury Marine—Mercury Castings
Project Overview
High Pressure Die Cast (HPDC) tooling requires venting channels to be incorporated
into their design to allow air to escape during the casting process. The channels
must also manage the flow of metal to maintain pressure and properly fill the part
during solidification. If the venting channel has a low restriction, the metal flows
too fast and will exit the vents. If the venting channel is overly restrictive, the
trapped air will introduce porosity in the cast part. A process design method will
be developed with the understanding of how various venting channel features affect
the complete venting design. This will lead to a faster design process of venting
channels on future parts.
Maximizing Feeding Efficiency of 3xx Series Aluminum Alloys
Team Members
John CI Smith, Evan Olson, Hao Qin, and Georgia Hurchalla, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Thomas Wood, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor
Eck Industries
Project Overview
Eck Industries is interested in minimizing the amount of strontium in 3XX series aluminum
alloys to reduce production costs. Strontium is added to modify the eutectic silicon
phase, which improves both ductility and feeding efficiency. However, high levels
of strontium are associated with increased gas porosity and thus inferior mechanical
properties. It has been shown that additional grain refiner is another potential way
to improve feeding efficiency. Our team has been working to minimize the strontium
additions necessary to produce high quality castings by alloying with additional grain
refiner.
Process and Capability Improvement of Ductile Iron Casting at Michigan Tech Foundry
Team Members
Nicholas Verhun, Materials Science and Engineering; Matt Gleason and Karl Hamina,
Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
Russell Stein, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Project Overview
Casting ductile (nodular) iron, in comparison to other cast irons, requires much more
strict variable and process control. Industry leaders use a 24/7 manufacturing process
and specialized infrastructure to obtain high control and production. The foundry
at Michigan Tech, as a small-scale research foundry, must find a way to obtain similar
controls to perform precise casting research. Our team is evaluating the ductile iron
casting process and equipment on campus for possible areas of improvement in order
to increase consistency, quality, and variable control of ductile iron casting research.
High Temperature Stability of Austempered Ductile Iron
Team Members
Cameron Smith, Erin Neil, and Carson Williams, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Joseph Licavoli, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Project Overview
Austempered ductile iron (ADI) exhibits improved physical and mechanical properties
over ordinary cast ductile iron; these properties include increased hardenability,
strength, and ductility. However, at high temperatures the ausferrite microconstituent—
the structure primarily responsible for ADI’s desirable properties—transforms into
bainite, resulting in less favorable properties. Certain alloying additions, such
as molybdenum or nickel, can mitigate this performance loss and stabilize ADI at high
temperatures. This project aims to expand upon previous alloying and to explore new
options to increase the thermal stability of ADI.