Aluminum Corrosion Study—Automotive Electrical Systems
Team Members: Annie LeSage, Jacob Gerdt, Kyle Myszka, and Alexandra Glover, Materials Science
and Engineering
Advisor: Steve Kampe, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Yazaki North America
Project Overview
The switch from copper to aluminum in automotive electrical systems is advantageous
to U.S automakers and automotive component suppliers because it has the potential
to decrease vehicle weight and raw materials costs. This switch also poses several
challenges. This senior design project characterizes the galvanic corrosion rate of
an aluminum substrate with a metallic plating when exposed to an electrolytic solution.
This mimics the exposure of electrical components to a fluid containing salts or automotive
chemicals. The results of this testing are critical to the success of the copper-to-aluminum
substitution in automotive electrical systems. This is because they inform automotive
component designers about the expected lifetime of such systems when exposed to a
corrosive environment.
1st Place Award Winner 2015 Michigan Tech Design Expo
Design of a Production Capable Materials Test to Determine the Toughness of Cast Mill Components
Team Members: Andrea Paul, Nathaniel Musser, William Price, and
Robert Cooley, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor: Paul Fraley, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsors: ME Global
Project Overview:
ME Global casts mining mill wear components from a variety of metals including pearlitic
steels and
white irons. These components are experiencing approximately 10 percent failure by
brittle fracture
rather than wear failure under extreme service conditions. It is believed that this
premature failure is due to low fracture toughness, which their current quality control
methods do not measure. The objective of this project is to create a fracture toughness
test that is quick, reproducible, requires little machining, and is accurate enough
to pass or fail parts in a production setting.
E357 Alloying to Increase Elongation and Maintain Mechanical Properties
Team Members: Jordan Pontoni, Calvin Nitz, Shane Anderson, and Austin DePottey, Materials Science
and Engineering
Advisor: Tom Wood, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Eck Industries
Project Overview
The regulation of beryllium in A357 makes it desirable to improve the elongation properties
of
E357 (no beryllium) to make it a practical alternative to A357. Additions of strontium
at concentrations of 200, 300, and 400 ppm; cobalt at 0.1 and 0.2 wt percent; and
manganese at 0.1 and 0.2 wt percent have been identified as elements that will modify
the eutectic silicon and iron-rich intermetallics. Modification of these microconstituents
is hypothesized to reduce cracking within the aluminum matrix and improve the elongation
properties of E357 while maintaining strength.
GE Aviation Cutter Tool Performance
Team Members: Jacob Demarais and Garrett Dubie, Mechanical Engineering; Justin Nichols, Mechanical
Engineering Technology; Robert Lippus, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor: Dan Seguin, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor: GE Aviation
Project Overview:
The GE Aviation Cutter Tool Performance team has fully designed a controlled experiment
that will test the effects of varying the tungsten carbide grain size from 0.3 to
1.5 microns while also varying the cobalt content from 8 wt to 12 wt percent in these
cobalt cemented tungsten carbide tools. To test the team’s hypotheses regarding these
changes, the tools were worn under varying conditions in a CNC mill and the wear zones
analyzed using stereoscope images as well as images from a scanning electron microscope
(SEM).
Impact of Grain Boundary Misorientation on the Mechanical Properties of PWA 1480 Bicrystals
Team Members: Alex Reinl, Emily Veltman, Jenna Proctor, and Laura Jewett, Materials Science and
Engineering
Advisor: Walt Milligan, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Alcoa Howmet
Project Overview:
Alcoa Howmet is a leading manufacturer of components for the jet aircraft, industrial
gas
turbine, and other advanced-technology industries. One such technology is casting
nominally single crystal parts with a specified orientation for the primary growth
direction. Due to the complexity of the parts, this technique is not 100 percent successful
and many parts solidify unintentionally into polycrystals. Parts with a misorientation
across the grain boundary above a specified value are scrapped, resulting in significant
cost to Alcoa. Thus, the objective of this study is to quantify the degradation of
mechanical properties relative to grain boundary misorientation between 8 to 15 degrees
in order to explore the possibility of expanding the specification.
Stamping FEA Optimization
Team Members: Kara Bakowski, Jacob Braykovich, and Alexander Kampf, Materials Science and Engineering;
Zachary Morgan, Mechanical Engineering
Advisor: Steve Hackney, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Project Overview
Current Finite Element Analysis (FEA) methods used by Chrysler for analysis of the
inner decklid of the Dodge Dart give fatigue life predictions that are inconsistent
with the performance in the production vehicle. This discrepancy is believed to be
a result of inaccurate FEA inputs; the effects of both prior cold work due to stamping
and strain hardening due to slamming are not accounted for in the material model.
A method to estimate more realistic FEA material inputs is being developed through
mechanical testing. These new material properties will then be input back into the
FEA model allowing Chrysler to rerun its fatigue analysis of the decklid to determine
if the results are more realistic.
Welding Parameter Refinement for 3D Metal Printing
Team Members: Zachary Boyden and Mu Yuan, Materials Science and Engineering; Michael Buhr and
Martin Schaub, Mechanical Engineering
Advisor: Tom Wood, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsors: America Makes, Advanced Metalworks Enterprise
Project Overview
3D printing has historically been limited to polymer-based parts due to most printing
techniques
melting the plastic filament at the extruder head. The ability to use aluminum in
3D printing is highly desirable to improve the mechanical properties of the finished
product. A printer capable of producing metal-based parts using common welding techniques
has been developed at Michigan Tech. The opportunity to refine the welding parameters
and the aluminum alloy used during printing has been presented through AME’s partnership
with America Makes. Through a series of designed experiments, the filament alloy and
welding parameters will be varied to improve the strength, ductility, and resolution
of the printed part.