The development of the ICME supply-chain: Route to ICME implementation and sustainment

Over the past twenty years, integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) has emerged as a key engineering field with great promise. Models simulating materials-related phenomena have been developed and are being validated for industrial application. The integration of computational methods into material, process and component design has been a challenge, however, in part due to the complexities in the development of an ICME “supply-chain” that supports, sustains and delivers this emerging technology. ICME touches many disciplines, which results in a requirement for many types of computational-based technology organizations to be involved to provide tools that can be rapidly developed, validated, deployed and maintained for industrial applications. The need for, and the current state of an ICME supply-chain along with development and future requirements for the continued pace of introduction of ICME into industrial design practices will be reviewed within this article.     

Virtual aluminum castings: An industrial application of ICME

The automotive product design and manufacturing community is continually besieged by Hercule an engineering, timing, and cost challenges. Nowhere is this more evident than in the development of designs and manufacturing processes for cast aluminum engine blocks and cylinder heads. Increasing engine performance requirements coupled with stringent weight and packaging constraints are pushing aluminum alloys to the limits of their capabilities. To provide high-quality blocks and heads at the lowest possible cost, manufacturing process engineers are required to find increasingly innovative ways to cast and heat treat components. Additionally, to remain competitive, products and manufacturing methods must be developed and implemented in record time. To bridge the gaps between program needs and engineering reality, the use of robust computational models in up-front analysis will take on an increasingly important role. This article describes just such a computational approach, the Virtual Aluminum Castings methodology, which was developed and implemented at Ford Motor Company and demonstrates the feasibility and benefits of integrated computational materials engineering. This article appears on the JOM web site (www.tms.org/JOMPT) in html format and includes links to additional on-line resources.     

High-Throughput Thermodynamic Modeling and Uncertainty Quantification for ICME

One foundational component of the integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) and Materials Genome Initiative is the computational thermodynamics based on the calculation of phase diagrams (CALPHAD) method. The CALPHAD method pioneered by Kaufman has enabled the development of thermodynamic, atomic mobility, and molar volume databases of individual phases in the full space of temperature, composition, and sometimes pressure for technologically important multicomponent engineering materials, along with sophisticated computational tools for using the databases. In this article, our recent efforts will be presented in terms of developing new computational tools for high-throughput modeling and uncertainty quantification based on high-throughput, first-principles calculations and the CALPHAD method along with their potential propagations to downstream ICME modeling and simulations.     

ICME at GE: Accelerating the insertion of new materials and processes

The accelerated insertion of materials (AIM) initiative provides the opportunity to reduce the materials development cycle time by up to 50% and thereby lessen the lead time required for new materials and processes. The program was founded to revolutionize the way designers and materials engineers interact, to achieve a leap forward in the application of computational materials science and integration with design engineering tools, and to create an environment where the design/materials team can learn from and build on previous developments. The centerpiece of the AIM system is the designer knowledge base, which provides a framework for managing experimental data, executing linked models describing processing, microstructure, properties, and producibility, and calculating confidence bounds for system predictions.     

ICME Manufacturability Assessment in Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing

Powder bed fusion (PBF) of titanium alloys is an interesting manufacturing route for many applications requiring light weight and strength combined with geometric complexity. Managing PBF challenges, including porosity, surface finish, distortions and residual stresses of as-built material, is mandatory to bring the advantages of this process to production main stream. This paper builds on previous work addressing process parameter optimization to focus on manufacturability analysis of complex shapes. Simulation of the build process predicts layer for layer distortion as well as the final component shape. Validation is pursued to ensure accuracy before proceeding with analysis of different build strategies for a complex component.     

Fundamental Definitions and Concepts

Thin films of Ni-Fe alloys of various compositions have been deposited potentiostatically from an alkaline sulfate bath solution containing the sodium salt of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and triammonium citrate (TAC). The complex nature of the bath solution was analyzed by cyclic potentiometric and spectrophotometric studies. The composition of the alloy was found to vary with the plating bath composition (Ni/Fe), plating potential and the concentration of complexing agent (EDTA). XRD studies showed that alloys are solid solutions of Fe in Ni (γ-Phase) with fcc structure, free from oxides/hydroxides and pore free. The surface analysis by SEM revealed the nucleation by crystallites giving smooth deposit. The magnetic properties (Hc, Ms and squareness ratio) were evaluated from the parallel (in-plane) and perpendicular hysteresis loops. Plating conditions were optimized to plate good quality thin films of Ni-Fe alloy with 80% Ni(Permalloy) with tailor made magnetic properties which suit electronic industries.     

World copper solvent extraction plants: Practices and design

This article compiles the results of a review of world copper solvent extraction (SX) plant practices and examines changes in operating practices in the last seven years as compared to previous world copper SX surveys in 1996 and 1999. Trends covered are fiber-reinforced plastic construction mixer box and settler designs, reverse flow settlers, and advanced mixer design. These changes have resulted in improved capital and operating costs. For more information, contact Tim Robinson, Phelps Dodge Mining Co., Process Technology Center, 9780 E. Sanchez Road, Safford, AZ, 85546; e-mail trobinson@phelpsdodge.com.     

Advances in high-temperature calorimetry: A comparison

Several types of high-temperature calorimeters are compared in this paper. The calorimetry methods reviewed are drop, adiabatic, pulse, differential scanning, and, the newest method, high-temperature differential scanning. For more information, contact Mark E. Schlesinger, University of Missouri-Rolla, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, MO 65409-0340; (573) 341-4791; fax (573) 341-6934; e-mail mes@umr.edu.     

Modeling mechanical alloying: Advances and challenges

While mechanical alloying is a commercial entity for oxide-dispersion-strengthened superalloys, its application to other systems has run into a number of scientific and commercial barriers. In part, this is due to the inadequate scientific underpinning. This article reviews the status of the modeling of the mechanical alloying processes and suggests an approach to improving current knowledge of the process.