9802518 Poirier This Americas Program award will fund a cooperative research project between Drs. David R. Poirier and Juan C. Heinrich, of the University of Arizona, and Drs. S. Felicelli and E. Basombrio, Centro Atomico Bariloche, Argentina, on the modeling and simulation of solidification in alloy castings. The major objective in the research is to produce porosity- free structural castings in order to avoid the formation of defects which usually result in directional solidification processes. The researchers aim to develop simulators for complex three-dimensional shapes suitable for studying the formation of casting defects . This collaboration will complement two programs of the University of Arizona, which model the formation of porosity. The investigators at Centro Atomico Bariloche, with their experience in numerical modeling of the moving interfaces, will add an important component to these programs. Together, both groups will also continue to refine a preliminary model on pore nucleation. Several graduate students from both the University of Arizona and Centro Atomico Bariloche will be involved in the research, either in the development of new models and their computer programs, or in the use of the simulators in conjunction with experimental work. ***
