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.
This small NSF project aimed to investigate the merits and to plan the creation of a site of a new NSF Industry / University Cooperative Research Center "I/UCRC" on "Solidification Processing" at the University of Illinois, in joint collaboration with a site at Purdue University, who would direct the I/UCRC. The University of Illinois Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering has been the home of the "Continuous Casting Consortium," (CCC) since 1991. The CCC arose to sustain the industry collaborations which were initiated from the Presidential Young Investigator Award made to the Illinois PI in 1989. The CCC has sustained a successful collaboration with industry for over 20 years. Each of the 10 member companies currently contributes each year, about the same as the NSF I/UCRC grant would generate. The CCC objectives are 1) to develop comprehensive mathematical models of the continuous casting of steel slabs and 2) to apply these models to improve understanding, optimize the process, and solve practical problems of interest to the participating members. These objectives have not changed since its inception. The sustained focus of the CCC is believed to be one of the reasons for its success. The joint funding of several related projects provides leveraging because each CCC member company is usually interested in the results of all of the projects. The new I/UCRC was envisioned to be a merger of the CCC, which focuses solely on ferrous continuous casting research, with a new Purdue site that would conduct research into related nonferrous processes. It was envisioned that the CCC would benefit by formalizing the collaborations already being conducted with researchers at Purdue University, the new Purdue site would benefit from the experience of the CCC, and new members would be attracted due to increased interest in both sites. Contacts were made and meetings were held with several prospective I/UCRC member companies, including both current CCC members, and prospective new companies. The directors and administrators of several existing centers, University personnel and NSF personnel were interviewed, in order to investigate center structure and operation. A tentative structure and member agreement was drafted. Several new research projects were proposed. Further research was conducted into the rules of NSF centers, and the PIs participated in a NSF I/UCRC Boot Camp. Many companies expressed interest. The outcome of these investigations was that establishing an I/UCRC NSF at Illinois would have both benefits and disadvantages. In addition to the extra NSF funding, the increased collaboration with Purdue, and potential new members, other benefits would include the enhanced visibility of an NSF center, and access to new funding opportunities. However, the new center would require a rigid new structure, a new common member agreement, additional reporting requirements, and increased University overhead. Although most companies were interested to join the new center so long as the current successful CCC research programs could be sustained, inevitably, concerns were raised and not all CCC members would join. This would require running parallel centers and meetings, and extra costs. For optimal operation, several differences in internal structure would be required between the two sites at Illinois and Purdue, which would not be allowed under existing NSF rules. Finally, at the end of the NSF center funding, the NSF rules would create complications in reverting back to the former (current) center operation. After careful deliberation, the potential drawbacks were perceived to outweigh the potential benefits. Thus, the final outcome of this investigation was not to proceed with the formal meeting and proposal to create the joint I/UCRC on Solidification Processing at the Universities of Illinois and Purdue at this time. Most of the funds from this planning grant are being returned to NSF. A more positive outcome was establishing a closer relationship between researchers at Purdue and Illinois. In addition, of the many companies contacted during this proposal and planning grant, a new member company joined the CCC. Several fruitful research projects and collaborations were initiated as a result, which have already produced several research publications.
