Weekly Update - Foundry and Machining

Hello, Blog readers!

Today we will bring updates about the brass foundry: the first of many steps.

The foundry wasn't done before in this week due to technical and organizational issues. Clarifying this subject, the Mechanical Engineering Course Coordinator Guilherme Souza sent an email to the class, which we can see below in portuguese at Picture 1.

Picture 1. Screen capturing of the email sent to the Integrator Project participant student.
Source: own.

Due to the condition the coordinator postured, it's cogitated the possibility of test subject machining over an external company. Therefore, the plan involves that the first test subject is created inside SENAI CIMATEC; the subsequent necessary ones, prior to the ingots, be replicated over the first one. In the case it's practicable, it will be took to discussion with the advisor Mauricio Camargo this friday.

Today was done the cleaning of the foundry recipient (crucible) and also the brass wire compactation and cutting that will be melted. Both activities are extremely important to avoid any kind of contamination or irregularities in the final piece melting. The compactation also increases yield. It was discussed the wire behavior when compactated similar to a spring (leaning to its original position after the stress). The solution suggested involved the wire trituration; however, it proved unnecessary.

Picture 2. Table cutter used to cut the wires.
Source: own.

The compactation was not accomplished today, due to the laboratory superoccupation. Therefore, the wires were cut and gathered together, creating more ease in the future compactation.

Picture 3. Brass wires cut and gathered together, ready for compactation.
Source: own.

The material for the wire cleaning process was bought too, therefore avoiding possible contamination.

Picture 4. Cleaning product for the brass wires.
Source: own.

It will be brought one more update in this posting over the foundry process, since it was not yet concluded. The materials still need to be took to the oven and foundry be executed.

[EDITED POST DAY 10/23/2015 - 20:40]

Today, we did the material's foundry, with the teacher Fabio Lora's supervision.

It was decided, with the endorsement of the course coordinator Guilherme Souza, the data sharing between teams. Once the test subject quantity is limited, all the teams will submit to equal or similar foundry and machining processes to obtain similar results, so they can be adapted to all the Integrator Project students. Creating this resource pool, the following parameters were estabilished:

• 1200ºC for the oven temperature;
• 30 minutes being the foundry time;
• Open 20 minutes after the start to verify the state;
• Dump on the mold, chilling with water 10 minutes later.

It was also found an external turner, that would create three test subjects for the price of 100 reais. So, dividing the value for all the members of all the teams, R$6,50 per member is a accessible and cheap price for the result.

Picture 5. Brass cleaning process, with (from left to right): Carlos Cailan, João Gabriel de Andrade, Gustavo Silva and Gabriel Santanna.
Source: own.

As planned, the brass cleaning was done so that impurity in the final piece (ingot) would be avoided, after the melted solidification.

Picture 6. Team members Lucas Naves and Carlos Cailan (from left to right) doing the brass compactation.
Source: own.

Done the material compression, it was took to foundry processing, in the local laboratory.

Picture 7. Brass insertion for melting, guided by the teacher Fábio Lora (to the left).
Source: own.

Utilizing the above informed parameters, the material was removed so it could be dumped and solidified.

Picture 8 and 9. Melted brass dumping in the mold, guided by the teacher Fábio Lora (to the right of picture 8).
Source: own.

The final result, after chilled in water, was the ingot that will be machined in the future, creating the test subject for mechanical testing.

Picture 9. Brass ingot created by the team.
Source: own.

With the ingot ready, the next step will be a second foundry processing (to be scheduled) and the calculus memorial start for the final report.

Thanks for the attention!

Best regards,
Solarium Engineering Team.