As part of Uni-Cast’s objective to maintain its leadership role in the investment casting industry, it has recently developed a unique Controlled Rapid Solidification Process which is being introduced as Uni-Cast’s SPARK Process. SPARK has been developed to produce aluminum investment casting components with advanced strength and structural integrity superior to the traditional investment casting processes available today.
The SPARK process is Uni-Cast’s proprietary process for liquid aluminum alloys cast in ceramic shell molds. The process produces aluminum investment castings that exhibit very fine and compact microstructures with controlled small Dendritic Arm Spacing (DAS). This fine microstructure is one of the key factors for enhancing casting quality and integrity, therefore, allowing for aluminum components to be produced with advanced mechanical properties such as Tensile Strength, Yield Strength, Elongation and a high Quality Index as compared to the traditional investment casting processes.
Typical applications for structural aluminum castings include missile bodies, air frame doors, flap tracks, hydraulic housings, gear housings, flight controls systems, display systems, nacelles, engine struts, etc.
Typical properties and the Quality Index obtained utilizing SPARK are as outlined below:
| Test bars | Tensile Strength KSI (Mpa) | Yield Strength KSI (Mpa) | Elongation (%) | Quality Index (Mpa) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Separately cast | 52 (356) | 46 (313) | (9.4) | (509) |
| Excised (Thin section) | 53 (362) | 42 (288) | (11.7) | (515) |
| Excised (Thick section) | 53 (364) | 41 (284) | (12.5) | (529) |
The high strength specifications for primary aircraft structures or structural components are AMS 4288, AMS 4241 and BMS 7-330C. Uni-Cast’s advanced strength SPARK process has been developed to produce castings that meet or exceed the requirements for these specifications.
Please contact the professional team at Uni-Cast to further discuss the SPARK process and its applications for your high strength structural components. Our engineering team can provide concurrent engineering support to develop techniques for qualifying samples and production requirements.