IK4-Azterlan presents the latest advances in foundry processes and surface technologies research in the XV National Congress of Materials

The Metallurgy Research Center has also moderated the symposium dedicated to foundry processes of metallic materials within this same framework.

One more year, the IK4-AZTERLAN Metallurgy Research Centre has actively taken part in the National Congress of Materials, recently held in the city of Salamanca. This is an outstanding technical meeting organized by the Spanish Society of Materials (SOCIEMAT), which has gathered more than 350 professionals to share innovations and latest research in different fields related to materials and their transformation technologies.

In the fifteenth edition of the Congress, IK4-AZTERLAN has presented two papers in symposia “Surface science and engineering for advanced applications” and “Foundry processes of metallic materials”.

The first of the interventions of the technology centre was provided by researcher Enara Mardaras who, under the title “Surface modification of cast iron with spheroidal graphite using duplex steel”, exposed to the audience how the team of R&D of Metallurgical Processes of IK4-AZTERLAN has optimised the resistance to corrosion of cast iron through a joint process of fusion with duplex steel and the casting material. This process makes it possible the surface to adapt to different forms and complex geometries without incorporating any other coating or surface treatment processes.

The second paper, “Predictive model of microstructure for aluminum parts manufactured by means of low pressure technology”, was presented by researcher Ibon Lizarralde who exposed to the audience the relations between thermal analysis parameters of the standard cups used for the analysis of cast-aluminium (by means of Thermolan-Al® software) and the microstructure obtained in different zones of a component manufactured in LPDC technology. The lightweight materials expert showed to the attendees how it has been possible to develop a model of the evolution of the refining of the grain, according to supercooling of the solidification curve and the thermal module of the tested pieces.

The 2018 National Congress of Materials was held together with the “I Iberian Meeting on Material Science”, organized jointly by the Spanish Materials’ Society and the Sociedade Portuguesa de Materiais.

IK4-Azterlan researcher Ibon Lizarralde presents a paper on LPDC technology.