Micromechanically Compliant Coating for Die Casting Dies

50933-98-I Micromechanically Compliant Coating for Die Casting Dies--Surmet Corporation, 33 B Street, Burlington, MA 01803-3406; (781) 272-3250 Dr. Nilesh Gunda, Principal Investigator Dr. Suri A. Sastri, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-98ER82679 Amount: $75,000 Die casting dies are subjected to extremely hostile conditions of corrosion, erosion and thermal cycling load. The reaction of molten aluminum with iron in steel dies leads to soldering (a die casting defect) and damage to the die. This project will develop an innovative compliant layer for the die¿s protective coating in order to provide the necessary thermomechanical and thermodynamic reliability. A second thin hard coating will also be developed in Phase I to complete a two-layered coating and provide a direct solution to the problem of surface attack by molten metal. To test the coating, samples will be subjected to thermal shock, and actual casting conditions of flowing metal will be simulated. The samples will be examined metallographically for spalling, formation of intermetallics or other signs of coating wear. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Die casting dies are expensive to fabricate. Die surface modifications with innovative coatings could provide a simple and direct solution to die wear and damage. Resilience in the face of molten metal attack is a prime requirement for large-scale economical commercialization of this precise casting technique._