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Technical paper one of three presented by INTERMET at annual Congress
Troy, Mich., March 6, 2003 - In a groundbreaking study presented at the
2003 SAE World Congress in Detroit, INTERMET Corporation (Nasdaq: INMT)
unveiled a new ferrous metal that allows for the production of
high-strength, safety-critical iron automotive cast components at a much
lower cost than competing materials and processes.
Dr. Alan P. Druschitz, INTERMET's Director of Material Research and
Development, and David C. Fitzgerald, Director of Product Engineering and
Design, delivered a technical presentation introducing "MADITM"
(Machinable Austempered Ductile Iron) ferrous metal, which gives
automotive engineers the flexibility to design suspension and power train
components with the strength of steel forgings, but at the cost and
machinability of as-cast ductile-iron castings.
According to Druschitz, the MADI material addresses one of the major
stumbling blocks to the efficient casting of suspension control arms and
crankshafts in austempered ductile iron: they are difficult and
costly to machine. "The machining of hardened, or austempered,
ductile-iron castings has been a problem in the past because of the cost
of the special tools necessary to mill the material," he said.
"With the MADI material, we use a special iron chemical composition
and heat-treat cycles that produce a unique microstructure more favorable
to normal, less costly machining methods," Druschitz
said. "This is a major breakthrough, especially for high-volume
automotive applications, which demand continuous improvement in
performance as well as higher value."
The study, titled "MADITM:
Introducing a New, Machinable Austempered Ductile Iron," was
presented on Tuesday, March 4, 2003 at Cobo Center in Detroit. In
addition to this report, INTERMET engineers presented two other technical
papers at the SAE World Congress. A brief summary of each follows:
Bolt Load Compressive Stress Retention Testing of Magnesium
Alloys (Paper 2003-01-0178)
Authors: Dr. Alan P. Druschitz, Eric R. Showalter, INTERMET Corp.
Presented Monday, March 3, 2003.
For years, the automotive industry has been using magnesium castings for
structural applications, such as seat backs, seat pans, brake-pedal
brackets and instrument panels. But acceptance of magnesium has been
slower for more demanding power train applications like oil pans,
transmission cases and cylinder blocks, which encounter higher
temperatures. This paper looks at a number of new magnesium alloys
that have been developed to address these issues at more competitive costs
when compared with aluminum and gray iron.
New Approach in Non-destructive Evaluation Techniques for Automotive
Castings (Paper 2003-01-0436)
Authors: Thomas E. Prucha, Nanda Gopal, INTERMET Corp., Robert H.
Nath, Quasar International Inc. Presented Wednesday, March 5, 2003.
Automotive castings increasingly are being utilized in structurally
demanding and safety-critical applications. The need for reduced
weight, near-net shape and more cost-effective components has resulted in
a desire by automotive designers and component manufacturers to explore
the reduction of conservative safety factors used for design
criteria. This presentation reviews past requirements and testing
approaches and sets the background for introducing an NDE (Non-Destructive
Evaluation) method that evaluates parts not in terms of specific
indications, but in terms of structural properties - a much better way to
determine component fitness.
With headquarters in Troy, Michigan, INTERMET Corporation is a
manufacturer of power train, chassis-suspension and structural components
for the automotive industry. INTERMET's strategy is to be the
world's leading supplier of cast-metal automotive components. The
company has approximately 6,000 employees at facilities located in North
America and Europe. More information is available on the Internet at
www.intermet.com.
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