Cooperative Research Centre for Cast Metals Manufacturing
The CAST CRC has recently been successful in gaining a third round of seven years funding from the
Commonwealth Government through the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Programme.
This funding is to match contributions already pledged by the Australian light metals industry
and research fraternity. The primary focus of the centre is industrially focussed light metals
research with the motto ‘competitive advantage through cooperation’.
The new CRC has 13 industry partners, 6 research providers, a government agency (DSTO) and numerous
industry associates. Projects in the new CRC are placed in value chain programs to facilitate the
engagement of suppliers and users of technology to achieve the best outcomes for each party.
Monash will be participating in four projects in the new CRC. Two of the projects involve alloy design. New wrought magnesium alloys are being developed and process conditions optimised so that magnesium alloys can be formed as efficiently and perform as effectively as aluminium alloys. Monash researchers are also involved in development of magnesium alloys for automotive powertrain applications. In the light alloy prototype structures project, Monash researchers are using their knowledge of the mechanical behaviour of light metals, in particular magnesium alloys, to assist in the optimisation of light weight automotive structures. These projects are performed with Advanced Magnesium Technologies as the industrial partner. The fourth project, Improved Casthouse Products, involves the optimisation of wrought and foundry aluminium alloys with Comalco as the industrial partner. The focus of the wrought alloys research is on reducing the incidence of hot tearing and in the foundry alloys research is on optimising heat treatment and alloy composition.
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