Flaw Detection of Cast-Steel Safety Parts in Automotive Application

Casting is the most economical way of producing parts for many industries ranging from automotive, aerospace to construction towards small appliances in many shares. One of the challenges is the achievement of defect-free cast parts. There are many ways to do this which starts with calculation and design of proper runner system with correct size and number of feeders. The first rule suggests starting with clean melt. Yet, rejected parts can still be found. Although depending on the requirement from the parts, some defects can be tolerated, but in critical applications, it is crucial that no defect should exist that would deteriorate the performance of the part. Several methods exist on the foundry floor to detect these defects. Functional safety criteria, for example, are a must for today's automotive industry. These are not compromised under any circumstances. In this study, based on the D-FMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) study of a functional safety criterion against fuel leakage, one 1.4308 cast steel function block, which brazed-on fuel rail port in fuel injection unit, was investigated. Porosity, buckling, inclusion and detection for leak were carried out by non-destructive test (NDT) methods. It was found that the best practice was the CT-Scan (Computed Tomography) for such applications.