The process of strand casting followed  by  forge rolling has been under continuing development by Roblin Steel Company since 1964. As reported by W.  Wojcik, Roblin Steel made a comparison of their product with the best that traditional processing could offer, i. e. , bars produced by rolling of fully killed steel ingots. In bringing out the de- sirable characteristics of strand-cast, forge-rolled  bars  for use as starting material in forging, Dr. Wojcik indicated that there is no measurable difference in mechanical properties between strand-cast/forge-rolled and conventionally rolled materials. Additional work is in progress to  characterize fully the new product.  Roblin’s  process  consists  of casting a continuous strand at as low a pour temperature as possible (typically 35 °C above the liquidus) after silicon killing and aluminum deoxidizing. The continuous-cast strand is then forge-rolled between four rolls, 90 deg apart, with only the minimum amount of mechanical working necessary to se- cure mechanical properties.

The final presentation of the conference was by W.H. Altergott of IIT Research Institute, on the principles and recent applications of the squeeze casting process. Squeeze casting is a means of making closed-die forgings using a liquid metal charge in place of a solid preform. The use of liquid metal overcomes several traditional  problems inher- ent in forging, including limited shape detail, internal and surface cracking due to  inadequate  ductility  or forgeability of the workpiece material, and high  cost.  In  comparison with permanent mold casting or die casting, squeeze casting produces a much liner, denser internal structure, as well as improved surface finish, due to the high level of applied pressure (10,0tJfl to 30,000 psi). Mechanical properties are invariably superior to conventional cast properties, and gen- erally  tend  to  fall  in  between  the  longitudinal  (high) and

J. APPLIED METALWORKING

long-transverse (low) properties of wrought products. According to Mr. Altergott, IIT Research Institute has been developing squeeze casting since 1969. The process starts

Session I: Optimum Material Utilization (Chairman: R.P. O’Shea, International Harvester Company, Hinsdale, IL) Close  Tolerance   Spindle  Forging   (J.   Sniezek*   and P.C.

Theis,  Rockwell  International,  Morristown,   TN)

with  ladling  a  fixed  amount  of  molten  metal  into  a pre- Near-Net    Forging   of   Drive   Train   Components    (A.M.

heated, lubricated die in a hydraulic press. The press ram is then brought  down,  forcing  a  punch  into  the  die  cavity to extrude liquid metal with relative ease to fill the die. Pressure is maintained until the part is completely solidified, after which the ram is retracted and the part ejected  out of the die. This technique has been used successfully in several aerospace, ordnance, and automotive applications, reported Mr. Altergott, including one commercial item — an alumi- num automotive wheel squeeze-cast by Toyota (Japan). Besides  aluminum  alloys,  other materials  evaluated by IIT

Sabroff,* Eaton Corporation, Willoughby Hills, OH) Sinta-Forge,  an  Efficient  Production  Process  for  lI'igh Fa-

tigue Stress Components (R.M. Szary,* Federal Mogul Corporation, Romulus, MI)

Cold Rolled Components for Gas Turbine Engines (W. Hansen * and N . T. Huuskonen , General Electric Company — Aircraft Engine Group, Lynn, MA)

Session II: Optimum Machine Utilization (Chairman: R. Douglas, Eaton Corporation, Willoughby Hills, OH) Automated Forging of Large Crankshafts (J.L. Knott* and