Joyworks

The activities at Joyworks are neither routine or well defined.  That’s what makes it such a neat place to consider and try new things.  Okay, I admit it, we can work on whatever we want to.  Of late, we’ve been producing sample Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) conversion parts that, if successful, will replace multi-piece steel components with one-piece ADI castings.  We have been casting hardenability step blocks for Applied Process Inc. and we’ve even been analyzing a unique, proprietary design for a bow hunting tree stand.  Based on feedback from our sphere of influence we anticipate that design activities will become an ever increasing portion of the activities at Joyworks.

It has been our observation that, in general, mechanical and design engineers are experts at designing functional shapes but know little about the materials that they specify.  Meanwhile, the materials engineers can give you chapter and verse on the materials but are woefully lacking in design knowledge.  Add to that the fact that most graduating engineers in both those fields have little experience at actually making complex components…..experiencing the difficulties and failures that add up to manufacturing wisdom.

So, it is with some consternation that we read in several trade publications that Ford is looking to reduce the mass of the F-150 pickup truck by 750 lbs. (about 15%), for the sole purpose of increasing the fuel efficiency of America’s most popular vehicle.  On the surface this seems to be a noble goal.  The weight reduction is expected to come largely from substituting aluminum for iron and steel.  For example they have cited the cargo box, tailgate, doors, control arms and steering knuckles as targets for conversion to aluminum.  They expect that the conversion will increase the cost of the vehicle by $1,500 and increase the fuel mileage by 8%.

At Joyworks we are not (specifically) automotive engineers, but we are engineers with both design and materials experience.  A quick calculation based on the aforementioned outcome provides some food for thought.  If you make the assumptions of driving 10,000 miles per year and gasoline selling for $3.50/gallon, the slimmed-down F-150 will return your initial investment in 10 years.  (5 years if you drive twice as much).  Not so hot in the return-on-investment category.

How can that be?  An 8% increase in fuel efficiency is HUGE.  Well…..so is the amount of energy that goes into the production of the aluminum.  That $1,500 premium that F-150 buyers pay will be, in effect, $1,500 worth of energy purchased up front.  Converting bauxite ore to high-performance aluminum sheet, forgings or castings uses three times the amount of energy as that required to convert iron ore to either steel or iron sheet, forgings or castings.  So, in life-cycle energy the savings are minimal…..but Ford will be able to meet the Federal Government’s mpg regulations whether they make energy sense or not.

Moving away from energy, how will Ford make up for the stiffness deficit in aluminum vs. steel or ductile iron? The resonant frequency of the vehicle is bound to be negatively affected.  What about the noise issue?  Aluminum rings like a bell…….what will be the effect on the F-150’s NVH performance.  And what about vehicle modifications in service.  I drive a pickup truck and I can tell you that these trucks are going to get modified.  What happens the first time somebody attaches a fifth-wheel through an aluminum box F-150 using steel screws?  You’ll be able to SEE the aluminum corrode away.  Can you imagine what the aluminum tailgate on a working F-150 will look like after being used on the job site for several years?  It will look like a piece of aluminum foil that has been crumpled up and then hastily flattened out.

There is no free lunch.  Most materials considered to be “light-weight” use massive amounts of energy in their production and have issues with stiffness, noise damping, corrosion resistance, recyclability and manufacturability.  But many designers are ignorant of the larger picture when these material selections are made.  At Joyworks we’ll do our part to make that picture clearer.  Meanwhile, you might want to ask some questions the next time you’re chatting with a Ford design engineer.  The stuff we use to make stuff really does matter. 

Here at Joyworks we’re not ALL play.  In fact, lately, we’ve been all about learning.  Boy, are we developing respect for our industry friends who do lost-foam iron castings!  Over the years, through our affiliation with Applied Process, we’ve been involved in the Austempering of millions of ductile iron castings produced by the lost-foam method but, MAN, do we have a new appreciation for them now.  We’re learning (or re-learning) more about ferrostatic head, grain size, viscosity, vents and vibrators than we ever wanted to…..but we’re slowly inching towards an ADI game changer thanks to the persistence of Kathy, Meghan, Demetri and Ryan.  Here’s a shout out to Greg Miskinis, Larry Helm, Ray Monroe, Von Richards and a host of others who have given us sage advice.

There’s an old saying that everybody who’s ever eaten in a restaurant thinks they can run one.  That saying has taken on new meaning in the development of our lost-foam ADI breakthrough.  Heck, we’re just beginning to know what we don’t know on the project…and that’s what makes it so fun….and, no, I’m not going to tell you what it is…..yet.

Thanks also to ASM International’s Detroit Chapter for allowing Joyworks to be the official supplier again this year of the cast aluminum speakers awards.

It looks like Joyworks might just be involved in a project to re-create aluminum shoulder brackets for the University of Michigan’s Rifle Team.  The lightweight brackets are used to brace against the butt of the long-barrel .22 caliber target rifles used by the team in competition.  Team member (and Aerospace Engineering Senior) David Ameche, and the team are busily planning the project and it is hoped that the castings could be produced before the Seniors leave town.  The UoM 3-D lab may have a role in the project.  By the way……David Ameche will be joining our happy band of Joyworkers as a part-time assistant, on loan from Applied Process.  Welcome aboard, David!

As the Foundry Educational Foundation Key Professor at the University of Michigan I was pleased to see a record sign-up of students joining the student chapter of The American Foundry Society (AFS).  Leo Baran from AFS will address the students at the Michigan Materials Society (MMS) lunch on 09 March.  A sponsored lunch (read “free food”) and an interesting speaker always bring in a good crowd.  Thanks to Joyce Loh and the MMS officers for their contributions to the upcoming event.

We're now all clad in our purple "Joyworks: What a pour way to make a living" t-shirts as the result of a plan hatched by Dr. Kathy Hayrynen.  She was kind enough to provide me with a (unique) red one.....Thanks for that! 

Next stop….a bronze for our new grandson, Jules Henry Keough.  Let the play begin!