31 May, 2023

In this article we would like to present the interview conducted with the Metallurgy group of the Department of Engineering of the University of Ferrara, which is afferent to the MechLav laboratory of our Tecnopolo.

The group is coordinated by Prof. Gian Luca Garagnani to whom we address the first question.

Prof. Garagnani, thank you for your availability and that of your group we ask you to introduce us.

The Metallurgy group consists of Prof. Mattia Merlin, Eng. Annalisa Fortini and Eng. Chiara Soffritti in addition to myself. Unstructured personnel also belong to the group, as PhD students in Engineering Science and research fellows who collaborate in research activities.

 Specifically, what does the group you coordinate deal with?

The group conducts institutional research in the area of microstructural and mechanical characterization of ferrous and nonferrous metallic materials, and makes its instrumentation and scientific expertise available for third mission activities for technology transfer to companies in the area and beyond. The main ongoing research topics include: microstructural and mechanical characterization of foundry aluminum alloys, tribological characterization of coatings and surface treatments, study of correlations between process parameters and metallurgical behavior of ferrous and nonferrous alloys produced by additive manufacturing technologies such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Energy Deposition (DED), as well as research regarding the process-microstructure-property correlation of sintered steels of industrial interest.

Prof. Merlin, on the front of participation in European industrial research calls you are very active, both as a laboratory and as a group, which projects have you participated in?

Personnel from the research group participated as MechLav in the RIMMEL project "Multifunctional and Multi-Scale Reworks for MEccanical Components in Steel and Aluminum Alloys Fabricated by Additive Manufacturing" funded under the POR FESR EMILIA ROMAGNA 2014-2020. In the context of this project, which included the participation of other regional partners, I myself assumed the position of scientific representative for the Laboratory. Last February, as part of the new PR-FESR programming, the group participated as a partner in the ALERT project "ALluminum alloys for components subject to fatigue AND fretting: Integrated Coatings and Surface Treatments"; we are awaiting the results of the evaluations.

Finally, under the direct management calls we are a partner in the SCULPT project "SCrap UpcycLing for improved circulary in the european meTallurgical industry" submitted in response to the call "HORIZON-CL4-2023-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-42: Circular economy in process industries Upcycling large volumes of secondary resources."

In closing, we ask you to give us some examples of technology transfer activities, another key aspect of academic research.

As far as third mission activities for technology transfer to companies are concerned, by way of example, in recent years the Metallurgy group has carried out intensive industrial collaboration activities with Fonderie Mario Mazzucconi SpA of Ponte San Pietro (Bergamo), a leading national and international company in the production of aluminum alloy castings obtained by low pressure (Low Pressure Die Casting- LPDC) and high pressure die casting (High Pressure Die Casting- HPDC) processes. The Company's customers are some of the leading European car manufacturers, which in recent years have become increasingly interested in improving the performance of their products from the point of view of microstructure and mechanical properties, while at the same time reducing environmental impact by encouraging the use of new and increasingly sustainable alloys.

As part of its collaboration with the Company, the Metallurgy group has developed several innovative research topics, with particular reference to:

- study by thermal analysis of the properties during solidification of AlSi alloys as the chemical composition changes (e.g., considering combined effects of refining and modification) and solidification rates, as well as the evaluation of the influence of the addition of alloying elements (e.g., of Mg, Mn and Cu) on the tensile and impact strength properties of castings made in the shell or under low pressure;

- study of the effects related to variations in heat treatment timing through experimental tests on production components, using two different plant solutions typically employed by the Company to conduct heat treatment operations.

Currently, again with Fonderie Mario Mazzucconi SpA, further research activity is underway aimed at the development of innovative secondary aluminum alloys for foundry use that, while maintaining characteristics that make them suitable for low-pressure casting (LPDC) processes, allow for a reduction in raw material costs and meet environmental sustainability objectives. The need to increase the use of recycled-derived aluminum alloys in structural mechanical components requires a thorough study of their technological, microstructural, and mechanical characteristics under static and cyclic loads. In fact, alloys obtained from secondary aluminum are not, to date, able to guarantee performance exactly comparable to that provided by alloys of primary origin. Among the critical aspects in secondary alloys, derived from recovered materials, is the effect of certain alloying elements that often occur as impurities in finished products, decreasing their performance in service.

Contextually with the definition of new alloys of secondary origin, there is also an interest in achieving new goals in reducing gas consumption in heat treatment furnaces; for this reason, a further indispensable objective of the research will be the study of innovative heat treatments that can further contribute to the reduction of the environmental impact of production.

To further emphasize the connection with Fonderie Mazzucconi SpA, the Company itself is involved as a partner in the SCULP project.

Many thanks to Professors Garagnani and Merlin for their availability.

For further information and contact with the Metallurgy group of the MechLav laboratory, please contact us at: tecnopolo@unife.it