Editor's Notes: The results presented here are based on research funded by the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) through the Investment Casting Cooperative Arrangement (ICCAl. The ICCA is a consortium of five companies: General Electric Aircraft Engines, Pratt & Whitney, Howmet Corporation, PeC, and UES. In addition to these five member companiesl a number of research institutes are participating members of the program. For more information on the ICCA, refer to Reference 5. A richly linked World Wide Web version of this article with color versions of the figures has been prepared for 1MS OnLine. To access this version of the document contact http: //www. tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9510/Tu-9510.html.A major roadblock preventing the widespread use of casting simulation technology is the intensive effort required by a highly skilled professional to construct a finite-element model. To address this situation, this article proposes an integrated-model construction procedure that reduces model construction time for a typical aeropropulsion component from two weeks to two days. It also describes another step toward the accurate and practical prediction of the coating process through coupled heat transfer, fluid flow, and stress calculation.

Using computer modeling and results visualization techniques, the gating design for a precision investment casting was improved, and the possibility for casting defects was detected. This approach resulted in a potential seven percent cost savings on the component alone and eliminated the expensive trialand-error process. With continuing improvements in computer workstations and modeling software, it should soon be possible to dramatically reduce the effort required to generate and analyze finite-element models.