UH Capstone - Team 10

Blog 6           After February 4th, the team switched to using a steel crucible instead of a crucible made of mortar. This decision was made after the mortar crucible failed and crumbled, the team believes the forge temperature was too hot for the mortar to withstand. The team decided to switch to a steel crucible as it only took a few hours to make compared to the seven days needed to cure a mortar crucible. This new development has also put the team back on schedule for the final prototype. The crucible was constructed from an old steel pipe and sheet metal welded together and is shown in Figure 1. The materials were provided by Boon’s employer, Welker Inc., who is now a sponsor for this project.                                                        ...

Blog 5    Since December, team 10 has acquired the necessary construction materials and has begun making the prototype. The forge used to melt the aluminum, shown in Figure 1, has been constructed.The wooden frame in Figure 2 was made to house the casting sand. A mold was also made which will be used to shape the sand into the general shape of the prototype for casting. The team encountered a problem when making the crucible, the container used to hold the aluminum as it was heated. During a test run of the forge with no aluminum used, the crucible melted, meaning another one needed to be constructed. The second crucible was constructed out of mortar with a higher temperature rating than the puddy used in the previous crucible. The undermold for the crucible which it gets moulded with has also been constructed and is shown in figure 3. The crucible takes seven days to cure and will be ready for a test pour of aluminum by February 3rd. THe crucible is being cured and can be se...