AFS casts engine parts at cast metals institute for replica of historic Wright Brothers'...

AFS' CMI took part in replicating history in July when it cast three components for the 4-cylinder engine that will power a remake of the aircraft built by the Wright Brothers for their historic first flight.

In a joint project between APS, Packer Engineering, Naperville, Illinois,

"AFS and CMI are proud to be a part of this significant event," said Ian Kay, AFS vice president of education. "Today we don't give a second thought about being able to fly or the number of people directly or indirectly employed by the aircraft industry. The Wright Brothers made this a reality."

The Wright Redux Assoc. is on a mission to reproduce the replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer and then fly it at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago on the centennial of the Wright Brothers' initial flight, December 17, 2003. No group has ever successfully built a working replica of the first-ever powered aircraft, although many have tried.

AFS became involved in the project when Packer Engineering (who had signed on with Wright Redux as a volunteer to design and produce the engine for the replica aircraft) was looking for a supplier of the engine's iron castings.

"This is an important project that honors the spirit of the Wright's remarkable aviation engineering breakthroughs of 100 years ago," said Kenneth F. Packer, Packer Engineering founder and chairman of the board. "We contacted vendors all over the Midwest and we are delighted at the overwhelming response to this venture."

With the help of student interns from Packer, the CMI research foundry produced nobake sand molds and cores for the three different castings from wood patterns.

"The molding process originally used was, no doubt, green sand molding done with a naturally bonded molding medium," said Kay. "The molds we used today are still made of sand, but bonded with a three-part synthetic resin system. These molds are much stronger and control dimensional accuracy to a greater degree than was available at the time."

The castings were poured by both AFS personnel and the student interns in front of a 50-person audience (including Chicago media) on July 29. The metal used was class 40 gray iron.

"Although the cast components we produced for the replica are of the same design and material, the alloy used is quite different," said Kay. "The low strength-to-weight ratio of gray cast iron limits its use on today's modern aircraft, but it was the material the Wrights used for the combustion chambers, flywheel and cylinder liners. The class 40 iron we produced is alloyed with chromium and molybdenum, which were not available in the irons produced in 1903. The quality of the metal today is insured through spectrographic analysis and mechanical tests that were not even dreamed of when the original engine was made."

The other critical casting required for the replica engine--the cylinder block--is being produced in A356 aluminum via lost foam casting by Willard Industries, Cincinnati. The foam pattern for casting is being designed, machined and supplied by Austin Associates, Quincy, Illinois.

The Wright Redux's replica plane (named The Spirit of Glen Ellyn) is scheduled to undergo airworthiness tests this year using a temporary engine. The test engine then will be replaced by the engine developed by Packer Engineering for the centennial flight.