The lack of industrial manpower that Korean companies have been suffering in 21st century is largely responsible for the low-fertility phenomenon. This research suggests an alternative solution with a program for fostering foreign laborers with technical skills in casting industry. Industrial manpower growth is feasible through accepting migrants who have had official education on the fundamental industrial technologies provided by Korean government. These technically trained migrants who can keep economical self-perpetuating ability are can help to effectively address the problem of the declining working-age population and the decreasing potential growth rate in Korea.

Changes in the microstructures and mechanical properties of an AC2B alloy through solution heat treatment were investigated using recycled AC2B cutting chips as raw material. The as-cast microstructure of the AC2B alloy comprised ${\alpha}$-Al, $Al_2Cu$, and coarse needle-shaped phases considered to be eutectic Si and an Al-Fe-Si based intermetallic compound. After solution heat treatments at $505^{\circ}C$ for 1 h and 6 h, the samples showed complete dissolution of $Al_2Cu$ and relatively fine distribution of intermetallic compounds. Hardness test results showed that the hardness rapidly increased after the solution heat treatment for 1 h by solid solution hardening, and the increase of hardness exhibited a plateau from 1 h to 6 h. The results of the hardness and tensile tests showed that there was no visible difference in the effect of 1 h and 6 h solid solution treatment.

In a numerical study, equations relating the mechanical properties and cooling rate in a casting process have been applied to an AC4CH cast aluminum alloy. Good agreement was found between the measured and predicted material properties. Step-shaped steel blocks were made to comprise a casting mold with a Y-shaped cavity. Thermometers were inserted into each step of the mold to investigate temperature changes. The microstructure and mechanical properties, such as hardness and tensile stress were measured for each cut of piece. The correlation between the cooling rate and SDAS was found by curved fitting. Moreover, both the solidification time and the temperature were simulated using a commercial package, ZCast. The simulation results for yield strength, tensile strength, elongation, and hardness were compared with experimental results. Using the estimated K and n values, the hardness values of a ship propeller were simulated, and the results were similar to those obtained for actual castings.

To improve the durability of the turbocharger, it is important to suppress cracking of the turbine housing; therefore, we investigated the initiation and growth of these cracks. First, we initiated a crack in the turbine housing using endurance experiments. After the endurance test, cracks mainly occurred in the valve seat, the nozzle area, and the scroll part of the turbine housing. The results of a fracture analysis of the cracks showed that cracks in the valve seat were initiated by fatigue fracture. This seems to be caused by the accumulation of mechanical and thermal stresses due to vibration of the turbine wheel and high-temperature exhaust gas. Also, cracks in nozzle and scroll area were initiated by intergranular corrosion due to the exhaust gas. Thus, although there are differences in the cause of initiation according to the site, a concentric waveform was observed in all fracture planes. This phenomenon indicates that cracks gradually grow due to repeated stress changes, and the main causes are the temperature difference of the exhaust gas and the vibration caused by the turbine shaft.