Critical Casting Design Issues --The requirements for performance, castability/manufacturability, and cost are closely interconnected. Four casting design issues played a major role in meeting the three design imperatives

• Select the steel alloy  that meets the strength requirements with minimum cost.

• Design for casting soundness  in critical machined and high stress regions.

• Insure that  dimensional tolerances and quality requirements   are met.

• Minimize manufacturing costs  considering both raw materials and production costs.

  ==> Weight savings were not a primary engineering issue for this component.