Rose-Hulman Student Team Gains Valuable Experience in Cast in Steel Competition

Steeling themselves for the Steel Founders' Society of America's Cast in Steel competition this past spring, a team of Rose-Hulman mechanical engineering students consisting of Neil Lau, Eric Billips, Malachi Higgins, Mark Li, and Kevin Roemig gained valuable experience in materials science, metallurgy, and manufacturing with a unique project: designing and fabricating a historically accurate horseman's axe.

With the guidance of Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Eduardo Vitral, PhD, the team learned the process of casting the steel for their axe, including post-production processing. Vitral often stayed late into the evening to help answer the team’s questions.

"That was a cool experience, getting to work with him and learn more about metallurgy and clarify some things I had had some knowledge of, but never fully understood," said Lau, the team captain. "I wanted to give him a shout-out for going out of his way to help. He’s an incredibly smart metallurgical mind who is very passionate about teaching.”

Lau also noted that several Rose-Hulman staff members were also hugely influential to the project's success and provided advice within the machine shops, including Rose-Hulman Ventures Mechanical Technician Charlie Jones and Rose-Hulman Mechanical Engineering Lab Technician Bill Raymann.

"He (Raymann) is the best engineer and machinist I know," Lau emphasized. “I’ve learned so much over the years and on this project about how everything is made and how things work from his decades of experience. He’s like a walking encyclopedia for machining and engineering, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to have him as a mentor.”

The Cast in Steel team also worked with Jack Steiner of S&G Excavating, who donated materials and expertise to the team.

At the Cast in Steel competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the students were judged based on the strength of their axe, as well as its sharpness, as it cleaved a two-by-four, chainmail, and sheet metal. The team also submitted a video and a report about their project, which was manufactured primarily on campus.

For each member of the Cast in Steel student team, the project gave them the opportunity to chop down barriers to their success and cast their career aspirations for success.