Casting furnace for solidification restructuring (FSR)

A casting furnace for solidification restructuring, said casting furnace comprising:

• a melting chamber to provide a source of molten alloy or ceramics with adequate superheat;
• a dual zone mold heating chamber comprising a primary heating zone and a secondary heating zone, wherein the primary heating zone and the secondary heating zone are independently controlled, wherein the primary heating zone raises a temperature of a mold for a duration above its creep onset temperature of the mold and thereby a molten metal contained in it near a baffle to impart gradient solidification conditions, and wherein the secondary heating zone heats a majority of the duration below the creep onset temperature of the mold and to provide a preheated mold to assist the primary heating zone to raise the temperature of the mold;
• and
• a dual zone mold cooling chamber comprising a primary cooling chamber and a secondary cooling chamber, wherein the primary cooling chamber and the secondary cooling chamber are independently controlled, wherein the primary cooling chamber speeds up the solidification to prevent defect formation and refine microstructure in a molten state, and wherein the secondary cooling chamber slows down cooling of castings solidified to
• reduce residual stresses build up, and
• minimize elemental segregation through augmenting solid-state diffusion of lower melting elements.