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US 2013/0255127 A1Published application
Weapon barrel and method of making same
OwnerThomas R. Moreland, Donald Deptowiczinventors
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OwnerThomas R. Moreland, Donald Deptowiczinventors
Estimating the term…
An improved barrel for use in a weapon includes a housing which is cast as one piece of a directionally solidified superalloy which is free of generally spherical, randomly oriented crystals. The housing has first properties in a direction extending parallel to its central axis and properties which are different than the first properties in a direction transverse to the central axis of the housing. The superalloy forming the housing may be directionally solidified with a columnar grain crystallographic structure. Alternatively, the superalloy of the housing may be directionally solidified with a plurality of single crystal sections, one or more of which extend between opposite end portions of the housing. As another alternative, the superalloy may be directionally solidified as a single crystal which extends between opposite end portions of the housing.
A barrel for use in a weapon, said barrel comprising a housing enclosing a passage which extends between opposite end portions of said housing and along which a projectile moves during use of said weapon, said housing being cast as one piece of a superalloy directionally solidified from a first end portion of said housing to a second end portion of said housing in a direction which extends parallel to a longitudinal central axis of said passage, said superalloy of said housing having first properties in a direction extending parallel to the longitudinal central axis of said passage and properties which are different than said first properties in a direction transverse to the longitudinal central axis of said passage.
A method of casting a barrel for use in a weapon, said method comprising the steps of casting a first portion of the barrel as a single crystal having a primary orientation axis and secondary orientation axes, and casting a second portion of the barrel as a single crystal having a primary orientation axis which is parallel to the primary orientation axis of the first portion of the barrel and secondary orientation axes which are skewed relative to the secondary orientation axes of the first portion of the barrel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.