Continuous pour directional solidification method
AssigneeHowmet Corporation
InventorsPaul D. Prichard, Paul R. Aimone
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of making a casting wherein a molten alloy is introduced into a mold cavity at an initial mold fill rate to partially fill the mold cavity while the mold cavity resides in a casting chamber. A solidification front is propagated through the molten alloy to provide a solidification rate. The remaining molten alloy is introduced into the mold at a second mold fill rate less than the first mold fill rate as the front propagates through the molten alloy. The second fill rate is controlled to correspond or be matched generally to the solidification rate of the molten alloy in the mold cavity.
Claims16
A method of making a directionally solidified casting, comprising:
- introducing a metallic melt into a mold cavity at an initial mold fill rate to only partially fill said mold cavity with said melt while said mold cavity resides in a casting furnace, propagating a solidification front in a direction through the melt to provide a solidification rate, and introducing the remaining melt into said mold cavity at a second mold fill rate less than the first mold fill rate as the solidification front propagates through the melt to further fill the mold cavity with the melt, said second mold fill rate corresponding generally to the melt solidification rate.
A method of making a directionally solidified casting, comprising:
- introducing a metallic melt into a mold cavity at an initial mold fill rate to only partially fill said mold cavity with said melt while said mold cavity resides in a casting chamber, propagating a solidification front in a direction through the melt to provide a solidification rate, and introducing the remaining melt into said mold cavity at a second mold fill rate less than the first mold fill rate as the solidification front propagates through the melt to further fill the mold cavity with said melt, said second mold fill rate being controlled in response to the position of the solidification front relative to the mold so as to correspond generally to said solidification rate.
A method of making a directionally solidified casting, comprising:
- introducing a metallic melt into a mold cavity at a first mold fill rate to only partially fill said mold cavity with said melt while said mold cavity resides in a casting chamber and introducing the remaining melt into said mold at a second lower mold fill rate less than the first mold fill rate as the mold cavity is withdrawn from the casting chamber until the mold is filled with said melt, the second mold fill rate and the mold withdrawal rate from the casting chamber being controlled in response to the position of the solidification front relative to the mold to generally match said second mold fill rate and said solidification rate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.