US 6,460,595 B1Granted

Nucleated casting systems and methods comprising the addition of powders to a casting

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsMark Gilbert Benz, William Thomas Carter, Jr., Robert John Zabala, Bruce Alan Knudsen

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Abstract

Nucleated casting systems and methods comprise the addition of powders into a liquidus portion of the casting. The casting system forms a casting comprising a liquidus portion that receives the refined liquid metal and a solidified portion, the casting further comprising a fine-grain, homogeneous microstructure that is essentially oxide- and sulfide-free and segregation defect free. The casting system comprises a source of refined liquid metal, the refined liquid metal having oxides and sulfides refined out of the metal; a solid metal particle addition system that adds solid metal particles to a surface of the liquidus portion of the casting; and a nucleated casting system for forming the casting. The solid metal particle addition system adds solid metal particles that serve as nucleation centers during solidification of the casting.

Claims49

Dependent claims

A casting system having solid metal particle addition, the casting system forming a casting that comprises a semi-solid portion that receives a stream of a refined liquid metal and a solidified portion, the casting further comprising a fine-grain, homogeneous microstructure that is essentially oxide-free and sulfide-free and is segregation defect free, the casting system comprising:

a source of the refined liquid metal, wherein oxides and sulfides have been refined out of the refined liquid metal, and wherein the source provides the stream of the refined liquid metal to the casting;
a solid metal particle addition system metal that adds solid metal particles to a surface of the semi-solid portion of the casting such that the solid metal particles are dispersed atop the surface of the semi-solid portion, wherein the solid metal particle addition system is separate from the source of refined liquid metal;
and
a nucleated casting system for forming the casting, wherein the nucleated casting system is adapted to receive both the solid metal particles and the stream of refined liquid metal to form the casting that comprises a fine-grain, homogeneous microstructure that is essentially oxide-free and sulfide-free and is segregation defect free,
wherein the solid metal particle addition system adds the solid metal particles that serve as nucleation centers during solidification of the casting.

2 more elements

A casting method with solid metal particle addition provided to a casting that is formed by the casting method, the casting comprising a semi-solid portion that receives a stream of a refined liquid metal and a solidified portion, the casting further comprising a fine-grain, homogeneous microstructure that is essentially oxide-free and sulfide-free and is segregation defect free, the casting method comprising:

providing a source of the refined liquid metal, the refined liquid metal having oxides and sulfides refined out of the metal;
supplying the source of refined liquid metal to a nucleated casting system;
forming a casting by nucleated casting in the nucleated casting system, the casting comprising a semi-solid portion and a solidified portion;
and
adding solid metal particles to an exposed surface of the semi-solid portion;
wherein solid metal particles serve as nucleation centers during solidification.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.