Method of making an austempered ductile iron article
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJunyoung Park, Jason Robert Parolini
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of making an austempered ductile iron article is disclosed. The method includes providing a melt of a ductile iron alloy composition. The method also includes casting the melt into a mold to form a casting. The method further includes cooling the casting to an austempering temperature by circulating a coolant through the mold; wherein cooling comprises solidifying the melt and forming a ductile iron article. Still further, the method includes heating the casting to maintain the austempering temperature for an interval sufficient to form an austempered ductile iron article that comprises a microstructure comprising ausferrite.
Claims20
A method of making an austempered ductile iron article, comprising:
- providing a melt of a ductile iron alloy composition;
- casting the melt into a mold to form a casting, the mold comprising a mold cavity;
- cooling the casting to an austempering temperature by circulating a coolant through the mold, the coolant circulating within at least one enclosed fluid conduit that is disposed within the mold proximate the mold cavity;
- wherein cooling comprises solidifying the melt and forming a ductile iron article;
- and
- heating the casting to maintain the austempering temperature for an interval sufficient to form an austempered ductile iron article that comprises a microstructure comprising ausferrite.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.