| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080257517 | MOLD ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN A LIQUID METAL COOLED DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION FURNACE - A mold assembly for a liquid metal cooled directional solidification furnace having a cooling chamber provided with liquid metal and a heating chamber includes a mold member having a main body portion that defines an interior mold cavity. The mold member is adapted to be positioned in the heating chamber. The mold assembly also includes a chill-plate formed from a material having a thermal diffusivity a 600° K greater than approximately 10 E-6 m2/s, inert to at least one of molten tin and molten aluminum and adapted to be at least partially immersed in the liquid metal. The chill-plate includes a main body portion having a first surface extending to a second surface through an intermediate portion. The chill-plate is adapted to establish a thermal gradient between the mold member and the heating chamber. | 10-23-2008 |
| 20090126893 | Liquid Metal Directional Casting Process - Processes for directionally casting liquid metal to form an articles can include compressing a seal intermediate a mold chill plate and a mold assembly, wherein the seal circumscribes a shell mold in the mold assembly; filling the shell mold in the mold assembly with molten metal; immersing the mold assembly into a liquid metal cooling bath from a bottom portion to a top portion of the mold assembly; and transmitting heat from the mold assembly to the liquid metal cooling bath to solidify the molten metal from the bottom portion to the top portion of the mold assembly. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20090126894 | LIQUID METAL DIRECTIONAL CASTING APPARATUS - An apparatus for directionally casting articles generally includes a seal between a mold assembly and chill plate. In one embodiment, the mold assembly includes a skirt laterally extending from at least one shell mold, wherein the skirt includes a channel disposed in a bottom surface that is configured to surround the at least one shell mold. A chill plate fastened to a bottom of the mold assembly and includes a boss having a shape complementary to the channel, wherein the boss of the chill plate is seated within the channel of the mold assembly to define the seal about the at least one shell mold. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20090159645 | Brazing alloy compositions and methods - Various braze alloy compositions are described, along with methods for using them. In one instance, a boron-free, high-temperature braze alloy includes selected amounts of chromium, hafnium, and nickel. The braze alloy can be used, for example, as a component in a wide gap braze mixture where a higher or lower melting point superalloy and/or brazing powder is used. The braze alloys may permit joining or repairing of superalloy articles with complex shapes, and may be used in high temperature applications. In some other braze alloy embodiments, a nickel- or cobalt-based braze composition can contain selected amounts of boron, but includes restricted amounts of chromium. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090205799 | CASTING MOLDS FOR USE IN A DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION PROCESS AND METHODS OF MAKING | 08-20-2009 |
| 20090314390 | Alloy Castings Having Protective Layers and Methods of Making the Same - An alloy casting having a protective layer disposed on a surface of the casting is provided. The protective layer is resistant to liquid metal attack, and wherein the protective layer includes an oxide of an element present in the alloy. A method of forming a protective layer on a surface of the alloy casting is also provided. The method includes disposing the alloy in a mold, and oxidizing an element of the alloy to form a protective layer on the surface of the casting. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20100018666 | HIGH EMITTANCE SHELL MOLDS FOR DIRECTIONAL CASTING - Shell molds and processes for making the shell molds that exhibit high emissivity in the red and infrared regions. In this manner, thermal resistance within a gap formed between solidifying cast metal and the interior mold surface is decreased. In one embodiment, the facecoat region is formed from a slurry composition comprising an aluminum oxide, a green chromium oxide and a silicon dioxide. In another embodiment, the facecoat region is formed from a slurry composition including zirconium silicate and silica with stucco layer of alumina is included. | 01-28-2010 |
| 20100034692 | NICKEL-BASE SUPERALLOY, UNIDIRECTIONAL-SOLIDIFICATION PROCESS THEREFOR, AND CASTINGS FORMED THEREFROM - An alloy composition and method by which the incidence of freckling can be reduced in castings produced with properties similar to the René N5 nickel-base superalloy. The casting has a unidirectional crystal structure and a composition consisting of, by weight, 6% to 8% chromium, 6% to 9% cobalt, 0% to 2% molybdenum, 4% to 6% tungsten, 6.4% to 6.9% tantalum, 0% to 2% titanium, 5% to 7% aluminum, 2.7% to 3.0% rhenium, 0.3% to 0.7% haffiium, 0.04% to 0.08% carbon, 0.002% to 0.006% boron, 0% to 0.075% yttrium, 0.002% to 0.004% zirconium, the balance being nickel and incidental impurities. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100147481 | METHODS OF MANUFACTURING CASTED ARTICLES, AND SYSTEMS - A method for manufacturing a casted article is presented. The method includes steps of forming a casted article by a liquid metal cooled directional solidification process, removing a metallic material from a surface of the casted article and inspecting the surface of the casted article. The surface of the casted article is inspected for the presence of the metallic material by exposing the surface to a visualization reagent. A system for manufacturing the casted article is also presented. | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100147803 | PROCESS FOR REMOVING METALLIC MATERIAL FROM CASTED SUBSTATES, AND RELATED COMPOSITIONS - A method for removing a metallic material from the surface of a casted substrate includes the step of contacting the metallic material with an aqueous composition which comprises an acid having the formula H | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100170654 | Casting Molds for Use in Directional Solidification Processes and Methods of Making - Casting molds suitable for directional solidification processes using a liquid cooling bath include a graded facecoat structure on a mold body. The graded facecoat structure includes an innermost layer and a delamination layer, wherein the delamination layer fractures upon cooling of the molten metal so as to separate the mold body from the innermost layer, which remains in contact with or in close proximity to the metal being cast. Also disclosed are directional solidification processes. | 07-08-2010 |
| 20100304161 | CASTING PROCESSES, CASTING APPARATUSES THEREFOR, AND CASTINGS PRODUCED THEREBY - A casting process and apparatus for producing directionally-solidified castings, and castings produced therewith. The process entails applying a facecoat slurry to a surface within a mold cavity to form a continuous solid facecoat on the surface, introducing a molten metal alloy into the mold cavity so that the molten metal alloy contacts the facecoat, and then immersing the mold in a liquid coolant to cool and solidify the molten metal alloy and form a casting of the metal alloy, during which an oxide layer forms on the casting surface. The facecoat is sufficiently adherent to the oxide layer such that at least a portion of the facecoat detaches from the mold surface and remains tightly adhered to the casting surface in the event the casting contracts during cooling. The facecoat contains at least 60 weight percent of a first phase of yttria, and the balance of the facecoat is a binder phase of an inorganic material. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20110076180 | Nickel-Based Superalloys and Articles - Rhenium-free nickel based alloys are provided. More particularly, the alloys comprise preferred levels and ratios of elements so as to achieve good high temperature strength of both gamma matrix phase and gamma prime precipitates, as well as good environmental resistance, without using rhenium. When cast and directionally solidified into single crystal form, the alloys exhibit creep and oxidation resistance substantially equivalent to or better than rhenium-bearing single-crystal alloys. Further, the alloys can be processed by directional solidification into articles in single crystal form or columnar structure comprising fine dendrite arm spacing, e.g., less than 400 μm, if need be, so that further improvements in mechanical properties in the articles can be seen. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110076181 | Nickel-Based Superalloys and Articles - Rhenium-free nickel based alloys are provided. More particularly, the alloys comprise preferred levels and ratios of elements so as to achieve good high temperature strength of both gamma matrix phase and gamma prime precipitates, as well as good environmental resistance, without using rhenium. When cast and directionally solidified into single crystal form, the alloys exhibit oxidation resistance better than or comparable to rhenium-bearing single-crystal alloys, and creep rupture life comparable to rhenium-bearing single-crystal alloys. Further, the alloys can be processed by directional solidification into articles in single crystal form or columnar structure comprising fine dendrite arm spacing, e.g., less than 400 μm, if need be, so that further improvements in mechanical properties in the articles can be seen. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110076182 | Nickel-Based Superalloys and Articles - Rhenium-free nickel based alloys are provided. More particularly, the alloys comprise preferred levels and ratios of elements so as to achieve good high temperature strength of both gamma matrix phase and gamma prime precipitates, as well as good environmental resistance, without using rhenium. When cast and directionally solidified into single crystal form, the alloys exhibit creep resistance substantially equivalent to rhenium-bearing single-crystal alloys. Further, the alloys can be processed by directional solidification into articles in single crystal form or columnar structure comprising fine dendrite arm spacing, e.g., less than 400 μm, if need be, so that further improvements in mechanical properties in the articles can be seen. | 03-31-2011 |
