Pcc Airfoils, Inc.

Trw Limited

General Electric Company

Lawrence Donald Graham

Arunachalam Jeyarajan

Robert Mark Garlock

Louis H Monte

Daniel G Fetsko

Harold L Wheaton

Gary J Vanek

Ronald Ardo

Richard A Skelley

Shyh-Chin Huang

Stephen Francis Rutkowski

Frederic Joseph Klug

Michael Francis Xavier Gigliotti

Paul Steven Svec

Robert A Horton

Roger John Petterson

James Raphord Barrett

Asish Ghosh

Gerald C Dodds

Constantine Vishnevsky

Thomas George

Michael J Capek

John E Brokloff

James A Oti

Brad L Rauguth

Don Deptowicz

Jonathan Jarrabet

Scott T Hill

Walter E Merz

William D James

Mark A Crnkovic

A cast metal article is formed with an internal cavity. The internal cavity is formed by a ceramic core which is removed from the cast metal article to leave the cavity. The ceramic core is formed with a cavity to facilitate removal of the core from the cast metal article. To remove the core from the cast metal article, the cavity in the core is filled with a leaching liquid.

Method of forming a cast metal article

During casting of metal articles, a mold is moved into a body or bath of molten metal. The mold is moved into a container which contains a portion of the body of molten metal. Heat is transferred at a first rate from the mold to a first portion of the body of molten metal disposed above the container. Heat is transferred at a second rate from the mold to the second portion of the body of molten metal at least part of which is disposed in the container. The container retards movement of molten metal relative to the mold to effect an increase in the temperature of the molten metal in the container and thereby retards transfer of heat from a portion of the mold disposed in the container to the body of molten metal. The mold enters the container through an opening at the upper end portion of the container. One or more additional openings may be provided at the lower end portion of the container.

Method of casting metal articles

Core material is removed from a passage in a casting by exposing at least a portion of the core material in the passage to a leaching liquid. At least a portion of the core material in the passage is exposed to a gas. An opening to passage is exposed to a gas. At least a portion of the leaching liquid in the passage is boiled while the opening to the passage is exposed to a gas. At least a portion of the leaching liquid is expelled from the passage in the casting by the boiling action. To expose at least a portion of the core material in a passage to a leaching liquid, a flow of leaching liquid is conducted from a reservoir container to an operating container in which the casting is disposed. To expose at least a portion of the core material in the passage to a gas, a flow of leaching liquid is conducted from the operating container to the reservoir container.

Method and apparatus for removing core material

An unfired ceramic base core having a first coefficient of thermal expansion is provided. A core element having a second coefficient of thermal expansion is positioned in an opening formed in the unfired ceramic base core. The opening in the unfired ceramic base core is filled with a filler material having a third coefficient of thermal expansion. The third coefficient of thermal expansion is greater than the first coefficient of thermal expansion and less than the second coefficient of thermal expansion. The ceramic base core is fired without cracking the base core and without cracking the filler material. The ceramic base core contains silica and zircon and has a silica content of 70% or less and a zircon content of 30% or more. The core element may be formed of a ceramic material or a refractory metal.

A plurality of molds are disposed on a rotatable base. The base is rotated to move each of the molds in turn through a pouring station to an article removing station and back to the pouring station. A molten nickel chrome super alloy is poured into each of the molds in turn at the pouring station. The molds are cooled by a flow of cooling fluid. The nickel chrome super alloy articles are removed from the molds at the article removal station. The base may be continuously or intermittently rotated relative to the pouring station. Molten metal may be continuously or intermittently poured at the pouring station.

Method and apparatus for casting metal articles

A Method of casting includes providing a mold having one or more article mold cavities. The mold is moved into a furnace. While the mold is in the furnace, the mold is filled with molten metal. After the mold has been removed from the furnace, a heater is positioned adjacent to the mold and heat is transmitted from the heater to the mold. The heater may include electrically energizable resistance type heating elements, or a source of radiant energy or a gas burner.

Method of casting

An apparatus for use in casting a metal article includes a furnace assembly and a container which holds a fluidized bed. A mold support is movable relative to the furnace assembly to move a mold from the furnace assembly into the fluidized bed. A bame is disposed between the fluidized bed and at least a portion of the furnace assembly. The baffle may have a plurality of secondary openings which enable particulate to move from an upper side of the baffle into the fluidized bed. The baffle may be connected with the furnace assembly, the container which holds the fluidized bed, or floated on the fluidized bed itself. The baffle may be provided with flexible segments which engage the mold and at least partially block movement of particulate through a central opening in the baffle during withdrawal of the mold from the furnace assembly.

Fluidized bed with baffle

A baffle includes a base and a seal having flexible segments which engage a mold structure. The base of the baffle may have a noncircular opening in which article mold portions of the mold structure are disposed. The baffle may be connected with the furnace assembly before a mold is moved into the furnace assembly or may be connected with the furnace assembly as the mold is moved into the furnace assembly. A projection connected with the mold structure may be utilized to orient the baffle relative to the mold structure. The projection may be a thermocouple assembly which extends from the chill plate. Alternatively, the projection may be a portion of the mold structure itself.

Method and apparatus for use during casting

As a mold containing molten metal is lowered from a heating chamber, a baffle extends around the mold. Force is transmitted from the mold to an inner section of the baffle to release connectors between the inner section of the baffle and an outer section of the baffle. As the connectors are released, a side surface on the inner section of the baffle moves out of the coplanar relationship with a side surface on the outer section of the baffle. The baffle may be integrally formed as one-piece. Rather than being formed as one-piece, the baffle may include separate pieces which form the inner and outer sections of the baffle. Alternatively, the inner section of the baffle may be disposed above and supported by the outer section of the baffle. Latches may be provided to interconnect the outer section of the baffle and the furnace assembly.

Apparatus and method for casting a metal article

The fluidized bed is formed of particulate material suspended in a flow of gas. A flow of particulate suspended in gas is conducted between a lower end portion of the fluidized bed and an upper end portion of the fluidized bed to cool the upper end portion of the fluidized bed. The flow of particulate suspended in gas may be conducted from a lower end portion of the fluidized bed to an upper end portion of a fluidized bed. Alternatively, the flow of particulate suspended in gas may be conducted from the upper end portion of the fluidized bed to the lower end portion of the fluidized bed. If desired, the flow of particulate suspended in gas may be conducted to the upper end portion of the fluidized bed from a location spaced from the fluidized bed.

System for casting a metal article

A method of casting metal articles includes providing an array of article molds. The article molds are filled with molten metal. The molten metal is solidified in the article molds. During solidification of the molten metal, a plurality of solidification control elements function as heat sinks and radiation baffles. The solidification control elements are disposed between the article molds as the molten metal solidifies.

Casting articles

An apparatus for use in casting a metal article includes a furnace assembly into which a mold is raised and a fluidized bed adjacent to the furnace assembly. The mold is filled with molten metal and lowered into the fluidized bed. The molten metal is solidified in the mold as it is lowered into the fluidized bed. The mold and fluidized bed are then lowered. The mold may be supported on a grid or support member having openings through which gas and particulate in the fluidized bed can flow. A stirrer member may be moved in the fluidized bed to promote uniform distribution of particulate in the flow of gas. Gas may be conducted from the support member for the mold into a container which holds the fluidized bed. Gas at different pressures may be conducted into the fluidized bed at different locations in the fluidized bed. The mold may have a central portion which engages a support member and a peripheral portion, in which article mold cavities are disposed, the peripheral portion of the mold being spaced from the support member to facilitate total immersion of the peripheral portion of the mold in the fluidized bed.

System for casting a metal article using a fluidized bed

A mold basket, for supporting a mold, for use in a liquid metal bath furnace with an elevator, comprising a flange for suspending the mold basket from the elevator; and a horizontal plate disposed beneath the flange for supporting the mold, wherein the plate is coupled to the flange with a plurality of vertical tie rods.

Mold and mold basket for use in uni-directional solidification process in a liquid metal bath furnace

A layer of hollow spheres is floated on a fluidized bed beneath a furnace. A mold containing molten metal is heated in the furnace to melt the molten metal. The mold is then moved from the furnace through the layer of hollow spheres into the fluidized bed. As the mold moves into the fluidized bed, heat is conducted form the mold and the metal is solidified.

Method of casting a metal article

A wax article pattern having a cavity corresponding to a cavity in a metal article is provided. The cavity in the wax article pattern is filled with a slurry of ceramic core material. The slurry of ceramic core material is solidified to form a core. The wax article pattern is enclosed by ceramic mold material. The ceramic mold material is solidified to form a mold. The wax pattern is removed from the mold to leave an article mold cavity. The article mold cavity is filled with molten metal which is solidified to form the metal article. A passage in the metal article may be formed by a pin which extends from the wax article pattern into the cavity in the wax article pattern and is enclosed by the slurry of ceramic core material.

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Chagrin Falls, OH, United States of America

Lawrence Donald Graham