General Electric Company

Lee Cranford Perocchi

Michael F Gigliotti, Jr

Shyh-Chin Huang

Thomas James Batzinger

Andrew Philip Woodfield

Michael Francis Xavier Gigliotti

Robert S Gilmore

John R Hughes

Peter G Frischmann

Curtis Wayne Rose

Roger John Petterson

James Paul Fulton

Francis X Gigliotti, Jr

Richard A Amato

Eddy current inspection of a contoured surface of a workpiece is performed by forming a backing piece of flexible, resiliently yieldable material with a contoured exterior surface conforming in shape to the workpiece contoured surface. The backing piece is preferably cast in place so as to conform to the workpiece contoured surface. A flexible eddy current array probe is attached to the contoured exterior surface of the backing piece such that the probe faces the contoured surface of the workpiece to be inspected when the backing piece is disposed adjacent to the workpiece. The backing piece is then expanded volumetrically by inserting at least one shim into a slot in the backing piece to provide sufficient contact pressure between the probe and the workpiece contoured surface to enable the inspection of the workpiece contoured surface to be performed.

Contoured surface eddy current inspection system

A grain starter capable of nucleating a multiplicity of grains in a casting is positioned within a mold. The mold is filled with molten metal and a solidification interface is caused to pass from the grain starter through the molten metal by immersing the mold in a cooling bath to form a casting that has a multiplicity of grains nucleated by the grain starter.

Controlling casting grain spacing

A method of making metal alloy articles having inclusions which are predetermined and controlled with respect to their size, shape, composition, crystal structure and location and orientation within the article is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the method of making is directed toward titanium alloy articles containing synthesized hard-alpha inclusions of titanium/nitrogen, titanium/oxygen and titanium/oxygen/nitrogen alloys.

Method of making alloy standards having controlled inclusions

Enhanced crystallographic texture is developed in an alpha or alpha-beta titanium alloy having a dispersion of particles therein, by heating the alloy to essentially the all beta phase range and mechanically hot working the alloy in this range. The mechanical working is preferably accomplished by extrusion, rolling, or forging. The particles are stable during working, and prevent the formation of random texture in recrystallized beta phase grains at the working temperature. The particles are preferably oxides formed from rare earth elements such as erbium or yttrium, that are introduced into the alloy during manufacture. The alloys processed according to the invention are preferably prepared by powder metallurgy to achieve a uniform microstructure prior to working. A particularly suitable alpha-beta (but near alpha) titanium alloy contains aluminum, zirconium, hafnium, tin, columbium, molybdenum, tungsten, ruthenium, germanium, silicon, and erbium.

Method for developing enhanced texture in titanium alloys, and articles

A method of melt extraction of titanium alloys is provided. The alloys are those containing a high concentration of titanium and a significant amount of an alloying element selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, tantalum and columbium. Surprisingly, the extraction process is rendered feasible when the surface of the extracting mechanism is of molybdenum.

Method for rapid solidification of titanium alloys by melt extraction

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Schenectady, NY, United States of America

Lee Cranford Perocchi