Casting molds, manufacture and use methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11045871-B2
Application number	US-201815983205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2018
Priority date	Sep 17, 2013
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A casting mold (260) comprises a shell (262) extending from a lower end (264) to an upper end (266) and having: an interior space (280) for casting metal; and an opening (268) for receiving metal to be cast. A plurality of thermocouples (900) are vertically-spaced from each other on the shell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A casting process comprising:
heating a casting mold in a furnace, the mold comprising:
a shell extending from a lower end to an upper end and having:
an interior space for casting metal; and
an opening for receiving metal to be cast;

pouring said metal into the interior space, the pouring comprising:
a first pouring of a first alloy; and
a second pouring of a second alloy;

withdrawing the mold from the furnace; and
during the withdrawing:
measuring a temperature of the mold; and
determining a position of the mold; and

determining a vertical position of a mushy zone, wherein the second pouring commences when the mushy zone has reached a target level.

2. The method of claim 1 performed repeatedly wherein:
parameters are iterated to achieve a desired value of a proxy for a vertical span of a mushy zone.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
inspecting a produced casting by measuring a content of an element present in different contents in the first alloy and the second alloy.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein:
the measuring the temperature of the mold comprises using thermocouples each having a junction exposed to the interior space.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:
the proxy is the vertical distance the mold passes from when a solidus front passes a thermocouple to when a liquidus front passes the thermocouple.

6. A method for estimating parameters of a transition zone between two alloys in a casting, the two alloys being respectively from a first pour and a second pour, the method comprising:
measuring a temperature of at least one location on a mold during withdrawal of the mold from a furnace;
determining when a solidus reaches said at least one location;
determining when a liquidus reaches said at least one location; and
based on movement of the liquidus relative to a surface of the first pour, determining when the second pour should commence.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:
the measuring the temperature of the mold comprises using a vertical array of thermocouples on a part-forming cavity of the mold.

8. The method of claim 7 performed repeatedly wherein:
the thermocouples each have a junction exposed to the interior of the part forming cavity.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:
parameters are iterated to achieve a desired position and span of the transition zone.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising in one or more of the iterations:
a first pouring of a first alloy; and
a second pouring of a second different alloy.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein:
the measuring the temperature of the mold comprises using a plurality of thermocouples at different vertical positions on a part-forming cavity of the mold.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:
there are at least five said thermocouples at five different vertical positions.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein:
at least five of the thermocouples are evenly vertically spaced from each other.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein:
there are at least two sets of thermocouples, each set having a thermocouple at the same height as a corresponding thermocouple of the other set.

15. A method for estimating parameters of a transition zone between two alloys in a casting, the method comprising repeating:
pouring of at least one alloy;
measuring a temperature of at least one location on a mold during withdrawal of the mold from a furnace;
determining when a solidus reaches said at least one location; and
determining when a liquidus reaches said at least one location,

wherein the repeating comprises:
iterating parameters to achieve a desired position and span of the transition zone, in one or more of the iterations the pouring comprising:
a first pouring of a first alloy; and
a second pouring of a second alloy.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein:
the measuring is by a plurality of thermocouples vertically-spaced from each other.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein:
there are at least five said thermocouples at five different vertical positions.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein:
at least five of the thermocouples are evenly vertically spaced from each other.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein:
there are at least two sets of thermocouples, each set having a thermocouple at the same height as a corresponding thermocouple of the other set.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
calculating a cooling rate at each thermocouple.

Assignees

• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Marcin John J
• Bullied Steven J
• Shah Dilip M
• Cetel Alan D
• Kreek Emily K

Classifications

• B22D2/006

  for the temperature of the molten metal (measuring temperature in general G01K) · CPC title

• B22D46/00 Primary

  Controlling, supervising, not restricted to casting covered by a single main group, e.g. for safety reasons (controlling or regulating in general G05) · CPC title

• B22D27/045

  Directionally solidified castings · CPC title

• B22D30/00

  Cooling castings, not restricted to casting processes covered by a single main group (accessories for cooling cast stock in continuous casting of metals B22D11/124; controlling or regulating processes or operations for cooling cast stock or mould in continuous casting of metals B22D11/22; chill casting B22D15/00) · CPC title

• B22C9/04

  Use of lost patterns · CPC title