Systems and methods for processing alloy ingots

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11059089-B2
Application number	US-201916540099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2019
Priority date	Feb 5, 2010
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

Processes and methods related to processing and hot working alloy ingots are disclosed. A metallic material layer is deposited onto at least a region of a surface of an alloy ingot before hot working the alloy ingot. The processes and methods are characterized by a reduction in the incidence of surface cracking of the alloy ingot during hot working.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ingot processing method comprising:
depositing a metallic material layer onto a solid cylindrical alloy ingot, the solid cylindrical alloy ingot comprising two continuous circular end surfaces and a circumferential surface intersecting and connecting the two continuous circular end surfaces,
wherein the metallic material is more ductile than the alloy ingot, and
wherein depositing the metallic material layer comprises depositing the metallic material layer as a weld deposit.

2. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , further comprising hot working the solid cylindrical alloy ingot, wherein the hot working comprises applying force onto the metallic material layer.

3. The ingot processing method of claim 2 , wherein hot working the solid cylindrical alloy ingot comprises at least one of a forging operation and an extrusion operation.

4. The ingot processing method of claim 2 , further comprising removing the metallic material layer from the solid cylindrical alloy ingot after hot working the solid cylindrical alloy ingot.

5. The ingot processing method of claim 2 :
wherein depositing a metallic material layer comprises depositing the metallic material layer onto at least one of the two continuous circular end surfaces of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot; and
wherein hot working the solid cylindrical alloy ingot comprises an upset-and-draw forging operation comprising
upset forging the solid cylindrical alloy ingot, wherein forging dies contact and apply force to the metallic material layer on one or both of the continuous circular end surfaces to compress the solid cylindrical alloy ingot in length and expand the solid cylindrical alloy ingot in cross-section, and
draw forging the upset forged solid cylindrical alloy ingot, wherein forging dies contact and apply force to the metallic material layer on the circumferential surface to compress the solid cylindrical alloy ingot in cross-section and expand the solid cylindrical alloy ingot in length.

6. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , further comprising grinding or peeling the surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot before depositing the metallic material layer.

7. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , wherein the solid cylindrical alloy ingot comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a nickel base alloy, an iron base alloy, a nickel-iron base alloy, and a cobalt base alloy.

8. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , wherein the solid cylindrical alloy ingot comprises a nickel base superalloy.

9. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , wherein the solid cylindrical alloy ingot and the metallic material layer comprise the same base metal, the base metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, iron, and cobalt.

10. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , wherein the solid cylindrical alloy ingot comprises a nickel base superalloy and the metallic material layer comprises a nickel base weld alloy.

11. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the metallic material layer as a weld deposit comprises a welding operation selected from the group consisting of metal inert gas (MIG) welding, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, and plasma welding.

12. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the metallic material layer as a weld deposit comprises:
rotating the solid cylindrical alloy ingot; and
depositing the metallic material layer as a weld deposit onto a first region of the circumferential surface of the rotating solid cylindrical alloy ingot using at least one stationary welding torch, thereby depositing a ring-shaped layer of the metallic material onto the circumferential surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot.

13. The ingot processing method of claim 12 , further comprising:
re-positioning at least one welding torch adjacent to a deposited ring-shaped layer of the metallic material after the rotating solid cylindrical alloy ingot proceeds through at least one rotation; and
depositing metallic material as a weld deposit onto a second region of the circumferential surface of the rotating solid cylindrical alloy ingot using at least one re-positioned stationary welding torch.

14. The ingot processing method of claim 13 , further comprising repeating the re-positioning and the depositing until the circumferential surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot is substantially covered with the metallic material.

15. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the metallic material layer as a weld deposit comprises:
moving at least one welding torch along a first region of the circumferential surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot parallel to a long axis of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot, while holding the solid cylindrical alloy ingot stationary, thereby depositing a layer of the metallic material as a weld deposit onto the first region of the circumferential surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot;
re-positioning the solid cylindrical alloy ingot to move the first region of the circumferential surface away from at least one welding torch and to move a second region of the circumferential surface toward at least one welding torch; and
moving at least one welding torch along the second region of the circumferential surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot parallel to the long axis of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot, while holding the solid cylindrical alloy ingot stationary, thereby depositing a layer of the metallic material as a weld deposit onto the second region of the circumferential surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot.

16. The ingot processing method of claim 15 , further comprising repeating the re-positioning and the moving until the circumferential surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot is substantially covered with the metallic material.

17. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , further comprising providing the solid cylindrical alloy ingot using one of a vacuum induction melting—vacuum arc remelting operation, and a vacuum induction melting—electroslag refining—vacuum arc remelting operation.

18. The ingot processing method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic material layer is deposited onto the solid cylindrical alloy ingot using an ingot processing system comprising:
an ingot rotating apparatus configured to rotate the solid cylindrical alloy ingot about a long axis of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot; and
a welding apparatus configured to deposit the metallic material layer as a weld deposit onto at least a region of the circumferential surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot.

19. The ingot processing method of claim 18 , wherein the ingot rotating apparatus comprises a lathe configured to rotate the solid cylindrical alloy ingot about the long axis of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot; and wherein the welding apparatus comprises at least one MIG welding torch configured to deposit the metallic material layer as a weld deposit onto at least a region of the circumferential surface of the solid cylindrical alloy ingot.

20. An ingot processing method comprising:
depositing a metallic material layer comprising a metallic material onto a solid cylindrical alloy ingot, the solid cylindrical alloy ingot comprising two continuous circular end surfaces and a circumferential surface intersecting and connecting the two continuous circular end surfaces;
wherein the metallic material is more ductile than the alloy ingot; and
wherein the metallic material layer comprises a thickness of at least 0.25 inch

Assignees

• Ati Properties Llc

Inventors

• De Souza Urban J
• Forbes Jones Robin M
• Kennedy Richard L
• O'Brien Christopher M

Classifications

• B23K9/048 Primary

  on cylindrical surfaces · CPC title

• C21D7/13

  by hot working · CPC title

• C22B9/18

  Electroslag remelting {(electroslag casting B22D23/10)} · CPC title

• C22B9/20

  Arc remelting · CPC title

• B21D31/00 Primary

  Other methods for working sheet metal, metal tubes, metal profiles (deforming one surface of tubes helically by rolling B21H3/00; upsetting B21J5/08; working metal by removing material therefrom B23; embossing B44B) · CPC title