A method of manufacturing a wing element that is provided inside a gas turbine and through which a fluid passes and a method of manufacturing a blade are provided. The method of manufacturing the wing element includes preforming the wing element; disposing the wing element inside a mold; sequentially melting the wing element inside the mold along one direction using a heating device; and solidifying the melted wing element using a cooling device.

A process in direct chill casting wherein molten metal is introduced into a casting mold and cooled by impingement of a liquid coolant on solidifying metal in a casting pit including a movable platen and an occurrence of a bleed-out or run-out is detected the process including exhausting generated gas from the casting pit; and introducing an inert gas into the casting pit, the inert gas having a density less than a density of air; reducing any flow of the liquid coolant.

A counter-gravity casting method and apparatus in which the mold is held stationary and the crucible is moved generally laterally from a melt chamber to a fill chamber positioned below the mold with respect to gravity. A casting chamber is located generally above the fill chamber with respect to gravity. The method and apparatus utilize separate chambers for melting and casting in which the pressure in each chamber can be varied relative to each other in order to introduce molten metal into the mold.

A process for casting a single crystal axis-symmetric thick walled tube comprising forming a axisymmetric single crystal ring seed around a circular internal core, wherein the ring seed has an inner diameter and a taper on the inner diameter, and wherein the internal core has an outer diameter and a matching taper on the outer diameter, the matching taper matching the taper of the inner diameter of the ring seed, and the internal core being free to translate in a vertical direction relative to the ring seed; and heating the ring seed so as to expand the ring seed relative to the internal core, and allowing the circular internal core to translate relative to the ring seed in a direction of the force of gravity, thereby maintaining contact between the circular internal core and the ring seed.

A cluster model and a shell for the production, by lost wax casting, of a plurality of turbomachine elements, are provided. The shell includes a central sprue that is fluidly connected to a casting cup for receiving molten metal; a plurality of shell elements; a plurality of bottom feed conduits for the shell elements; and a handling accessory shell that is independent of the plurality of shell elements and of their metal supply circuit, such that there is no fluid connection to the shell elements. The handling accessory shell is fluidly connected to the central sprue so as to allow top-pour casting of the handling accessory shell.

A conveyor furnace system is provided that includes a housing, a conveyor, a vacuum device, and at least one heating element. The housing may have a first end and a second end. The conveyor may be configured to transit one or more component molds from the first end to the second end. The vacuum device may be configured to selectively produce a below atmospheric pressure within the housing. The at least one heating element may be disposed in the housing, and has a first end disposed adjacent the first end of the housing and a second end adjacent the second end of the housing. The at least one heating element is configured to provide a vertically tapered heating exposure in a direction from the first end of the housing to the second end of the housing.

A process for directional solidification of a cast part comprises energizing a primary inductive coil coupled to a chamber having a mold containing a material; generating an electromagnetic field with the primary inductive coil within the chamber, wherein said electromagnetic field is partially attenuated by a susceptor coupled to said chamber between said primary inductive coil and said mold; determining a magnetic flux profile of the electromagnetic field after it passes through the susceptor; sensing a component of the magnetic flux in the interior of the susceptor proximate the mold; positioning a mobile secondary compensation coil within the chamber; generating a control field from a secondary compensation coil, wherein said control field controls said magnetic flux; and casting the material within the mold.

A mould for use in manufacturing a single-crystal component by metal casting and epitaxial growth, includes a cavity in which the component is to be formed and a housing having an elliptical cross-section in which a single-crystal seed is disposed, the seed having an elliptical cross-section defined by a minor axis and by a major axis, the housing being in fluid communication with the cavity via an opening of circular cross-section through which molten metal is to flow, the single-crystal seed and the opening being centred on the same vertical axis, in which the minor axis and the major axis of the cross-section of the seed are oriented as a function of the secondary crystallographic orientations of the single-crystal forming the single-crystal seed.

Disclosed are a high-boron high-vanadium high-speed steel and a method for preparing the same. Pig iron, scrap steel, ferrochromium, ferromanganese, ferroboron, ferrovanadium, industrial pure iron, ferromolybdenum, ferrotungsten, ferrosilicon and ferrotitanium are subjected to smelting at 1580-1600 C. and refining to obtain a liquid steel. The liquid steel is subjected to superheating, and directional solidification at a casting temperature of 1420-1430 C., and cooled to room temperature to obtain the directionally solidified high-speed steel.

A casting mold has a pour cone, a downsprue, and a part-forming cavity having a lower end and an upper end. The downsprue extends from the pour cone toward the part-forming cavity and has: a lower portion having a plurality of ports in communication with the part-forming cavity; and an upper portion telescoping relative to the lower portion and coupling the lower portion to the pour cone.