A molding system includes a mold and a fluid delivery system. The mold includes a fluid permeable material that defines a mold cavity and is permeable to a cooling fluid. The mold is configured to mold a molten material arranged in the mold cavity. The fluid delivery system is in fluid communication with the fluid permeable material, and is configured to deliver the cooling fluid via nozzles to the fluid permeable material. When the molten material is arranged in the mold cavity, the fluid delivery system delivers the cooling fluid to the fluid permeable material at a delivery pressure that is intentionally varied, such that the cooling fluid permeates through the fluid permeable material to cool and solidify the molten material arranged in the mold cavity to form a solidified outer skin. The delivery pressure may be varied, e.g. increased, as a thickness of the solidified outer skin increases.

Provided is a supergravity directional solidification melting furnace equipment, including a supergravity test chamber and, mounted in the supergravity test chamber, a high-temperature heating subsystem, a crucible, and an air-cooling system. The supergravity test chamber is mounted with a wiring electrode and a cooling air valve device. The high-temperature heating subsystem is fixed in the supergravity test chamber. The crucible and the air cooling system are provided in the high-temperature heating subsystem. The high-temperature heating subsystem includes upper, middle, and lower furnaces, a mullite insulating layer, upper and lower heating cavity outer bodies, upper and lower heating furnace pipes, and a crucible support base. A high-temperature heating cavity is divided into upper and lower parts, is provided therein with a spiral groove, and is fitted with a heating element. The crucible support base is provided therein with a vent pipe channel into which a cooling air is introduced. The crucible and the air cooling system include air inlet and exhaust pipes, a cooling base, a cooling rate adjustment ring, the crucible, and an exhaust cover.

An alloy part is cast in a mold (280) having a part-forming cavity (292, 294, 296). The method comprises pouring a first alloy into the mold. The pouring causes: a surface (550) of the first alloy in the part-forming cavity to raise relative to the part-forming cavity; a branch flow of the poured first alloy to pass upwardly through a first portion (304) of a passageway; and the branch flow to pass downwardly through a second portion (310), of the passageway; solidifying some of the first alloy in the passageway to block the passageway while at least some of the first alloy in the part-forming cavity remains molten. A second alloy is poured into the mold atop the first alloy and solidified.

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 cast part includes an outermost wall, at least one inner wall defining at least two internal passages and at least one cast cooling fin extending from an outer surface. The cooling fin includes a ratio of fin height to an average fin thickness that is greater than 2.0 and no more than 18.0. A method is also disclosed.

A cast work piece includes a cast metal component section and a sprue section connected to the cast metal component section. The cast metal component section and a portion of the sprue section have a first grain orientation and another portion of the sprue section has a second grain orientation such that there is a microstructural discontinuity where the first grain orientation meets the second grain orientation in the sprue section.

A method of manufacturing a Ni alloy casting, includes a casting step of casting molten Ni alloy by pouring the molten Ni alloy into a cavity of a mold, a columnar grain forming step of forming columnar grain by solidifying the molten Ni alloy while drawing the mold, in which the molten Ni alloy has been poured, at a drawing speed of 100 mm/hour or more but 400 mm/hour or less with a temperature gradient provided to a solid-liquid interface, and an equiaxed grain forming step of forming equiaxed grain by solidifying the molten Ni alloy while drawing the mold at a drawing speed of 1000 mm/minute or more continuously after the columnar grain forming step.

Methods are provided for manufacturing a component. In one method, first metal material is cast into a first body. At least a portion of the first body is machined. Second metal material is cast onto at least the machined portion of the first body to form a monolithic second body. A first portion of the second body is formed by the first metal material, A second portion of the second body is formed by the second metal material. The second metal material is different from the first metal material.

A mold assembly and method for fabricating an infiltrated drill bit may comprise a mold forming a bottom of the mold assembly, a funnel operatively coupled to the mold, an infiltration chamber defined at least partially by the mold and the funnel to receive and contain matrix reinforcement materials and a binder material used to form the infiltrated drill bit, a displacement core arranged within the infiltration chamber and having one or more legs that extend therefrom, a metal blank arranged about the displacement core within the infiltration chamber, and one or more thermal elements. A method may comprise providing a mold assembly having component parts that include a mold that forms a bottom of the mold assembly and a funnel operatively coupled to the mold, imparting thermal energy to the infiltration chamber with one or more thermal element, and heating contents contained within the infiltration chamber.

An example mold assembly for fabricating an infiltrated downhole tool includes a mold defining a bottom of the mold assembly and a funnel operatively coupled to the mold. An infiltration chamber is defined at least partially by the mold and the funnel to receive and contain matrix reinforcement materials and a binder material used to form the infiltrated downhole tool. A thermal mass is positioned within the infiltration chamber above the infiltrated downhole tool for imparting heat to the infiltrated downhole tool following an infiltration process.