A method includes forming a mold, the mold having at least one mold portion defining the shape of an element to be removed from the component in a subsequent manufacturing step and having a reduced cross-sectional area. The at least one mold portion includes at least one recess which further reduces the cross sectional area of the cavity and increases the surface area of the at least one mold portion or the at least one mold portion includes a plurality of projections which increase the surface area of the least one mold portion thereby increasing radiative heat loss from the at least one mold portion during the process. A mold for use in this method and a turbine blade formed using this method, are also provided.

A method for casting comprising: providing a seed, the seed characterized by: an arcuate form and a crystalline orientation progressively varying along an arc of the form; providing molten material; and cooling and solidifying the molten material so that a crystalline structure of the seed propagates into the solidifying material.

A method for designing a baffle including using patterns to produce an array of shell moulds, generating a 3-D image of the outer surface of each shell mould in the array of shell moulds, stacking the individual 3-D images for a plurality of the shell moulds to produce a conglomerate shell mould profile, determining a maximum cross sectional area of the conglomerate shell mould profile in a plane orthogonal to a direction along which the shell moulds are to be drawn through the baffle, defining a baffle profile segment which is consistent with a substantial portion of the conglomerate shell mould profile at the maximum cross sectional area, scaling the baffle profile segment to provide an offset clearance between the baffle profile segment and the maximum cross sectional area of the conglomerate shell mould profile, and reproducing the baffle profile segment to provide an array of baffle profile segments.

Provided are a slide material in which the joining strength between a Bi-containing copper alloy layer and a substrate is improved, and a method for manufacturing the slide material. The slide material according to the present invention has a substrate and a copper alloy layer. The copper alloy layer comprises a copper alloy containing 4.0-25.0 mass % of Bi and has a structure in which Bi phases are scattered in a copper alloy structure. The contact area ratio of Bi phases of the copper alloy layer at the joining interface with the substrate is not more than 2.0%. The slide material is manufactured by casting a molten copper alloy onto a substrate and causing the copper alloy to solidify unidirectionally.

An example mold assembly for fabricating an infiltrated downhole tool includes a mold forming 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. One or more thermal elements are positioned within at least one of the mold and the funnel, and the one or more thermal elements are in thermal communication with the infiltration chamber.

A method of manufacturing a component from a nickel-based superalloy comprises the steps of: providing a vacuum induction casting furnace; positioning a component mould onto a chill plate within the furnace; casting a component blank; peening the surface of the component blank; applying a surface modification technique to the surface of the component blank; solution heat treating the component blank at or above the -solvus temperature for the superalloy; and precipitation heat treating the component blank.

An induction furnace assembly comprising a chamber having a mold; a primary inductive coil coupled to the chamber; a susceptor surrounding the chamber between the primary inductive coil and the mold; and a shield material contained in a reservoir coupled to or proximate the mold between the susceptor and the mold; the shield material configured to attenuate a portion of an electromagnetic flux generated by the primary induction coil that is not attenuated by the susceptor.

A mold transfer assembly includes a transfer housing providing an interior defined by one or more sidewalls and a top. The transfer housing is sized to receive and encapsulate a mold as the mold is moved between a furnace and a thermal heat sink. An arm is coupled to the transfer housing to move the transfer housing and the mold encapsulated within the transfer housing between the furnace and a thermal heat sink. The transfer housing exhibits one or more thermal properties to control a thermal profile of the mold.

A feed system for conveying a molten metal that is to make a casting, the system including a feed channel made of ceramic material that is configured to enable the molten metal to flow by gravity inside the feed channel, the feed channel having a first portion extending in a first direction, and at least one second portion extending in a second direction different from the first direction, the second portion being arranged downstream from the first portion and being connected to the first portion by a junction. The system further includes a damping channel having a first end opening out into the junction and a second end that is closed, the damping channel extending the first portion of the feed channel.

A method and apparatus casts a material with nano-micro duplex grain structure. The apparatus is comprised of module system, heating system, casting mold and gating system, multiaxial compound motion system accompanied by the following technological characteristics; alloy smelting; after heat preservation, alloy melt are poured into the casting mold which is put into the centrifugal barrel of the six-axis motion system; then the casting mold carries out composite motion and the alloy melt starts solidification; as a result, casting AlSi alloy block with multi-scale nano-structure comprising of nano-micro duplex grain group are prepared. The advantages of the present invention includes that multi-scale casting nano-structure with nano-micro duplex grain group are obtained because of the composite shear flow field generated in the alloy melt.