Multi-shot casting

• US 10,576,537 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2019
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Bullied, Steven J., Shah, Dilip M., Cetel, Alan D., Marcin, Jr., John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kerns, Kevin P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ha, Steven S
• Application Number:
  US16/267,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20190168296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 19/16 for making compound objects cast of two or more different metals, e.g. for making rolls for rolling mills casting compound ingots B22D7/02
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 27/045 Directionally solidified castings
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/147 Construction, i.e. structural features, e.g. of weight-saving hollow blades F01D5/148, F01D5/16 and F01D5/20 take precedence; blade shape F01D5/141; blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities F01D5/18; heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades F01D5/18
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2230/211 by precision casting, e.g. microfusing or investment casting

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A casting mold comprising:

a part-forming cavity having a lower end and an upper end;

a pour cone; and

a downsprue extending from the pour cone toward the part-forming cavity and comprising;

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.

2. The casting mold of claim 1 wherein:

the plurality of ports comprises an upper port and a lower port;

the upper portion is moveable from a compressed contracted condition to an extended condition;

in the contracted condition, the upper portion blocks the upper port; and

movement to the extended condition unblocks the upper port.

3. The casting mold of claim 2 wherein:

the upper portion telescopes within the lower portion.

4. The casting mold of claim 3 wherein:

the mold along the part-forming cavity and the lower portion are formed as a single piece.

5. The casting mold of claim 1 wherein:

the upper portion telescopes within the lower portion.

6. The casting mold of claim 1 wherein:

the mold along the part-forming cavity and the lower portion are formed as a single piece.

7. The casting mold of claim 1 wherein:

the part-forming cavity is one of a plurality of part-forming cavities; and

each of the plurality of part-forming cavities coupled to the same said downsprue.

8. The casting mold of claim 1 in combination with a casting apparatus, the casting apparatus having:

a first ingot feeder;

a first induction melter positioned to receive an ingot from the first ingot feeder;

a first actuator (809) for rotating the first induction melter from a charging orientation to a pouring orientation for pouring into the part-forming cavity;

a second ingot feeder;

a second induction melter positioned to receive an ingot from the second ingot feeder; and

a second actuator for rotating the second induction melter from a charging orientation to a pouring orientation for pouring into the part-forming cavity.

9. A method for using the casting mold of claim 1, the method comprising:

introducing a first molten alloy to the part-forming cavity through the pour cone and a lower port of the plurality of ports;

extending the upper portion relative to the lower portion; and

introducing a second molten alloy to the part-forming cavity through the pour cone and an upper port of the plurality of ports.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the molten alloy introduced through the upper port is different from the molten alloy introduced through the lower port.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the molten alloy introduced through the upper port is introduced after a partial solidification of the molten alloy introduced through the lower port.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the molten alloy introduced through the upper port is introduced after a partial solidification of the molten alloy introduced through the lower port.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the molten alloy introduced through the upper port is introduced from a second ingot and the molten alloy introduced through the lower port is introduced from a first ingot.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the molten alloy introduced through the upper port is introduced from a second ingot and the molten alloy introduced through the lower port is introduced from a first ingot.

15. A method for casting with a mold having a plurality of part cavities, the method comprising:

a first pour through a first pour cone, the first pour filling a lower portion of each of the part cavities; and

a second pour through a second pour cone, the first pour cone being concentric with the second pour cone, the second pour filling an upper portion of each of the part cavities.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein:

the first pour is a bottom feed and the second pour is a top feed.