METHOD OF CASTING A COMPONENT HAVING INTERIOR PASSAGEWAYS
First Claim
1. A method of casting a component, the method comprising:
- forming a plurality of sheets of fugitive material, each sheet corresponding to a respective layer of a desired three dimensional structure, at least some of the sheets each containing a respective void area in a location corresponding to a location of a passageway within the desired three dimensional structure;
stacking the sheets to form the three dimensional structure, void areas in adjoining sheets being aligned to define the passageway within the three dimensional structure;
injecting ceramic material slurry into the three dimensional structure and allowing the ceramic material to harden, the passageway thus being filled with the ceramic material in a shape corresponding to the passageway;
removing the fugitive material from the hardened ceramic material to reveal a cast ceramic component;
injecting molten alloy material into the cast ceramic component and allowing the alloy material to harden, the shape of the passageway thereby being reproduced in the alloy material; and
removing the cast ceramic component from the hardened alloy material to reveal a cast alloy component having an interior passageway.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of casting a component (42) having convoluted interior passageways (44). A desired three dimensional structure corresponding to a later-formed metal alloy component is formed by stacking a plurality of sheets (18, 20) of a fugitive material.
The sheets contain void areas (22) corresponding to a desired interior passageway in the metal alloy component. A ceramic slurry material is cast into the three dimensional structure to form either a ceramic core (34) or a complete ceramic casting vessel (38). If just a ceramic core is formed, a wax pattern is formed around the ceramic core and an exterior ceramic shell (38) is formed around the wax pattern by a dipping process prior to the removal of the fugitive material and wax. An alloy component having the desired interior passageway is cast into the casting vessel after the fugitive material is removed.
40 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method of casting a component, the method comprising:
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forming a plurality of sheets of fugitive material, each sheet corresponding to a respective layer of a desired three dimensional structure, at least some of the sheets each containing a respective void area in a location corresponding to a location of a passageway within the desired three dimensional structure; stacking the sheets to form the three dimensional structure, void areas in adjoining sheets being aligned to define the passageway within the three dimensional structure; injecting ceramic material slurry into the three dimensional structure and allowing the ceramic material to harden, the passageway thus being filled with the ceramic material in a shape corresponding to the passageway; removing the fugitive material from the hardened ceramic material to reveal a cast ceramic component; injecting molten alloy material into the cast ceramic component and allowing the alloy material to harden, the shape of the passageway thereby being reproduced in the alloy material; and removing the cast ceramic component from the hardened alloy material to reveal a cast alloy component having an interior passageway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of manufacturing comprising:
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forming a plurality of sheets of fugitive material containing void areas within appropriate ones of the sheets corresponding to a layered hollow component design; stacking the plurality of sheets to form a fugitive three dimensional structure corresponding to the hollow component design; casting a ceramic material into the fugitive three dimensional structure; and removing the fugitive three dimensional structure from the cast ceramic material to reveal a hollow ceramic component. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification