Electromagnetic Soft contact Confinement and Directional Solidification of Near net Shape Blade Castings of Superalloys

Abstract:

The superalloy melt is easily contaminated by the ceramic mold material because the melt is kept in it for long time for the traditional process. By the new electromagnetic soft contact confinement process, the superalloy melt is half suspended by electromagnetic pressure, so the contacting area and time between melt and magnetic mold decrease. Simultaneously, the contamination is decreased effectively. The new technique combines the electromangetic soft contact confinement with directional solidification process for manufacturing the near net shape turbine blade castings of superalloys. The effects of the magnetic mold material and the height and position of susceptor on the magnetic flux density distribution in the inductor were comprehensively investigated. In the experiment, two near net shape blade castings with directionally solidified microstucture are successfully obtained by the electromagnetic soft contact confinement process.