FURNACE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPONENTS MADE OF SUPERALLOY BY MEANS OF THE PROCESS OF INVESTMENT CASTING

Title:

FURNACE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPONENTS MADE OF SUPERALLOY BY MEANS OF THE PROCESS OF INVESTMENT CASTING

Document Type and Number:

WIPO Patent Application WO/2016/174694

Kind Code:

A8

Abstract:

The present invention concerns a furnace (1) for the production of components made of superalloy by means of the process of investment casting, said furnace (1) comprising a fusion chamber (2), a warm chamber or thermal chamber (3) and a cold chamber or extraction chamber (9) arranged under said thermal chamber (3), a thermal interface zone (12), arranged between said warm chamber (3) and said cold chamber (9), a cooling plate (7) for the housing of a ceramic shell (4, 24), said cooling plate (7) having a bottom portion (25), and a support assembly (10) for said cooling plate (7), said support assembly (10) comprising a piston (13) having a top end (11) and a height (y), a first spacer flange (14), having a first height (d), having a top portion (27) and a bottom portion (26), said first flange (14) being configured in order to be able to be removably coupled to said top end (11) of said piston (13) and to said bottom portion (25) of said cooling plate (7), a second spacer flange (28, 29), having a second height (d+x; x), having a top portion (27) and a bottom portion (26), said second flange (28, 29) being configured in order to be removably coupled to said bottom portion (25) of said cooling plate (7) and, alternatively, to said top end (11) of said piston (13) or to said top portion (27) of said first flange (14), the size of said thermal chamber (3) being so confugured to house a cermic shell (4; 24) on said cooling plate (7) in order to maintain an optimum thermal field within said thermal chamber, the height (y) of said piston (13) and the height (d+x, x) of said second flange (28, 29) being determined so that when said support assembly (10) supports said cooling plate (7), said support assembly (10) is able to alternatively assume both a first arrangement, wherein the top portion (27) of said second flange (28, 29) is coupled to said cooling plate (7) and the bottom portion (26) is coupled to said piston (13) or to said first flange (14) in turn coupled to said piston (13), maintaining said cooling plate (7) in correspondence of said thermal interface zone (12) of said furnace (1) raising said plate (7) of a distance (x), so as to house on said cooling plate (7) a first ceramic shell (4), with an optimum thermal field within the thermal chamber (3), and a second arrangement, wherein said first flange (14) is coupled at the bottom to said piston (13) and at the top to said cooling plate (7) maintaining said cooling plate (7) in correspondence of said interface zone (12) for the housing on said cooling plate (7) of a second ceramic shell (24) having a higher height than said first ceramic shell (4) of said distance (x) at an optimum thermal field within the thermal chamber (3). The invention further relates to a method for modifying a furnace (1) as defined previously wherein the height of an existing piston is reduced of said distance (x), so as to obtain said piston (13) height (y).

JPH1110312	METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING SINGLE CRYSTAL
JPS60146549	[Title of the device] A casting public-funds type temperature controller
JP6018454	The high intensity thickness steel plate excellent in cryogenic temperature toughness