Description of a high temperature quenching furnace for the study of the directional solidification of nickel-base superalloys

A high temperature resistance furnace has been modified for the study of directional solidification of nickel-base superalloys such as alloys 718 and 625. The furnace will be used to study segregation and solidification phenomena that occur in consumable-electrode melting processes such as vacuum arc remelting and electro-slag remelting. The system consists of a water cooled high temperature furnace (maximum temperature {approximately}2900 C), roughing vacuum,system, cooling system, cooled hearth, molten metal quenching bath, and a mechanism to lower the hearth from the furnace into the molten metal bath. The lowering mechanism is actuated by a digital stopping motor with a programmable controller. The specimen (1.9 cm dia {times} 14 cm long) is melted and contained within an alumina tube (2.54 cm dia {times} 15.24 cm long) which is seated on a copper hearth cooled with {approximately}13 C water. Directional solidification can then be accomplished by decreasing the furnace temperature while holding the specimen in position, maintaining the temperature gradient in the furnace and lowering the specimen at a controlled rate or a combination of both. At any point the specimen can be lowered rapidly into the 70 C molten metal bath to quench the specimen, preserve the solidification structure, and minimizemore » solid state diffusion, enhancing the ability to study the localized solidification conditions.« less