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Methods and apparatus for producing large diameter superalloy ingots are disclosed. A material comprising at least one of a metal and a metallic alloy is introduced into a pressure-regulated chamber in a melting assembly. The material is subjected to a wide-area electron field within the pressure-re

Methods and apparatus for producing large diameter superalloy ingots are disclosed. A material comprising at least one of a metal and a metallic alloy is introduced into a pressure-regulated chamber in a melting assembly. The material is subjected to a wide-area electron field within the pressure-regulated chamber to heat the material to a temperature above the melting temperature of the material to form a molten alloy. At least one stream of molten alloy from the pressure-regulated chamber is provided from the melting assembly and is fed into an atomizing assembly, where particles of the molten alloy are generated by impinging electrons on the molten alloy to atomize the molten alloy. At least one of an electrostatic field and an electromagnetic field are produced to influence the particles of the molten alloy. The particles of the molten alloy are deposited onto a collector in a spray forming operation to form an alloy ingot.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An apparatus for producing alloy ingots comprising: a melting assembly comprising a pressure-regulated chamber, andat least one wire-discharge ion plasma electron emitter disposed in or adjacent the pressure regulated chamber and positioned to direct a three-dimensional wide-area field of electro

1. An apparatus for producing alloy ingots comprising: a melting assembly comprising a pressure-regulated chamber, andat least one wire-discharge ion plasma electron emitter disposed in or adjacent the pressure regulated chamber and positioned to direct a three-dimensional wide-area field of electrons into the chamber, the three-dimensional wide-area field of electrons having sufficient energy to heat an alloy material to its melting temperature;an atomizing assembly in fluid communication with the melting assembly, the atomizing assembly comprising at least one electron emitter, and the atomizing assembly configured to impinge electrons on a molten alloy and produce molten alloy particles;a field generating assembly adjacent the atomizing assembly, the field generating assembly comprising at least one field generating device configured to produce at least one of an electrostatic field and an electromagnetic field that can influence molten alloy particles; anda collector configured to receive molten alloy particles, wherein the particles of molten alloy are directed to the collector by the at least one field. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of exit streams providing the fluid communication from the melting assembly to the atomizing assembly. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the melting assembly further comprises at least one thermo-ionic electron beam gun. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the atomizing assembly comprises at least one thermo-ionic electron beam gun. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the atomizing assembly comprises at least one wire-discharge ion plasma electron emitter. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the atomizing assembly is configured to direct electrons into at least one three-dimensional electron field and project the at least one three-dimensional electron field into a flow path of the molten alloy. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a pressure within the pressure-regulated chamber is maintained at greater than 40 μm Hg, thereby decreasing or eliminating undesirable evaporation of volatile elements from the alloy material during heating in the pressure-regulated chamber. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a pressure within the pressure-regulated chamber is maintained at greater than 300 μm Hg, thereby decreasing or eliminating undesirable evaporation of volatile elements from the alloy material during heating in the pressure-regulated chamber. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collector is configured to form an alloy ingot having a diameter greater than 30 inches (762 mm). 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collector is configured to form an alloy ingot having a diameter of at least 36 inches (914 mm). 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collector is configured to form an alloy ingot having a weight greater than 21,500 lbs (9772 kg). 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the melting assembly substantially lacks ceramic material in regions of the melting assembly that contact molten alloy. 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the melting assembly comprises a material feeder configured to introduce materials into the pressure-regulated chamber. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the material feeder and the at least one wire-discharge ion plasma emitter are positioned so that the wide-area field of electrons at least partially impinges on materials introduced into the pressure-regulated chamber by the material feeder. 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the melting assembly comprises a cold hearth. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cold hearth is a water-cooled hearth selected from the group consisting of a copper hearth and an autogenous hearth. 17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pressure-regulated chamber and at least one wire-discharge ion plasma emitter are separated by an electron-transmissive window. 18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the atomizing assembly comprises a plurality of atomizing devices configured to atomize separate molten alloy streams, wherein the molten alloy streams respectively exit the melting assembly from a plurality of separate outlets. 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collector is selected from the group consisting of a nucleated casting mold, a platen, and a mandrel. 20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is for producing superalloy ingots. 21. An apparatus for producing alloy ingots comprising: a melting assembly comprising a pressure-regulated chamber,a hearth positioned in the pressure-regulated chamber, the hearth having a plurality of outlets through which molten alloy streams can exit the hearth, andat least one wire-discharge ion plasma electron emitter disposed in or adjacent the pressure regulated chamber and positioned to direct a three-dimensional wide-area field of electrons into the chamber and impinge on molten alloy material in the hearth;an atomizing assembly in fluid communication with the melting assembly, the atomizing assembly comprising a plurality of atomizing devices comprising at least one electron emitter configured to impinge electrons on the molten alloy streams and produce molten alloy particles, wherein the atomizing devices are configured to atomize separate molten alloy streams respectively exiting the hearth from the plurality of separate outlets;a field generating assembly adjacent the atomizing assembly, the field generating assembly comprising at least one field generating device configured to produce at least one of an electrostatic field and an electromagnetic field that can influence an acceleration, speed, and/or direction of the molten alloy particles formed in the atomizing assembly; anda collector configured to receive molten alloy particles, wherein the particles of molten alloy are directed to the collector by the at least one field. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus is for producing superalloy ingots.