Claims
- 1. A method for making an aluminum alloy containing beryllium comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a solid aluminum component and a solid beryllium component to form an alloy charge;
- (b) melting the charge of step (a) in a refractory-lined furnace pot within a vacuum melting furnace;
- (c) pouring the liquid melt from step (b) into a disposable shell mold;
- (d) freezing said melt within said disposable shell mold; and
- (e) removing said disposable shell mold.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resulting aluminum alloy containing beryllium has a modulus of elasticity at least 25 percent higher than that of aluminum.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resulting aluminum alloy containing beryllium comprises about 5 to about 80 weight percent beryllium.
- 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said resulting aluminum alloy containing beryllium comprises about 5 to about 80 weight percent beryllium dispersed in substantially pure aluminum.
- 5. The method of claim 3, wherein said solid aluminum component of step (a) is an aluminum-rich composition and said resulting aluminum alloy containing beryllium comprises about 5 to about 80 weight percent beryllium dispersed in said aluminum-rich composition.
- 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said aluminum-rich composition contains an element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, nickel, silicon, silver and lithium.
- 7. A method for making a net shape article of an aluminum alloy containing beryllium comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a solid aluminum component and a solid beryllium component to form an alloy charge;
- (b) melting the charge of step (a) in a refractory-lined furnace pot within a vacuum melting furnace;
- (c) pouring the liquid melt from step (b) into a disposable shell mold;
- (d) freezing said melt within said disposable shell mold;
- (e) detaching said disposable shell mold to yield a net-shape casting; and
- (f) removing gates, sprues and excess alloy materials to yield a net shape article.
- 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the resulting article has a modulus of elasticity at least 25 percent higher than that of aluminum.
- 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the resulting aluminum alloy containing beryllium comprises about 5 to about 80 weight percent beryllium.
- 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said article comprises about 5 to about 80 weight percent beryllium dispersed in substantially pure aluminum.
- 11. The method of claim 9, wherein said solid aluminum component of step (a) is an aluminum-rich composition and said net shape article comprises about 5 to about 80 weight percent beryllium dispersed in said aluminum-rich composition.
- 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said aluminum-rich composition contains an element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, nickel, silicon, silver and lithium.
Parent Case Info
This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/221,395 filed Mar. 31, 1994, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/156,356 filed Nov. 23, 1993 and now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/770,187 filed Oct. 2, 1991 and now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Robert Horton, "Investment Casting", ASM Metals Handbook (9th edition), 1988; vol. 15, pp. 264-265. |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
221395 |
Mar 1994 |
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
770187 |
Oct 1991 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
156356 |
Nov 1993 |
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