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Evaluation of Casting Shrinkage and Liquid Metal Fluidity of IN-713C Alloy

Article in Archives of Foundry Engineering · March 2014

DOI: 10.2478/afe-2014-0002

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 ARCHIVES
of
FOUNDRY ENGINEERING ISSN (2299-2944)
Volume 14
DOI: 10.2478/afe-2014-0002 Issue 1/2014
Published quarterly as the organ of the Foundry Commission of the Polish Academy of Sciences
9 – 12

Evaluation of Casting Shrinkage and Liquid

Metal Fluidity of IN-713C Alloy
F. Binczyk *, M. Cieśla, P. Gradoń, R. Findziński
Department of Materials Technology
Silesian University of Technology, Krasińskiego Str. 8, 40-019 Katowice, Poland
*Corresponding author. E-mail address: franciszek.binczyk@polsl.pl

Received 13.06.2013; accepted in revised form 02.09.2013

Abstract
This paper presents the results of measurements of liquid metal fluidity and linear shrinkage of nickel alloy IN-713C in vacuum induction
melting furnace Balzers VSG-2. Because of limited volume of the furnace chamber special models for technological trials were designed
and constructed to fit in the mould of dimensions 170x95x100mm. Two different designs of test models were proposed: horizontal round
rods and modified spiral. Preliminary studies were carried out for alloys Al-Si. Horizontal round rods test was useful for evaluation of
fluidity of hypoeutectic silumin, however in case of nickel superalloy the mould cavity was completely filled in each test because of high
required pouring temperature. Positive results were obtained from the modified spiral test for all alloys used in the research. Relationship
between the linear shrinkage for the test rod and a specific indicator of contraction defined on a spiral was observed.

Keywords: Linear shrinkage, Fluidity, Castability, Spiral test, Round rod test, Pouring temperature, IN-713C, Superalloy, Silumin

1. Introduction 2. Research problem

High temperature nickel alloys (aka superalloys) are the Casting parameters and chemical composition have the
primary material used for casting components of aircraft engines, biggest impact on the fluidity. The chemical composition
both the static and rotating parts operating at very high influences the beginning and the end of solidification, thermal
temperature under the mechanical stress. Castings of these parts conductivity, specific heat, the surface tension and heat capacity.
require very high quality surface finish and dimensional accuracy. All of these properties have a huge impact on the liquid metal
Hence in their production the precision los wax method is used flow in the gating system and on the degree of wetting of the
[1,2]. mould. The most important factor determining the fluidity is the
Design and creation of wax models requires, among other casting temperature and the resulting value of the degree of
things, knowledge of linear shrinkage value of used alloy and its overheating, i.e. the difference between the pouring temperature
ability to reproduce the shape of the mould cavity. Turbine blades and the temperature of the beginning of solidification. Another
typically have a very complicated shape, thin walls and, in many important factor is the velocity of liquid metal flow in channels of
cases, internal cooling channels. Precise reproduction of such gating system [3, 4].
complicated shape demands high fluidity of an alloy. Fluidity The mould temperature is also important factor determining
increases with the pouring temperature, however too strong the fluidity. In case of superalloy casting the moulds are heated to
overheating of the alloy leads to the formation of casting defects. a temperature of about 1100°C, which allows to reduce casting
temperature [5-7].

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 As of today, there is little information in the published length, in hypereutectic silumin same effect was caused by
literature about casting shrinkage and fluidity of nickel specific properties of this alloy, even below the Tliq temperature.
superalloys. Especially as a function of the casting temperature. Model for horizontal rods test is shown in Figure 3.

3. Materials and methods of investigation

The aim of the study was to develop a comprehensive test for
determining fluidity, reproducibility and linear shrinkage for
alloys used in casting, in particular for nickel superalloys melted
in Balzers VSG-2 VIM furnace. The furnace chamber, due to its
small size, does not allow standard fluidity and shrinkage test
methods to be used. A view of the chamber with the casting mold
is shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 3. Horizontal round rod fluidity and shrinkage test with the
"parent" mould

The individual rods have the following dimensions:

• rod for measuring shrinkage - 12mm diameter and 150mm
length,
• rods for measuring fluidity - diameters of 10, 8, 6, 5 and 4
mm and the same length of 100mm,
• triangular elements to assess the reproducibility, height of
15mm, thickness of 1.5 mm and a variable width, which is
the result of different apex angles that were respectively
90°, 45° and 30°.
Spiral model was made using a cable with a diameter of 6mm,
Fig. 1. Balzers VSG-2 VIM furnace chamber which was, due to the lack of the parting plane, moulded by
peeling and then cast using hypoeutectic silumin from the
The workspace of furnace allows placing of the casting mould temperature of about 900°C. The diameter of the base channel is 6
of maximum dimensions 170x100x120mm. This in turn has mm with the length (unrolled) of about 820mm. Metrics placed
imposed the test models dimensions: maximum length of 150 mm every 50mm were installed on the upper part of the spiral. Spiral
and width of 95mm, main sprue height of about 75mm. test model is shown in Figure 4.
Moulding boxes were made from 3.5 mm thick steel sheet by
welding. Guide rails and clamps were added to allow precise
assembly during the moulding process. Image of such moulding
box (assembled) is shown in Figure 2.

Fig. 4. Modified spiral fluidity test with the "parent" mould

Fig. 2. Moulding box
The study was conducted for nickel alloy IN-713C, which
Two models were designed and manufactured: contains on average: 0.03% Co, 13.26% Cr, 5.85% Al, 4.10% Mo,
1. Horizontal round rods. 0.85% Ti, 2.27% (Nb + Ta). Alloy was were melted in an VIM
2. Spiral of length about 82cm. furnace Balzers VSG-02 using an Al2O3 crucible. Batch weight
Spiral model was made after the preliminary test with round rods was about 1,2 kg. Melting was carried out in a vacuum of about
model for evaluation of fluidity of IN-713C and hypereutectic 10-3. Prior to pouring, the volume of the furnace was filled with
silumin. Fluidity of these alloys was high enough to fill all the argon. Pouring was conducted under an argon atmosphere at the
rods in the test completely. In case of IN-713C alloy high pressure of about 900 hPa.
required overheat was enough to rise fluidity above the test

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4. The results of investigations and
discussion of results
Studied IN-713C alloy was poured at temperatures 1420°C,
1460°C, 1500°C and 1600°C. In case of the rod test, rods were
filled completely in every temperature. Pouring below 1420°C is
not recommended. Tliq temperature for this alloy is about 1325°C
to 1340°C, depending on the carbon content [8, 9]. Image of the
sample casting is shown in Figure 5.

Fig. 8. Spiral test at 1460oC

Fig. 5. Sample rod test casting.

In case of complete fill of the mould only shrinkage

measurements were made on the φ12x150mm rod. Results are
shown on Figure 6. Fig. 9. Spiral test at 1500oC

2,4

2,29 IN-713C
Linear shrinkage, %

2,17
2,2
2,15

2
2

1,8
1420oC 1480oC 1500oC
Casting temperature
1600oC
Fig. 10. Spiral test at 1600oC
Fig. 6. Linear shrinkage as a function of the casting temperature Results of fluidity measurements in modified spiral test are shown
in Figure 11.
Castings made in modified spiral fluidity test are shown in
Figures 7 to 10.
900
IN-713C 770
Lenght the spiral, mm

600 552
492
387

300

0
1420oC 1460oC 1500oC 1600oC
Casting temperature

Fig. 11. Spiral as a function of the casting temperature

Fig. 7. Spiral test at 1420oC
Proposed rod test does not allow direct determination of fluidity,
due to the complete filling of even the thinnest rods. Therefore,

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while useful to measure the shrinkage, does not give fully
satisfactory results. On the other hand spiral fluidity test gives
5. Conclusions
good and comparative test results.
Designed horizontal round rod test does not allow to
Thus, the possibility to evaluate linear shrinkage using the
determine the fluidity of nickel alloys, due to the necessity of
spiral casting was considered. Two most distant from one another
pouring at a temperature well above Tliq, which for the alloy IN-
metrics (markers) on the spiral model were selected as an initial
713C is from 1325oC to 1340oC (depending on carbon content).
dimension to evaluate shrinkage, as shown in Figure 12.
Balzers VSG-2 VIM furnace does not allow using mould longer
then 170mm. This in turn imposes a 100mm length rods which
were being completely filled in each case (even at minimum
temperature of 1420oC). Linear shrinkage of nickel alloy IN-713C
is about 2.3% and decreases with increasing pouring temperature.
It has been shown that for nickel alloy IN-713C there is a
good correlation (coefficient of determination R2 = 0.93) between
the shrinkage measured in the rod tests and in spiral tests
(distance between the extreme markers on the spiral). The
relationship is linear and can be expressed as: y = 0.1441*x +
0.9873.
Fluidity of IN-713C alloy increases with increasing
Fig. 12. Method of shrinkage measurement in the casting of temperature which is the result of increase of the degree of
fluidity spiral overheating.
Results of shrinkage measurements on fluidity spiral were shown
in Figure 13.
2,8
Acknowledgements
2,62
IN-713-C
2,5 Financial support of Structural Funds in the Operational
Linear shrinkage, %

2,4
2,3 Programme - Innovative Economy (IE OP) financed from the
European Regional Development Fund - Project "Modern
2
1,95 material technologies in aerospace industry", No. POIG.01.01.02-
00-015/08-00 is gratefully acknowledged.

1,6
1420oC 1460oC 1500oC 1600oC

Casting temperature
References
Fig. 13. Shrinkage between markers of fluidity spiral as a function
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2,5 Effect of modification on microstructure and mechanical
IN-713C properties of cobalt casting superalloy. Archives of Metallurgy
2,25 and Materials. 53(3), (887-893).
Shrinkage-rod, %

[2] Binczyk, F. & Śleziona, J. (2010). Effect of modification on

2 the mechanical properties of IN-713C alloy. Archives of
y = 0,3915x + 1,2355
R2 = 0,9297
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