Frangible-soluble casting cores and methods of making the same

DWPI Title: Method for forming component e.g. printed circuit heat exchanger, involves cooling heated cast material such that difference in coefficients of thermal expansion causes cast material to apply pressure to core causing core to fracture
Abstract: The casting material may be formed around the casting core using a variety of conventional casting techniques including direct liquid metal infiltration, pressure assisted casting, and centrifugal casting among others.
Use: Method for forming a component i.e. printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE). Can also be used for forming plates, tubes and powder.
Advantage: The method enables facilitating removal of the casting core from the cast article in an easy manner. The method ensures that long, thin, or complex casting cores that are impractical to remove due to limited physical access and high ratios of length to diameter which limit dissolution rates are more easily removed, so that parts can be immediately created without the need to develop manufacturing processes to create other product forms i.e. plates, tubes, powder.
Novelty: Forming component involves forming a core comprising a core material, heating a cast material, casting the heated cast material around and in direct contact with the core, cooling the heated material, and removing the fractured core to form connected passageways within the component. The core comprises segments having a surface, a porosity of 20-60%, and a length between any two segment connection points and a width. The ratio of length to width is less than 10:1. The heated material has a thickness around each segment that is equal to the width of each segment.
Filed: 9/3/2020
Application Number: US17011149A
Tech ID: SD 14843.1
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
Data from Derwent World Patents Index, provided by Clarivate
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