Effects of shell mold heating temperature on microstructures and freckle formation of single crystal superalloys

To study the effects of shell mold heating temperature on the microstructure and freckle formation of single crystal superalloys, the directional solidification experiment and simulation were conducted with designed stepwise specimens. The temperature field and morphology of mushy zone were analyzed. The results show that the primary and secondary dendrite arm spacings both decrease with the rise of shell mold heating temperature. This reduces the permeability of the liquid in the mushy zone and the width of the thermal-solutal convection channel, which reduces the formation tendency of freckles, the width of freckles and the number of dendritic fragments in freckled areas. In addition, with the increase of shell mold heating temperature, the cooling rate of liquid in the mushy zone increases, which reduces the cooling time of the melt in the mushy zone, weakens the breaking capability of liquid flow to the dendrite, and further reduces the tendency of freckle formation in single crystal superalloy castings.