Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/J33654/01
Title:	OPTIMISATION OF INCLUSION CONTENT AND MICROSTRUCTURE IN SUPERALLOYS
Principal Investigator:	McLean, Dr M
Other Investigators:	Terry, Dr B West, Professor D
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Materials
Organisation:	Imperial College London
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 February 1994	Ends:	30 June 1997	Value (£):	160,898
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Processing
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Aerospace, Defence and Marine
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Electron beam melting technology shows considerable promise for processing nickel-based superalloys by cold hearth melting/ingot casting to achieve inclusion removal and optimum structure and properties eg fracture behaviour and fatigue life, for disc applications in aero-engines and gas turbines. To underpin industrial developments a fuller understanding is required of the chemical and physical mechanisms of melting and solidification that control inclusion removal and the evolution of microstructure; this will lead to process modelling and optimisation. The project stems from recent research supervised by the proposers, which has emphasised the key role, in electron beam button melting (EBBM), of interfacial tension phenomena linked with fluid flow and thermal gradients. A new explanation has been given for the collection of non-wetting inclusions in a surface raft in EBBM, and the origin of the columnar and equiaxed crystal zones. In this context, four interrelated areas of study are proposed; (i) the wetting characteristics of various non-metallic particles in commercial alloys, (ii) simulated tests of eB melting using the EBBM equipment at the NPL (iii) structural studies of solidified alloys (iv) process conditions for inclusion precipitation. UDIMET 720 will be the main alloy for study, as a major contender for the next generation of disc materials for aerospace.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.imperial.ac.uk