Chemical composition analysis on industrial scale ingots and castings of TiAl alloys.

The chemical composition variation of the TiAl-4722 alloys was examined in a batch of the industrial scale master ingots, and in the corresponding castings prepared by conventional vacuum arc remelting (VAR) combined with induction skull melting (ISM) and investment casting processes. The content changes of major elements and interstitial elements were evaluated based on the chemical analysis at the top and bottom of the ingots and castings. Results show that the contents of C, N, H, Fe and Si have almost no change in the ingots and castings, suggesting that the chemical analysis on these elements can be based on the batch analysis. The O content keeps almost the same in different ingots, but exhibits relatively large differences in castings, which was probably influenced by the reaction between the shell mold and the molten alloy, and the spalling of face coat of the shell mold during casting. For the major elements of Al, Nb and Cr, the composition difference between the top and the bottom of the ingots is less than that of the castings. But for the O element, the trend is different, especially for the castings, suggesting that the investment casting is a homogenization process for Cr and Nb, but a differentiation process for O. The contents of major elements in castings fluctuate mainly in the same range as that in the ingots, indicating that the contents of the major elements are controllable during investment casting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]