A critical step in the successful manufacture of grain oriented castings is the process definition. Shell and alloy temperatures, cooling rates and withdrawal rates all must focus within a small process window to produce a quality part. Castings made outside of this window may suffer from incorrect grain orientation, stray grains or other defects, thereby creating time and cost losses to the foundry.
Casting simulation software provides a microstructural picture of the resulting grain structure and potential defects caused by a poor process. In this discussion, a single crystal casting is examined using the casting simulation software ProCAST, where variations in process conditions, such as temperatures and withdrawal rates, generate variations in the casting grain structure. These examples indicate process trends and aid the foundry engineer in defining the proper process to use on other like castings.