Solidification of superalloy in a SiO2–ZrO2–B2O3 coating mould

The preparation of glass-lined coating mould from gels in the ternary system of SiO2–ZrO2–B2O3 has been investigated. The crystallization characterization and high temperature structure stability of this coating mould are demonstrated. We can find that the crystallization of t-ZrO2 as well as the tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation are, respectively, retarded and impeded owing to the encasement of SiO2 matrix. While the inhibitive effect of B2O3 on crystallization of the SiO2–ZrO2–B2O3 coating mould is explained. Finally, DD3 single crystal superalloy melt can realize highly undercooled rapid solidification by adopting this coating mould, which further evinces that SiO2–ZrO2–B2O3 coating mould has an ideal nucleation inhibition for superalloy.