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Abstract

A metal article, at least a portion of which has a honeycomb structure, is described. The article was produced by an investment casting process. The metal casting comprises a base and plural walls which form a honeycomb structure that project outwardly in a first direction from at least a portion of the base. The base typically has a thickness of about 5 mm or less. The honeycomb structure may be defined by plural cells having geometric shapes. For instance, plural interconnected regular polygons, such as plural interconnected pentagons or hexagons, plural irregular interconnected polygons, or plural regular and irregular interconnected polygons may be used. The maximum distance between any two points on the periphery of the cell and passing through the interior space defined by the geometric shape is about 40 mm. The walls of the casting may have a wall thickness of from about 0.3 mm to about 3.2 mm thick. The method for forming the metal casting comprises first forming a pattern having a base, preferably with a thickness of 5 mm or less, and plural walls that extend upwardly from the base and define a honeycomb structure. A mold is formed around the pattern by surrounding the pattern with a refractory material. The pattern is then removed to form a void within the mold in the shape of the pattern. The void is then filled with a molten metal composition. The metal composition is allowed to solidify in the shape of the desired article, and the mold is then removed.

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First Claim