Patent ID: 8555950
Filing Date: 2013-10-15
Classification: B22C,B22D

Abstract:
1. A method of casting an engine component, comprising the steps of: forming hardened granules of a core material having a three-dimensional solid shape; applying a binder to the hardened granules; agglomerating a multiplicity of the granules in a master mold in a shape of a water jacket of the engine component and hardening the binder to form an organic-like core having a continuous web structure; forming a plurality of other cores in respective master molds to define respective surfaces of the engine component; assembling the organic-like core with the other cores to form a casting mold; casting the engine component by flowing molten metal into the casting mold, thereby forming a continuous parent metal bridging the water jacket having a predetermined porosity; and removing the core material from the engine component after casting; wherein the multiplicity of granules includes a group of smaller granules and a group of larger granules wherein the larger granules all have a maximum diameter greater than the maximum diameter of the smaller granules, and wherein the multiplicity of granules are agglomerated in the master mold with a highest concentration of larger granules in a center region of the organic-like core and a highest concentration of smaller granules in an edge region of the organic-like core.