Patent ID: 8236232

Claim:
A method for making a reinforced refractory crucible for melting titanium alloys, the crucible having at least one side region prone to hoop stresses and at least two regions that are separated by the side region and are prone to bending stresses, the method comprising: forming a crucible mold on a form by: applying a facecoat to the form; applying at least one reinforcing element to at least a portion of the crucible mold defined by the facecoat layer, the backing layer, or a combination thereof, the at least one reinforcing element comprising a configuration selected from the group consisting of a continuous fiber, a tape, a mesh, and combinations thereof; wherein the step of applying the at least one reinforcing element comprises applying a first reinforcing element to a first portion of the crucible mold that corresponds to the side region of the crucible and applying a second reinforcing element to a second portion of the crucible mold that corresponds to at least one of the two regions of the crucible that are separated by the side region, the first reinforcing element comprises a continuous fiber that is wrapped around the first portion of the crucible mold, and the second reinforcing element comprises a mesh that is wrapped around the second portion of the crucible mold; firing the crucible mold.