Patent ID: 8079400

Claim:
A method of forming a cast article comprising: forming a mold cavity including a desired shape of a completed cast article, the mold cavity open to a seed cavity through a bottom opening, a width of the bottom opening and the seed cavity being substantially equal to a width of the mold cavity; inserting a seed within the seed cavity, the seed including a plurality of columns that each define a primary columnar grain orientation, wherein the seed is aligned with the bottom opening and is defined to include a width substantially equal to the width of the mold cavity; filling the mold cavity with a molten material in a heated environment; removing the mold cavity from the heated environment to solidify the molten material; and forming a plurality of columnar grains within the cast article that each include a primary grain orientation that corresponds to the plurality of columns that are defined by the seed such that each of the plurality of columnar grains formed in the cast article include substantially the same primary columnar grain structure defined by a corresponding one of the plurality of columns of the seed with the molten material during solidification.