Investigation of the mechanism for interaction of calcium zirconate, oxides of calcium and zirconium with titanium melts

The problem to obtain casting molds for titanium alloys is not resolved in full. It is primarily due to the high reactivity of titanium alloys resulting in their interaction with refractory materials. This reduces the quality of the castings due to the formation of various defects. The interaction of VT1-0 grade titanium in the liquid state with CaO, ZrO2 and CaZrO3 were studied. The processes occurring at the contact boundary between these substances and a change in the structure and microhardness of titanium castings near this boundary were described herein. The data obtained showed the disadvantages of molding materials based on CaO and CaZrO3. The features revealed for the interaction of a titanium melt with CaZrO3, where a highly porous CaTiO3 layer has been formed in the reaction zone,made it possible to recommend this compound as a promising material to cast molds in order to produce castings from titanium alloys.