Vacuum Induction Melting of TiNi Alloys Using BaZrO3 Crucibles

In this paper, BaZrO3, which is successfully used to prepare the YBCO single crystal superconductor, is introduced into the melting of titanium alloys. The density of the home-made BaZrO3 crucible reaches 97% of theoretical density, and TiNi alloy is melted using this crucible by the vacuum induction method. It is found that the home-made BaZrO3 crucible possesses excellent thermal shock resistance. After melting, the surface of the ingot is smooth and it can be separated from the crucible easily, there is no reaction layer and elemental diffusion between the refractory and the melt is not observed, the oxygen content of the melt is about 600 ppm, and the increase of other impurity elements (i.e., Ba, Zr) is negligible. This implies that the BaZrO3 is a promising candidate for refractories for melting the TiNi alloy.