Casting molds, manufacture and use methods

1. A method for using a casting mold, the casting mold comprising:

a shell extending from a lower end to an upper end and having:

an interior space for casting metal; and

an opening for receiving metal to be cast; and

a plurality of thermocouples having respective junctions embedded in the shell and vertically-spaced from each other,

the method comprising:

placing the mold in a furnace;

withdrawing the mold from the furnace;

during the withdrawing, determining a position of the mold and receiving data from the thermocouples; and

determining when a solidus front and a liquidus front pass each thermocouple in a vertical direction.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calculating a cooling rate at each thermocouple.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a proxy vertical span of a mushy zone as a distance the mold has traveled between when said solidus front and said liquidus front pass an associated said thermocouple.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a vertical position of a mushy zone.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the pouring comprises:

a first pouring of a first alloy; and

a second pouring of a second alloy; and

the second pouring commences when the mushy zone has reached a target level.

6. The method of claim 5 performed repeatedly wherein:

parameters are iterated to achieve a desired value of a proxy for a vertical span of the mushy zone.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

the proxy is the vertical distance the mold passes from when the solidus front passes a thermocouple of the plurality of thermocouples to when the liquidus front passes the thermocouple.