Inert gas shielding for rapid solidification apparatus
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorNan Yang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rapid solidification apparatus is provided. The rapid solidification apparatus includes a movable chill body defining a quench surface, a molten material nozzle for directing one or more streams of molten material towards the quench surface and a source of inert gas. The source of inert gas is configured to provide a conical shield of pressurized inert gas around the one or more streams of molten material. The conical shield extends from the molten material nozzle towards the quench surface with focal point of the conical shield at or proximate the quench surface.
Claims20
A rapid solidification apparatus comprising:
- a movable chill body defining a quench surface;
- a molten material nozzle for directing one or more streams of molten material towards the quench surface;
- and
- a source of inert gas configured to provide a conical shield of pressurized inert gas around the one or more streams of molten material, the conical shield extending from the molten material nozzle towards the quench surface with focal point of the conical shield at or proximate the quench surface.
A method of rapidly solidifying a molten material comprising:
- directing one or more streams of molten material from a source of molten material towards a moving chill body defining a quench surface;
- and
- providing a conical shield of pressurized inert gas around the one or more streams of molten material, the conical shield extending from the source of molten material towards the quench surface with focal point of the conical shield at or proximate the quench surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.