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US 2017/0203358 A1Published application
Feedback-assisted rapid discharge heating and forming of metallic glasses
AssigneeGlassimetal Technology, Inc.
InventorsJoseph P. Schramm, Marios D. Demetriou, William L. Johnson
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Abstract
The disclosure is directed to an apparatus comprising feedback-assisted control of the heating process in rapid discharge heating and forming of metallic glass articles.
Claims20
A rapid discharge heating and forming (RDHF) apparatus comprising:
- an electrical circuit comprising:
- a source of electrical energy;
- a metallic glass sample;
- at least two electrodes connecting the source of electrical energy to a sample of metallic glass feedstock;
- a feedback control loop comprising:
- a temperature-monitoring device disposed in temperature monitoring relationship with the sample configured to generate a signal indicative of the temperature of the sample;
- a computing device in signal communication with the temperature-monitoring device configured to convert the signal from the temperature-monitoring device to a sample temperature T, compare T to a predefined temperature value To, and generate a current terminating signal when T substantially matches To;
- and
- a current interrupting device electrically connected with the source of electrical energy and in signal communication with the computing device, and where the current interrupting device is configured to terminate the electrical current generated by the source of electrical energy when the current terminating signal is received from the computing device;
- and
- a shaping tool disposed in forming relation to the metallic glass sample.
8 more elements
A method of rapidly heating and shaping a metallic glass comprising:
- discharging electrical energy uniformly through a sample of metallic glass formed of a metallic glass forming alloy to generate an electrical current that uniformly heats the sample;
- monitoring the temperature of the sample;
- terminating the electrical current when the temperature of the sample substantially matches a predefined temperature To, where To is between the glass transition temperature of the metallic glass and the equilibrium melting point of the metallic glass forming alloy;
- applying a deformational force to shape the heated sample into an article;
- and
- cooling the article to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the metallic glass.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.