Method and apparatus for fabricating amorphous metal laminations for motors and transformers
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsVernon B. Honsinger, Russell E. Tompkins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Liquid amorphous metal alloy is manufactured into shaped laminations ready for assembly in an inductive component in one process. The rotating chill surface to which the melt is delivered has high thermal conductivity metal in a pattern corresponding to the shaped lamination and is surrounded by thermally insulating material. Melt coming in contact with the high thermal conductivity metal becomes amorphous and that contacting the thermally insulating areas cools more slowly and becomes crystalline. The brittle crystalline scrap is broken away from the strip of laminations and is collected and recycled to the melt.
Claims14
A method of fabricating geometrically shaped laminations of amorphous metal alloy for inductive components comprising the steps of delivering a stream of liquid alloy melt against a relatively rapidly moving chill surface having high thermal conductivity material in a pattern corresponding to the shaped lamination being processed which is at least partially surrounded by low thermal conductivity material, quenching the alloy melt at different cooling rates to continuously form a ribbon of solidified metal which separates from the chill surface and is composed of ductile amorphous metal in the shaped lamination pattern and brittle crystalline metal in other areas, and removing the crystalline metal areas of the ribbon to leave only a strip of amorphous metal laminations.
A method of fabricating geometrically shaped laminations of magnetic amorphous metal alloy for inductive components comprising the steps of delivering a stream of liquid alloy melt against the relatively rapidly rotating circumferential surface of a cylindrical chill roll having high thermal conductivity material in a circular pattern corresponding to the shaped lamination being processed which is surrounded by low thermal conductivity material, quenching the alloy melt at different cooling rates to continuously form a ribbon of solidified metal which separates from the circumferential surface under the action of centrifugal force and is composed of ductile amorphous metal in the shaped lamination pattern and brittle crystalline metal in other areas, vibrating the ribbon to break away the crystalline metal areas leaving only a strip of amorphous metal laminations, collecting the scrap particles of crystalline metal removed from the ribbon, and admitting the scrap particles to the alloy melt along with new raw materials.
A method of fabricating geometrically shaped laminations of magnetic amorphous metal alloy for inductive components comprising the steps of delivering a stream of liquid alloy melt against the relatively rapidly rotating flat top surface of a cylindricall chill roll having high thermal conductivity material in a circular pattern corresponding to the shaped lamination being processed which is surrounded by low thermal conductivity material, quenching the alloy melt at different cooling rates to continuously form a ribbon of solidified metal which separates from the flat top surface of the chill roll under the action of centrifugal force and is composed of ductile amorphous metal in the shaped lamination pattern and brittle crystalline metal in other areas, vibrating the ribbon to break away the crystalline metal areas leaving only a strip of amorphous metal laminations, collecting the scrap particles of crystalline metal removed from the ribbon, and admitting the scrap particles to the alloy melt along with new raw materials.
Apparatus for the continuous and direct fabrication of shaped amorphous metal laminations for inductive components from alloy melt comprising a chill roll having a patterned surface region for casting contact with molten metal characterized by high thermal conductivity metal in a pattern corresponding to the shaped lamination being processed which is completely surrounded by flush-mounted low thermal conductivity material, means for continuously delivering amorphous alloy melt to the patterned casting region and means for rotating said chill roll to maintain continuous relative motion between said patterned casting region and melt delivery means, and means for vibrating the solidified metal ribbon after separation from the chill roll under the acton of centrifugal force to thereby break away brittle crystalline metal from ductile amorphous metal and produce a strip of shaped amorphous metal laminations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.