US 4,721,154 AGranted

Method of, and apparatus for, the continuous casting of rapidly solidifying material

AssigneeSulzer-Escher Wyss GmbH

InventorsAlfred Christ, Rolf Lehmann, Hans-Wlater Schlaepfer

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Abstract

During the melt spinning process for producing metal foils having an amorphous structure, molten metal is cast through a slot-like nozzle onto a surface or wall which is rapidly moved past the nozzle. A particularly rapid quenching and cooling rate of the solidifying melt is achieved by providing cooling support elements which are supplied with a cooling pressure medium, on one side of the moved surface or wall and which aide is located opposite to or remote from the nozzle. Advantageously, the surface or wall is constructed as a thin-walled cylindrical shell or tube which is elastically deformable to some extent. In its shell interior, there are provided a number of rows of cooling support elements which may be controlled by thickness sensors and temperature profile sensors. There is thus rendered possible, the continuous production of amorphous metal foils.

Claims32

Dependent claims

An apparatus for continuously casting a rapidly solidifying material, comprising:

a substantially slot-like nozzle for infeeding a rapidly solidifying material in a hot liquid state;
a movable wall movable past said substantially slot-like nozzle at a close spacing from said substantially slot-like nozzle;
means for moving said movable wall past said substantially slot-like nozzle and in a predetermined direction of movement;
cooling means for cooling said movable wall;
said movable wall comprising a material having high heat conductivity;
the rapidly solidifying material, in the hot liquid state, flowing through said substantially slot-like nozzle onto said movable cooled wall, solidifying on said movable cooled wall and, after movement of said movable cooled wall through a predetermined distance, being detachable from said movable cooled wall in the form of a continuously cast foil;
said movable cooled wall being elastically flexible to a predetermined extent;
said cooling means containing at least one cooling support element;
said at least one cooling support element being displaceable along a predetermined support direction substantially perpendicular to said movable cooled wall;
said cooling means comprising cooling pressure fluid means for displacing under the action of a preselected cooling pressure fluid said at least one cooling support element along said predetermined support direction;
said at least one cooling support element being arranged directly opposite to said substantially slot-like nozzle and on one side of the movable cooled wall and which side is remote from said substantially slot-like nozzle;
said at least one cooling support element being provided with at least one bearing surface supplied with said cooling pressure fluid by said cooling pressure fluid means for cooling and supporting said movable cooled wall;
a stationary traverse;
and
said at least one cooling support element being supported at said stationary traverse.

12 more elements

A method of continuously casting a rapidly solidifying material, comprising the steps of:

moving a movable wall at a predetermined speed through a closed travelling path in a predetermined direction of movement;
feeding to one side of said moving wall hot liquid constituting a rapidly solidifying material through a substantially slot-like nozzle which is arranged substantially transversely relative to said moving wall and at a predetermined spacing from said moving wall;
supporting said moving wall on an other side of said moving wall and which other side is remote from said substantially slot-like nozzle, and at least substantially directly opposite to said substantially slot-like nozzle by means of at least one cooling support element;
passing a cooling fluid through said at least one cooling support element in order to support and cool said moving wall and said hot liquid constituting the rapidly solidifying material passed through said substantially slot-like nozzle to said one side of said moving wall and thereby continuously casting a foil of said rapidly solidifying material on said one side of said moving wall;
displacing under the action of said cooling fluid said at least one cooling support element along a predetermined support direction such that there is obtained an appropriate spacing between said substantially slot-like nozzle and said movable wall and
detaching said foil of said rapidly solidifying material from said one side of said moving wall at a predetermined detachment location downstream of said substantially slot-like nozzle as viewed in said predetermined direction of movement of said moving wall.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.