Electromagnetic augmentation for casting of thin metal sheets

Patent · Sat Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:867027

Hull, John R ^[1]

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1. Hinsdale, IL

Thin metal sheets are cast by magnetically levitating molten metal deposited in a mold within a ferromagnetic yoke and between AC conducting coils and linearly displacing the magnetically levitated liquid metal while it is being cooled by the water-cooled walls of the mold to form a solid metal sheet. A conducting shield is electrically coupled to the molten metal sheet to provide a return path for eddy currents induced in the metal sheet by the current in the AC conducting coils. In another embodiment, a DC conducting coil is coupled to the metal sheet for providing a direct current therein which interacts with the magnetic field to levitate the moving metal sheet. Levitation of the metal sheet in both molten and solid forms reduces its contact pressure with the mold walls while maintaining sufficient engagement therebetween to permit efficient conductive cooling by the mold through which a coolant fluid may be circulated. The magnetic fields associated with the currents in the aforementioned coils levitate the molten metal sheet while the mold provides for its lateral and vertical confinement. A leader sheet having electromagnetic characteristics similar to those of the molten metal sheet is used to start the casing process and precedes the molten metal sheet through the yoke/coil arrangement and mold and forms a continuous sheet therewith. The yoke/coil arrangement may be either U-shaped with a single racetrack coil or may be rectangular with a pair of spaced, facing bedstead coils.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4846255
• OSTI ID: 867027
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/164/
aforementioned
arrangement
associated
augmentation
bedstead
bedstead coils
casing
cast
casting
characteristics
characteristics similar
circulated
coil
coil arrangement
coils
conducting
conducting coils
conducting shield
conductive
confinement
contact
contact pressure
continuous
continuous sheet
coolant
coolant fluid
cooled
cooling
coupled
current
currents
currents induced
dc
deposited
direct
direct current
displacing
eddy
eddy current
eddy currents
efficient
electrically
electrically coupled
electromagnetic
electromagnetic characteristics
embodiment
engagement
facing
facing bedstead
ferromagnetic
ferromagnetic yoke
field
fields
fluid
form
forms
induced
interacts
lateral
leader
leader sheet
levitate
levitated
levitated liquid
levitating
levitation
linearly
linearly displacing
liquid
liquid metal
magnetic
magnetic characteristic
magnetic field
magnetic fields
magnetically
magnetically levitated
maintaining
maintaining sufficient
metal
metal deposit
metal deposited
metal sheet
metal sheets
mold
molten
molten metal
moving
moving metal
pair
path
permit
precedes
pressure
process
provide
provides
providing
racetrack
racetrack coil
rectangular
reduces
return
return path
sheet
sheet therewith
sheets
shield
similar
single
single racetrack
solid
solid form
solid metal
spaced
start
sufficient
therebetween
therein
therewith
u-shaped
vertical
walls
water-cooled
yoke