Method of alloying reactive components
First Claim
1. A method of alloying dissimilar materials comprising the steps of:
- (a) layering dissimilar materials in an alternating pattern to provide large areas of contact between the dissimilar materials;
(b) heating the dissimilar materials;
(c) melting the dissimilar materials;
(d) mixing the melted dissimilar materials; and
(e) cooling the mixed dissimilar materials to form an ingot, the method further comprising the step of reacting the dissimilar materials before melting.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Metal seeds for forming single-crystal shape-memory alloys (SMAs) may be fabricated with high reliability and control by alloying thin films of material together. In particular, described herein are methods of forming AlCuNi SMAs by first producing high-quality seeds (ingots) of copper, aluminum, and nickel to produce for pulling single crystal shape memory alloys, in particular superelastic or hyperelastic alloys. The method is applicable to a wide range of alloys in which one or more of the components are reactive. The method is an improvement upon traditional methods such as mixing and melting pellets. In this improved method, a reactive layer (e.g., aluminum) is provided in thin flat layers between layers of other materials (e.g., copper and layers of nickel). When the stacked layers are vacuum heated in a crucible to the melting temperature of the reactive layer, it becomes reactive and chemically bonds to the other layers, and may form eutectics that, as the temperature is further increased, melt homogeneously and congruently at temperatures below the melting temperatures of copper and nickel. Oxidation and evaporation are greatly reduced compared to other methods of alloying, and loss of material from turbulence is minimized.
209 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of alloying dissimilar materials comprising the steps of:
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(a) layering dissimilar materials in an alternating pattern to provide large areas of contact between the dissimilar materials; (b) heating the dissimilar materials; (c) melting the dissimilar materials; (d) mixing the melted dissimilar materials; and (e) cooling the mixed dissimilar materials to form an ingot, the method further comprising the step of reacting the dissimilar materials before melting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of alloying metals having a phase form dependent upon temperature comprising the steps of:
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(a) obtaining a plurality of dissimilar materials configured to provide large areas of contact between the plurality of dissimilar materials; (b) layering the dissimilar materials in an alternating pattern; (c) heating the dissimilar materials; (d) melting the dissimilar materials; (e) mixing the melted dissimilar materials; and (f) cooling the mixed dissimilar materials to form an ingot, the method further comprising the step of reacting the dissimilar materials before melting. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of alloying dissimilar materials comprising the steps of:
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(a) layering dissimilar materials in an alternating pattern to provide large areas of contact between the dissimilar materials; (b) heating the dissimilar materials; (c) melting the dissimilar materials; (d) mixing the melted dissimilar materials; and (e) cooling the mixed dissimilar materials to form an ingot, wherein the dissimilar materials include one or more sheets of aluminum and further wherein the one or more sheets of aluminum begins to melt prior to a melting of any other sheets of materials. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A method of alloying metals having a phase form dependent upon temperature comprising the steps of:
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(a) obtaining a plurality of dissimilar materials configured to provide large areas of contact between the plurality of dissimilar materials; (b) layering the dissimilar materials in an alternating pattern; (c) heating the dissimilar materials; (d) melting the dissimilar materials; (e) mixing the melted dissimilar materials; and (f) cooling the mixed dissimilar materials to form an ingot, wherein the plurality of dissimilar materials includes one or more sheets of aluminum and further wherein one or more sheets of aluminum begins to melt prior to a melting of any other sheets of materials. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification