NSF Award
9360131
9360131 Adler Using a metallurgically-clad composite as a "worksurface" capable of repeatedly performing the same heating operation with greater efficiencies than are obtainable with traditional heating methods, SmartHeat technology provides the benefits of conventional induction heating in a temperature range heretofore unattainable via conventional induction-heating technology. The composite consists of a ferro-magnetic alloy boned to a Cu core. Ferro-magnetic materials used in SmartHeat devices have been limited to FeNi binary alloys. The effects associated with the Invar phenomenon in these alloys vix., near-zero coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), depressed magnetization, and extreme compositional sensitivity of the Curie temperature, have prevented full exploitation of SmartHeat technology. In this research, properties of a new class of a class of FeNi-base ternary alloys will be predicted using a novel computer program. Computer-predicted phase boundaries will allow determination of compositional ranges of interest. Predicted compositional dependencies of Curie temperature and magnetic moments will be superposed on isothermal sections facilitating alloy selection with optimal properties . Using existing literature data, a model for quantitatively predicting CTE in terms of composition and temperature for binary alloys will, also, be developed. This model will be incorporated into the computer database for use in future computer-designed materials projects. ***
