Patent Application
20080078481
The present invention provides a method for using magnetic fields to create coherent electromagnetic radiation that disrupts bond energies in metals. Multiple magnetic fields are produced at a determined distance from the metal surface using power levels appropriate for the particular metal for which a phase transition is desired. The electromagnetic fields applied are tuned to the precise energy required to disrupt a metal bond.
Control of a solid to liquid transition has been demonstrated with several metals, including silicon, a metalloid, which exhibits both metal and non-metal properties. Silicon is used in semiconductors, but has only one prevalent crystalline form and is less metallic than its congeners, germanium, tin and lead. Silicon normally melts at approximately 1400° C., but exhibits flowing (transition from solid form) near 40° C. when exposed to appropriate coherent electromagnetic fields as disclosed in the procedures set forth herein. After exposure to a coherent EM field, silicon reverts to a solid form.
Elemental boron, similar to silicon, also has properties borderline between metals and nonmetals. Like silicon, it is a semiconductor, not a metallic conductor, and chemically resembles silicon more than its metallic congeners, thallium, gallium and indium. Boron exhibits several crystal structures, each allotrope having different stabilities, but all known forms melt at or well above 1000° C. It is expected that this element will resolidify using procedures similar to those used for the described phase transition for silicon.
Aluminum, while considered a metal, exhibits both ionic and nonionic character. It melts around 660° C. and is recognized as a hard, strong and white metal. Exposure of aluminum to a coherent EM field under the described conditions readily initiated a phase transition, causing the solid to liquefy within about 10 sec. Solidification occurred when the electromagnetic field was removed.
The strength of a chemical bond is defined as the standard enthalpy change of the reaction in which the bond M-X is broken to form the two component atoms, M and X. Values shown in Table 1 refer to the bond strengths of the gaseous diatomic species MX. By customizing electromagnetic field frequencies to a particular element, and to the intended phase desired, it is believed that virtually any transition can be efficiently achieved with minimal energy input.
The following examples are provided as illustrations of the invention and are in no way to be considered limiting.
A vacuum chamber was constructed of ⅜″ thick A6 steel with a diameter of 30 in and a length of 36 in. The chamber was pumped with a VHS 6 oil diffusion pump with 400 ml of DuPont 704 diffusion pump oil. The pump was backed by a 30 CFM Pfeiffer mechanical pump with 1 liter of Stokes C-77 pump oil. The chamber was rough pumped by a Leybold E-75 pump with a WU 500 blower package with Fomblin oil. The pump down of the chamber was controlled by internally designed circuits utilizing an MKS 636 baratron and a BP ion gauge. The apparatus includes a 6×1×20 in, 99.99% pure nickel target with water cooling and two power inputs. This cathode was driven by a Miller 304 CC/CV power supply and a Miller analog pulsing unit.
An alternative to the 6×20 in target cathode are small round target cathodes with a surface diameter of 1 to 6 in. This target configuration can assist in the localization of the transfer of current from the cathode to the anode. Less mechanical setup of the cathode in order to localize the transfer spot will be required. The same physical settings for power may be used in this configuration; 300 Hz, 2 ms pulse, 300 amps and 75 amp background.
Aluminum was selected as the substrate. The pulse current generated by the electromagnetic field using the apparatus described in Example 1 was 300 Hz. Localization of the current outflow from the cathode to the anode in the pulsed mode must be locally confined. At the reported powers, the area of electron flow was confined consistently to an area approximately 3 inches in diameter. This confinement allows creation of a coherent beam in which the EM field travels.
An 8×¼×12 in 6061T6 aluminum plate was placed in an aluminum 2×2×¼ in wall thickness square channel of conductive aluminum that was 22 in tall. This placed the substrate 8 in from the surface of the target. The apparatus was constructed as described in Example 1 and the chamber was pumped to a level of 5E-4 Torr. The power supply was set to 300 amps, 20 V output. The pulsing unit was set with at background current of 75 amps, a pulse width of 2 ms, and a frequency of 300 Hz.
The system was initiated through a momentary grounding of the target and allowed to run for approximately 15 seconds. After this time, the power was shut off and the chamber was brought to atmospheric pressure. The aluminum substrate puddled at the bottom of the chamber at a temperature of approximately 30° C. Solidification occurred over a period of 7 days following removal of the electromagnetic field. The temperature of the metal was about 39° C. immediately after the solid began to form.
The phase change consumed 0.05 kW-h/kg. Melting the same amount of material is calculated to require 1.354 kW-h/kg which is at least an order of magnitude greater amount of heat energy required to melt aluminum at 661° C. The results showed that only a small fraction of input energy, about 1/27 of the amount of heat required to melt the metal, initiated a solid to liquid phase transition using this method.
A 3-inch diameter silicon wafer on a 8×¼12 in copper plate was placed on an aluminum 2×2×¼ in wall thickness square channel that was 28 in tall. The plate was placed 8 in from the surface of the target. The silicon disk was placed on top of the copper plate, smooth side up in the chamber of the apparatus described in Example 1 using the conditions identical to those described in Example 2. The silicon began to flow at 39° C., which is significantly lower than heat-induced melting, which requires a temperature of 1414° C.
The rough side of the silicon disc changed from a single crystal to a polycrystalline surface with visual evidence of liquefied flow. The obvious pattern of the original crystal structure was no longer apparent. The originally flat copper substrate plate was warped by several millimeters. The melting point of copper is 1085° C., which is significantly higher than the 39° C. temperature at which these changes were observed.
Example 3
A steel plate was placed 3 feet from the target and exposed to a coherently focused electromagnetic beam for 10 s to 2 min using the apparatus described in Example 1 under the conditions set forth in Example 2. The metal began to flow at 200° C., which is significantly lower than heat-induced melting, which requires a temperature of 1515° C.
