Claims
- 1. A system for casting of liquid metals having an electromagnetic pump comprising:
- an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots;
- a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween;
- a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap;
- means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; and
- means for supplying an alternating current to said first and second polyphase windings for controlling the slip of said heat sink and said metal, thereby holding said heat sink and said metal in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by said alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings.
- 2. A casting system as recited in claim 1, wherein alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings imparts a new upward force on said heat sink and simultaneously imparts a net downward force on said metal.
- 3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for depositing liquid metal comprises a nozzle and wherein the transverse widths of said upper and lower primary blocks are identical and equal to the width of said nozzle.
- 4. A casting system as recited in claim 3, wherein said heat sink has a width which is greater than the width of said primary blocks with said heat sink being positioned to symmetrically extend beyond each side of said primary blocks, thereby causing additional transverse eddy currents to be induced in said heat sink such that the resultant shaded-pole action with said primary blocks centralizes said metal by electromagnetic forces.
- 5. A system for casting of liquid metals comprising:
- an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots;
- a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween;
- a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap;
- means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies;
- said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings;
- wherein said means for depositing liquid metal comprises a nozzle and wherein the transverse widths of said upper and lower primary blocks are identical and equal to the width of said nozzle;
- wherein said heat sink has a width which is greater than the width of said primary blocks with said heat sink being positioned to symmetrically extend beyond each side of said primary blocks, thereby causing additional transverse eddy currents to be induced in said heat sink such that the resultant shaded-pole action with said primary blocks centralizes said metal by electromagnetic forces; and
- a step reduction in the transverse thickness of that portion of said heat sink which overhangs said primary blocks.
- 6. A casting system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
- a conductive compensation sheet positioned within said gap and adjacent to said upper primary block.
- 7. A system for casting of liquid metals comprising:
- an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots;
- a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween;
- a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap;
- means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies;
- said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and
- wherein said first and second polyphase windings are wound in a double layer configuration and connected in series with each other.
- 8. A system for casting of liquid metals comprising:
- an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots;
- a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween;
- a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap;
- means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies;
- said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and
- wherein said lower primary block has a greater number of slots than said upper primary block and said second polyphase winding has a large number of coils than said first polyphase winding.
- 9. A system for casting of liquid metals comprising:
- an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots;
- a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween;
- a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap;
- means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies;
- said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and
- wherein said second polyphase winding is wound for a non-integral number of poles.
- 10. A system for casting of liquid metals comprising:
- an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots;
- a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween;
- a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap;
- means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies;
- said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placeed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and
- shading coil loops on teeth formed between adjacent slots in said lower primary block adjacent to said nozzle.
- 11. A casting system as recited in claim 1, wherein the compression forces applied to said heat sink and metal are controlled by varying the excitation frequency in said first and second polyphase windings.
- 12. A method of electromagnetically pumping a solidifying liquid metal sheet deposited on a movable conductive heat sink, wherein the sheet and heat sink pass through a gap between a pair of primary blocks, each having a polyphase winding, said method comprising the steps of:
- exciting the polyphase windings of the primary blocks with alternating current, thereby producing a traveling electromagnetic wave within said gap, to induce movement of said heat sink and said metal sheet; and
- controlling the frequency of excitation current in said polyphase windings to control the slip of said heat sink and said metal sheet, thereby controlling a compressive electromagnetic force produced by said traveling electromagnetic wave between said heat sink and said metal strip.
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
The U.S. Government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. DE-AC07-831D12443, between the Department of Energy and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
52-23602 |
Jun 1977 |
JPX |
57-177861 |
Nov 1982 |
JPX |