Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Other

California Institute of Technology

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

The United States of America As Represented by the United States Energy

John D Verhoeven

Edwin D Gibson

Frederick A Schmidt

Douglas K Finnemore

Jerome E Ostenson

O Dale McMasters

William A Spitzig

William L Johnson

Iver E Anderson

Robert J Weber

David C Jiles

Timothy W Ellis

Alan Mark Russell

Lawrence L Jones

Seong-Tcho Kim

Charles V Owen

Michael Atzmon

Wing C Chung

Alfred H Pendray

Paul M Berge

Method and apparatus for making a Cu-Cr melt involves melting Cu-bearing alloy component in a melting vessel disposed in ambient air atmosphere, retaining Cr-bearing alloy component in an inverted ceramic crucible held submerged in the melted Cu-bearing alloy component, introducing inert gas into the melted Cu-bearing alloy component, and flowing the melted Cu-bearing alloy component in the melting vessel through openings in the submerged crucible to contact the Cr-bearing alloy component.

Air melting of Cu-Cr alloys

The surface properties of copper-refractory metal (CU-RF) alloy bodies are modified by heat treatments which cause the refractory metal to form a coating on the exterior surfaces of the alloy body. The alloys have a copper matrix with particles or dendrites of the refractory metal dispersed therein, which may be niobium, vanadium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, or tungsten. The surface properties of the bodies are changed from those of copper to that of the refractory metal.

Modification of surface properties of copper-refractory metal alloys

A high strength, light weight 'in-situ' Ti-Y composite is produced by deformation processing a cast body having Ti and Y phase components distributed therein. The composite comprises elongated, ribbon-shaped Ti and Y phase components aligned along an axis of the deformed body.

High strength, light weight Ti-Y composites and method of making same

A method of making a steel article having a 'Damascus' surface pattern wherein a steel melt comprising about 1.0 to about 2.0 weight % carbon is solidified to form an ingot, the ingot is heated between about 1100.degree. to about 1299.degree. C. for a time at temperature of about 5 to about 12 hours, a malleable envelope is formed about the ingot separately or concurrently with the heat treatment, and the enveloped ingot is shaped (e.g., forged) initially at an ingot temperature above the A.sub.r-gr temperature but below the liquidus temperature and then at an ingot temperature below the A.sub.cm temperature. The envelope is then removed from the shaped ingot.

Method of making 'Damascus' blades

An electrode element for an electrolytic capacitor comprises an electrode body having a plurality of ultra-fine, ribbon-shaped filaments of Al and X (where X is selected from Nb and Ta) interspersed and aligned along an axis of the body. The Al filaments are preferentially removed from a portion of the electrode body to provide a large surface area electrode surface comprising exposed end surfaces of the Al filaments and exposed lengths of the X filaments protruding beyond the exposed end surfaces of the Al filaments. Dielectric oxide films are formed on the exposed surfaces of the Al filaments and on the exposed lengths of the X filaments by an anodizing operation. A solid or liquid electrolyte is infiltrated into interfilament interstices between the exposed lengths of the X filaments and a cathode electrode is placed in electrically conductive relation to the electrolyte to form an electrolytic capacitor.

Electrolytic capacitor and large surface area electrode element therefor

A particulate mixture of Cu and Fe is compacted and mechanically reduced to form an 'in-situ' Cu-Fe composite having high strength and high conductivity. Compaction and mechanical reduction of the particulate mixture are carried out at a temperature and time at temperature selected to avoid dissolution of Fe into the Cu matrix particulates to a harmful extent that substantially degrades the conductivity of the Cu-Fe composite.

High strength-high conductivity Cu--Fe composites produced by powder

A magnetometer which employs a rod of magnetostrictive material comprising a ternary alloy of dysprosium, terbium and iron wherein the grains of the material have their common principal axes substantially pointed along the axis of the rod. Means are provided for compressively stressing the rod in order to enhance the magnetostrictive response thereof. A laser source and photosensor are associated with a free end of the rod to function as an external cavity laser sensor. A DC magnetic bias is required for the magnetostrictive rod in order to operate in the sensitive range of the magnetostrictive characteristics of the rod. In a portable implementation of the device, the DC bias is provided by means of permanent magnets, preferably rare earth magnets, in order to provide the high bias fields compatible with high sensitivity of the material in a miniaturized portable device.

Magnetostrictive magnetometer

Magnetostrictive rods formed from rare earth-iron alloys are subjected to a short time heat treatment to increase their Magnetostrictive response under compression. The heat treatment is preferably carried out at a temperature of from 900.degree. to 1000.degree. C. for 20 minutes to six hours.

Thermal treatment for increasing magnetostrictive response of rare

Molybdenum-copper and tungsten-copper alloys are prepared by a consumable electrode method in which the electrode consists of a copper matrix with embedded strips of refractory molybdenum or tungsten. The electrode is progressively melted at its lower end with a superatmospheric inert gas pressure maintained around the liquifying electrode. The inert gas pressure is sufficiently above the vapor pressure of copper at the liquidus temperature of the alloy being formed to suppress boiling of liquid copper.

Molybdenum-copper and tungsten-copper alloys and method of making

This invention comprises a method of increasing the magnetostrictive response of rare earth-iron (RFe) magnetostrictive alloy rods by a thermal-magnetic treatment. The rod is heated to a temperature above its Curie temperature, viz. from 400.degree. to 600.degree. C.; and, while the rod is at that temperature, a magnetic field is directionally applied and maintained while the rod is cooled, at least below its Curie temperature.

Method of increasing magnetostrictive response of rare earth-iron alloy

The invention comprises a continuous casting and crystallization method for manufacturing grain-oriented magnetostrictive bodies. A magnetostrictive alloy is melted in a crucible having a bottom outlet. The melt is discharged through the bottom of the crucible and deposited in an elongated mold. Heat is removed from the deposited melt through the lower end portion of the mold to progressively solidify the melt. The solid-liquid interface of the melt moves directionally upwardly from the bottom to the top of the mold, to produce the axial grain orientation.

Continuous method for manufacturing grain-oriented magnetostrictive

Copper-dendritic composite alloys are prepared for mechanical reduction to increase tensile strength by dispersing molten droplets of the composite alloy into an inert gas; solidifying the droplets in the form of minute spheres or platelets; and compacting a mass of the spheres or platelets into an integrated body. The spheres preferably have diameters of from 50 to 2000 .mu.m, and the platelets thicknesses of 100 to 2000 .mu.m. The resulting spheres or platelets will contain ultra-fine dendrites which produce higher strengths on mechanical reduction of the bodies formed therefrom, or comparable strengths at lower reduction values. The method is applicable to alloys of copper with vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, iron and cobalt.

Method of preparing copper-dendritic composite alloys for mechanical

Bulk metastable, amorphous or fine crystalline alloy materials are produced by reacting cold-worked, mechanically deformed filamentary precursors such as metal powder mixtures or intercalated metal foils. Cold-working consolidates the metals, increases the interfacial area, lowers the free energy for reaction, and reduces at least one characteristic dimension of the metals. For example, the grains (13) of powder or the sheets of foil are clad in a container (14) to form a disc (10). The disc (10) is cold-rolled between the nip (16) of rollers (18,20) to form a flattened disc (22). The grains (13) are further elongated by further rolling to form a very thin sheet (26) of a lamellar filamentary structure (FIG. 4) containing filaments having a thickness of less than 0.01 microns. Thus, diffusion distance and time for reaction are substantially reduced when the flattened foil (28) is thermally treated in oven (32) to form a composite sheet (33) containing metastable material (34) dispersed in unreacted polycrystalline material (36).

Metastable alloy materials produced by solid state reaction of

A tantalum-copper alloy can be made by preparing a consumable electrode consisting of an elongated copper billet containing at least two spaced apart tantalum rods extending longitudinally the length of the billet. The electrode is placed in a dc arc furnace and melted under conditions which co-melt the copper and tantalum to form the alloy.

Copper-tantalum alloy

An improved method of preparing composite multifilament superconducting wire of Nb.sub.3 Sn in a copper matrix which eliminates the necessity of coating the drawn wire with tin. A generalized cylindrical billet of an alloy of copper containing at least 15 weight percent niobium, present in the copper as discrete, randomly distributed and oriented dendritic-shaped particles, is provided with at least one longitudinal opening which is filled with tin to form a composite drawing rod. The drawing rod is then drawn to form a ductile composite multifilament wire containing a filament of tin. The ductile wire containing the tin can then be wound into magnet coils or other devices before heating to diffuse the tin through the wire to react with the niobium forming Nb.sub.3 Sn. Also described is an improved method for making large billets of the copper-niobium alloy by consumable-arc casting.

Growing community of inventors

Ames, IA, United States of America

John D Verhoeven