Shigeaki Sasaki

Title: Shigeaki Sasaki and a Process for Producing Terbium- and Gadolinium-Containing Alloys.

Introduction

Shigeaki Sasaki is an inventor associated with Nagoya, Japan, and Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd. His documented patent concerns a process and apparatus for producing alloys containing terbium, gadolinium, or both. The record lists 1 patent.

Latest Patents

Sasaki’s listed patent, “Process and Apparatus for Producing Alloy Containing Terbium and/or Gadolinium,” describes producing an alloy through electrolysis in a molten electrolyte. The electrolyte consists primarily of terbium fluoride and/or gadolinium fluoride, with lithium fluoride and optional barium fluoride and calcium fluoride.

In the process, a carbon anode and a metal cathode, such as iron or cobalt, are used to reduce the fluoride compounds and deposit terbium and/or gadolinium on the cathode. The deposited material alloys with the cathode metal, forming a liquid alloy. Additional fluoride compounds replenish the bath as they are consumed. The liquid alloy drips into a receiver beneath the cathode, where it collects as a molten pool before being withdrawn.

Career Highlights

The available information connects Sasaki’s inventive work with Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd. His patent focuses on an electrochemical production method designed to collect the resulting alloy in liquid form.

Collaborations

Eiji Nakamura and Katsuhisa Itoh are identified as Sasaki’s coworkers. The supplied information does not specify their roles in the patent or describe particular collaborative projects.

Conclusion

Shigeaki Sasaki’s documented patent presents a process for producing terbium- and gadolinium-containing alloys through molten-salt electrolysis, cathode alloying, and controlled collection of the liquid product.