Apparatus and method for dispersing particles in a molten material without using a mold

• Main Authors: WILGEN JOHN B, LUDTKA GERARD M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 22.03.2016
• Subjects: CASTING; CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; TRANSPORTING

An apparatus for dispersing particles within a molten material in a mold-less casting process comprises a primary electromagnet for generating an AC magnetic field and a secondary electromagnet adjacent to the primary electromagnet for generating an independent DC magnetic field. Each of the primary and secondary electromagnets comprises a coil and at least one of the electromagnets is positioned about a common longitudinal axis. A heat source may be positioned at a first end of the common longitudinal axis for forming a melt to be exposed to the AC and DC magnetic fields, and a particle injection device is positioned at one or more positions about the common longitudinal axis for injecting particles into the melt during magnetic field exposure. The apparatus does not include a solid body for containing the melt prior to solidification.