Thermal processing techniques for metallic materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020029396-A1
Application number	US-201916439418-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 12, 2019
Priority date	Jun 12, 2018
Publication date	Jan 23, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of thermally processing a material with a thermal processing system includes providing a material for treating in an in-line thermal process to a heating system, providing a force to the material at a portion of the material configured to be heated by the heating system, adjusting the heating system to a specified temperature value, and heating the portion of the material to the specified temperature value while the portion of the material is under the force to change a magnetic property in the portion of the material. The heating system is moveable from a first position that is away from a path of the material through the in-line thermal process to a second position in which the heating system is configured to heat the portion of the material to the specified temperature value. The heating system can include induction-based heating.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of thermally processing a material with a thermal processing system, the method comprising:
providing a material for treating in an in-line thermal process to a heating system; providing a force to the material at a portion of the material configured to be heated by the heating system; adjusting the heating system to a specified temperature value; moving the heating system from a first position that is away from a path of the material through the in-line thermal process to a second position in which the heating system is configured to heat the portion of the material to the specified temperature value; and heating the portion of the material to the specified temperature value while the portion of the material is under the force to change a magnetic property in the portion of the material.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein heating the portion of the material comprises:
contacting a first side of the portion of the material with a first heat source; and contacting a second side of the portion of the material with a second heat source, the second side being opposite the first side.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the heating system comprises a hinge coupling the first heat source to the second heat source, and wherein moving the heating system from the first position to the second position comprises moving the hinge from an open position to a closed position to cause the heating system to close over the portion of the material, wherein the closed position causes the first heat source to contact or nearly contact the first side of the portion of the material and the second heat source to contact or nearly contact the second side of the portion of the material.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the heating system from the first position to the second position comprises moving the heating system along a track that is approximately orthogonal to the in-line thermal process.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the material comprises:
producing an amorphous precursor to the material, the material comprising a metal, to form an amorphous metal material having less than 20% crystallization by volume; feeding the amorphous metal material into the heating system; performing, by the heating system, devitrification of the amorphous precursor, wherein the devitrification comprises a process of crystallization; forming, based on the devitrification, the nanocomposite with nano-crystals that comprises an induced magnetic anisotropy.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises
tuning, based on one or more of composition, temperature, speed, configuration, and magnitude of stress applied to the portion of the material, a magnetic anisotropy of the material; and adjusting, based on the magnetic anisotropy, a magnetic permeability of the material.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein heating the portion of the material to the specified temperature value comprises:
providing an induction coil in the heating system; and providing an alternating current to the induction coil to cause the induction coil to generate an electromagnetic (EM) field configured to cause the portion of the material to be at the specified temperature value.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein heating sources of the heat system are shaped to correspond to a cross-sectional shape of the material.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the material comprises a first segment of the material, and wherein the method further comprises:
providing a different force value to a second segment of the material that is adjacent to the first segment to cause a different magnetic anisotropy in the second segment of the material.

10 . A method of thermally processing a material with a thermal processing system, the method comprising:
providing a material for treating in an in-line thermal process to a heating system comprising an induction coil; providing a force to the material at a portion of the material configured to be heated by the heating system; providing an alternating current to the induction coil to cause the induction coil to generate an electromagnetic (EM) field; and causing, by the EM field, heating of the portion of the material to a specified temperature value while the portion of the material is under the force to change a magnetic property of the material.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the heating system comprises a susceptor device, and wherein causing, by the EM field, the heating of the portion of the material to the specified temperature value comprises:
contacting the susceptor device to the portion of the material; and heating the susceptor device to the specified temperature value by the EM field, wherein the susceptor device is configured to heat the portion of the material to the specified temperature value.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the heating system comprises the induction coil, an insulating layer adjacent to the induction coil, a graphite block adjacent to the insulating layer, and a heat transfer plate adjacent to the graphite block, wherein the heat transfer plate is configured to contact the portion of the material.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein causing, by the EM field, heating of the portion of the material to a specified temperature value comprises:
causing the portion of the material to be heated by the EM field directly; and causing the portion of the material to be heated by a susceptor device that is also heated by the EM field, the susceptor device being in thermal communication with the portion of the material.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the material comprises an amorphous metal material, and wherein providing the amorphous metal material comprises:
producing an amorphous precursor to the material, the material comprising a metal, to form an amorphous metal material having less than 20% crystallization by volume; feeding the amorphous metal material into the heating system; performing, by the heating system, devitrification of the amorphous precursor, wherein the devitrification comprises a process of crystallization; forming, based on the devitrification, the nanocomposite with nano-crystals that comprises an induced magnetic anisotropy.

15 . A method for thermally processing a material with a thermal processing system for forming a rotor of a linear motion device, the method comprising:
providing an amorphous metal material for treating in an in-line thermal process to a heating system; providing a first force to the material at a portion of the amorphous metal material configured to be heated by the heating system; adjusting the heating system to a first temperature value for a first segment of the amorphous metal material; strain annealing the first segment of the amorphous metal material using the first temperature value and the first force; providing a second force to a second segment of the amorphous metal material; and strain annealing the second segment of the amorphous metal material using the second force.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising adjusting the heating system to a second temperature value different than the first temperature value for the second segment of the amorphous metal material; and
strain annealing the second segment of the amorphous metal material using the second temperature value.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first temperature value is different than the second temperature value.

18 . The method of claim 15 ,

Assignees

• Univ Carnegie Mellon

Inventors

• Mchenry Michael E
• Byerly Kevin
• Ohodnicki Paul R
• Krimer Yuval
• Simizu Satoru
• Leary Alex M

Classifications

• H05B6/107

  for continuous movement of material · CPC title

• H05B2203/014

  Heaters using resistive wires or cables not provided for in H05B3/54 · CPC title

• H05B3/283

  the insulating material being an inorganic material, e.g. ceramic · CPC title

• H05B6/104 Primary

  metal pieces being elongated like wires or bands · CPC title

• H05B6/06 Primary

  Control, e.g. of temperature, of power · CPC title