Method of continuously casting thermoelectric material

Claim 1

A METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY CASTING A THERMOELECTRIC MATERIAL IN WHICH BISMUTH AND TELLURIUM TOGETHER CONSTITUTE MORE THAN ONE-HALF OF THE CONTENT OF THE MATERIAL SO THAT THE RESULTING MIXTURE HAS LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, INTO A THERMOELECTRIC ROD OF EXTENDED LENGTH AND HIGH STRENGTH, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES; (A) PROVIDING A QUARTZ CASTING TUBE LINED WITH CARBON AND HAVING A RESERVOIR AT ONE END AND AN OPENING AT THE OTHER WITH A UNIFORM BORE AZONE THEREBETWEEN, (B) CHARGING SAID RESERVOIR WITH SAID THERMOELECTRIC MATERIAL, (C) HEATING SAID MATERIAL TO CREATE LIQUID MATERIAL IN SAID RESERVOIR, (D) APPLYING A POSITIVE PRESURE OF INERT GAS OF 20 P.S.I.G. ON SAID LIQUID, (E) ALLOWING SAID LIQUID TO FLOW FROM SAID RESERVOIR TOWARD SAID OPENING THROUGH SAID BORE, (F) COOLING SAID LIQUID IN SAID BORE THROUGH A TEMPERATURE GRADIENT OF 200*C. PER CENTIMETER IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE MATERIAL IN SAID BORE, THEREBY TO SOLIDIFY SAID MATERIAL IN SAID BORE AND TO CREATE A SOLID-LIQUID INTERFACE BETWEEN SAID LIQUID AND SOLID ZONES IN SAID BORE ZONES AND TO COMPLETELY AND RAPIDLY SOLIDIFY SAID MATERIAL IN THE SOLID ZONE OF THE BORE BELOW SAID INTERFACE, (G) REMOVING HEAT CONTINUOUSLY GENERATED AT SAID INTERFACE BY SAID SOLIDIFICATION, AND (H) CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING SAID SOLID MATERIAL THROUGH SAID OPENING AT A WITHDRAWAL RATE OF 7 INCHES PER HOUR WHILE SAID HEAT IS BEING REMOVED TO PRODUCE A CONTINUOUSLY-CAST ELONGATED THERMOELECTRIC ROD OF HIGH STRENGTH OF SAID MATERIAL.