Double-sided electromagnetic pump with controllable normal force for rapid solidification of liquid metals

Claim 1

A system for casting of liquid metals having an electromagnetic pump comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; and means for supplying an alternating current to said first and second polyphase windings for controlling the slip of said heat sink and said metal, thereby holding said heat sink and said metal in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by said alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings.

Claim 2

A system for casting of liquid metals having an electromagnetic pump comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; and means for supplying an alternating current to said first and second polyphase windings for controlling the slip of said heat sink and said metal, thereby holding said heat sink and said metal in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by said alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings.

Claim 6

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; wherein said means for depositing liquid metal comprises a nozzle and wherein the transverse widths of said upper and lower primary blocks are identical and equal to the width of said nozzle; wherein said heat sink has a width which is greater than the width of said primary blocks with said heat sink being positioned to symmetrically extend beyond each side of said primary blocks, thereby causing additional transverse eddy currents to be induced in said heat sink such that the resultant shaded-pole action with said primary blocks centralizes said metal by electromagnetic forces; and a step reduction in the transverse thickness of that portion of said heat sink which overhangs said primary blocks.

Claim 7

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; wherein said means for depositing liquid metal comprises a nozzle and wherein the transverse widths of said upper and lower primary blocks are identical and equal to the width of said nozzle; wherein said heat sink has a width which is greater than the width of said primary blocks with said heat sink being positioned to symmetrically extend beyond each side of said primary blocks, thereby causing additional transverse eddy currents to be induced in said heat sink such that the resultant shaded-pole action with said primary blocks centralizes said metal by electromagnetic forces; and a step reduction in the transverse thickness of that portion of said heat sink which overhangs said primary blocks.

Claim 9

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and wherein said first and second polyphase windings are wound in a double layer configuration and connected in series with each other.

Claim 10

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and wherein said first and second polyphase windings are wound in a double layer configuration and connected in series with each other.

Claim 11

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and wherein said lower primary block has a greater number of slots than said upper primary block and said second polyphase winding has a large number of coils than said first polyphase winding.

Claim 12

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and wherein said lower primary block has a greater number of slots than said upper primary block and said second polyphase winding has a large number of coils than said first polyphase winding.

Claim 13

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and wherein said second polyphase winding is wound for a non-integral number of poles.

Claim 14

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and wherein said second polyphase winding is wound for a non-integral number of poles.

Claim 15

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placeed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and shading coil loops on teeth formed between adjacent slots in said lower primary block adjacent to said nozzle.

Claim 16

A system for casting of liquid metals comprising: an upper primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a first polyphase winding passing through said upper primary block slots; a lower primary block including a plurality of slots adjacent to one side thereof and a second polyphase winding passing through said lower primary block slots, said upper and lower primary blocks being positioned to form a gap therebetween; a movable conductive heat sink disposed within said gap; means for depositing liquid metal onto said heat sink, whereupon said liquid metal solidifies; said heat sink and said metal being held in compression by electromagnetic forces placeed on said heat sink and said metal as a result of a traveling electromagnetic wave in said gap produced by alternating current flowing through said first and second polyphase windings; and shading coil loops on teeth formed between adjacent slots in said lower primary block adjacent to said nozzle.

Claim 18

A method of electromagnetically pumping a solidifying liquid metal sheet deposited on a movable conductive heat sink, wherein the sheet and heat sink pass through a gap between a pair of primary blocks, each having a polyphase winding, said method comprising the steps of: exciting the polyphase windings of the primary blocks with alternating current, thereby producing a traveling electromagnetic wave within said gap, to induce movement of said heat sink and said metal sheet; and controlling the frequency of excitation current in said polyphase windings to control the slip of said heat sink and said metal sheet, thereby controlling a compressive electromagnetic force produced by said traveling electromagnetic wave between said heat sink and said metal strip.

Claim 19

A method of electromagnetically pumping a solidifying liquid metal sheet deposited on a movable conductive heat sink, wherein the sheet and heat sink pass through a gap between a pair of primary blocks, each having a polyphase winding, said method comprising the steps of: exciting the polyphase windings of the primary blocks with alternating current, thereby producing a traveling electromagnetic wave within said gap, to induce movement of said heat sink and said metal sheet; and controlling the frequency of excitation current in said polyphase windings to control the slip of said heat sink and said metal sheet, thereby controlling a compressive electromagnetic force produced by said traveling electromagnetic wave between said heat sink and said metal strip.