METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USING LARGE INERTIAL BODY FORCES TO IDENTIFY, PROCESS AND MANUFACTURE MULTICOMPONENT BULK METALLIC GLASS FORMING ALLOYS, AND COMPONENTS FABRICATED THEREFROM

摘要

To identify and manufacture metallic glass forming alloys, large inertial forces or 'g'-forces are used to sequentially separate crystalline phases (particles) as they sequentially form and grow in a molten alloy during gradual cooling of the alloy below its liquidus temperature. These forces physically remove and isolate the actual crystalline particles from the remaining liquid as they are formed. Under the influence of a large g-force, this is accomplished by rapid and efficient sedimentation and stratification. Further contamination and nascent solid 'debris' in the form of oxides, carbides, or other foreign particles can be removed from the molten alloy using the same sedimentation/stratification technique. Finally, a method of efficiently cooling and solidifying the final low melting stratified and decontaminated liquid into a solid glass component is proposed which utilizes convective heat transport by a cooling gas. The result is a vitrified bulk metallic glass component of near net shape.