Project Title:

Process Control for Melt-Overflow, Rapid Solidification Technology

04.09-5444
NAS1-19019
Process Control for Melt-Overflow, Rapid
	Solidification Technology
Ribbon Technology Corporation
	P.O. Box 30758
	Gahanna, OH 43230
		Thomas Lease
(614-864-5444)

Abstract:

	A promising new technique for directly casting rapidly solidified titanium alloy
ribbons for airframe honey-comb structures was developed by the company with NASA
support. The plasma-melt-overflow process combines transferred plasma-arc, skull-melting
techniques and melt-overflow, rapid-solidification technology to cast directly ribbons
and strip that are amenable to processing to foil gauges. In this project, the company
will control the as-cast strip's physical dimensions and increase the melt size through
four innovative techniques: redesign of the water-cooled, copper hearth used to contain
the liquid titanium; control of the hearth pouring rate; monitor and control the
hearth water-cooling system; and use metallic insulating mats between the titanium
skull and hearth as a barrier to heat transfer. If successful, these four techniques
will both increase the amount of liquid titanium that can be melted by the plasma-arc,
skull-melting process and improve the dimensional uniformity of the titanium alloy
ribbons cast by the melt-overflow, rapid-solidification process.

Potential Commercial Application:

Potential Commercial Applications: The ability to achieve direct-cast, thin metallic
strip or foils opens up a wide range of applications in the aerospace or commercial
industries which use advanced, light-alloy metallic structures.