PRODUCING RAPIDLY SOLIDIFIED HIGH INTEGRITY FOILS

THE COMBINATION OF MELT OVERFLOW WITH A LAMINER PLASMA JET MELTING SOURCE MAY PROVIDE AN ECONOMICAL MEANS OF PRODUCING RAPIDLY SOLIDIFIED REACTIVE METALS AND ALLOYS TO NEAR NET SHAPE. TO THIS END WE PROPOSE TO DESIGN AND ASSEMBLE AN IN CHAMBER LABORATORY MELT OVERFLOW UNIT USING A PLASMA ARC MELTING SOURCE. ONCE COMPLETED THE FEASIBILITY OF CASTING TITANIUM AND TUNGSTEN ALLOYS INTO FIBER, FILAMENT, OR FOIL WILL BE INVESTIGATED. IN ADDITION THE PLASMA MELT OVERFLOW UNIT WILL SERVE AS A MODEL TO EVALUATE THE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC QUESTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEW TECHNOLOGY. UPON COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT, SAMPLE QUANTITIES OF RAPIDLY SOLIDIFIED TUNGSTEN ALLOYS AND TITANIUM ALLOYS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR EVALUATION.