Method of making amorphous metallic sheet

Abstract

A method of making a sheet of amorphous metallic material wherein molten metallic material capable of rapidly solidifying to an amorphous microstructure is discharged onto a flat, quiescent surface of a liquid cooling pool. The liquid cooling pool comprises a thermally conductive liquid material, such as a molten metal or alloy, having a lower temperature than that of the amorphous metallic material discharged thereon. The molten metallic material is discharged onto the pool and assumes the width dimension of the pool. The solidified amorphous sheet is continuously removed from the pool surface at a location remote from where the molten material is discharged onto the pool.

1 . A method of making a sheet of amorphous metallic material, comprising discharging a molten metallic material onto a surface of a liquid cooling pool and solidifying the molten metallic material on said surface rapidly enough to form an amorphous sheet of said metallic material on said surface.  
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said molten metallic material discharged on said surface assumes a width dimension of said pool.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said molten metallic material discharged on said surface assumes a width dimension of a vessel in which said pool resides.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said molten metallic material discharged on said surface assumes a width dimension of side members immersed in the pool.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said molten metallic material is discharged on said surface of said pool which comprises a thermally conductive liquid material at a temperature lower than that of said molten metallic material.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein said thermally conductive liquid material comprises a molten metal or alloy having a lower melting point than that of the molten metallic material discharged thereon.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said molten metal or alloy comprises molten tin.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  including withdrawing the amorphous sheet from said surface in a direction parallel to said surface.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the molten metallic material is fed onto the pool surface at a rate to control the thickness dimension of said amorphous sheet.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the height of the metallic material on said surface is sensed.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein said molten metallic material is fed onto the pool surface from a crucible in response to the sensed height.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  including providing an inert or non-reactive gas above said molten metallic material discharged onto said surface and above said amorphous sheet.