Subject: Metglass

From: [email-masked] (Bob DeMers)
Date: 5 Jun 1995 09:49:19 CDT

As I was perusing the newsgroup, I was reminded of a product called
metglass.  From what I remember, it is produced by pouring molten metal
onto the surface of a rotating drum which is cooled by liquid nitrogen or
something.  Anyhow, the idea is that the metal is cooled so quickly that
it takes on the properties of glass rather than the more familiar solids. 

Has anyone heard of this stuff, or use it?

-- 
Bob DeMers 
Honeywell Technology Center
[email-masked]

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From: Scott Hardy <[email-masked]>
Date: 5 Jun 1995 16:59:26 GMT

>Has anyone heard of this stuff, or use it? 
 
I remember reading an artical on it in 1984.  Freezing the metal so   
quickly caused the structure of the steel to be amorphous; very much like   
glass.  It was supposed to have improved ductility and some different   
electrical properties that for the life of me I cant remember. 
 
One of the main drawbacks to the stuff was it could only be produced in   
thin cross sections. 
 
can't really say I have heard of anyone useing it since. 

 
--  
S. Hardy

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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 5 Jun 1995 17:22:40 GMT

Bob DeMers ([email-masked]) wrote:
: As I was perusing the newsgroup, I was reminded of a product called
: metglass.  From what I remember, it is produced by pouring molten metal
: onto the surface of a rotating drum which is cooled by liquid nitrogen or
: something.  Anyhow, the idea is that the metal is cooled so quickly that
: it takes on the properties of glass rather than the more familiar solids. 

: Has anyone heard of this stuff, or use it?

Some years ago I saw a write (with photos) of such a process. Molten steel was 
poured on a chilled drum, the idea being to chill the steel so fast as 
to prevent the formation of any crystalline structure. The result was
a glass-hard steel ribbon with interesting magnetic properties. I recall 
some discussion regarding its use iin making transformer laminations, but
nothing else that comes to mind.

--mike

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From: William Kaukler <[email-masked]>
Date: 6 Jun 1995 14:47:27 GMT

Metglass is a commercial material and is mass produced by Allied   
Metals(?).  The materials are usually iron based and used for tranformers   
because they have less losses in the core due to the noncrystalline   
structure.  There is much information available out there on these   
products. 
Other people create glass metals for research purposes because they offer   
unique properties.  A related field of study is rapid solidification   
where molten metal is atomized into powder, sometimes also forming   
metglass. 
 
--  
William F. Kaukler, PhD., Met. & Mat. Sci.          phone 205-544-0693 
The University of Alabama in Huntsville 
Center for Microgravity and Materials Research; Huntsville, AL 35899 
and at NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 35812

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From: [email-masked] (william thomas powers)
Date: 6 Jun 1995 12:06:12 -0400

>can't really say I have heard of anyone useing it since. 

Tom Maringer, the swordmaker, holds a patent on its use to form decorative
steel laminates for use in cutlery. Due to its non-crystaline structure
metglass has extremely high difussion rates and you can "weld" two pieces
of steel together by clamping them together with a piece between them
and heating the system up to *below* fusion temperature of the steels;
a handy thing for certain applications...  Pattern welding without the welding.

Thomas Powers who still has a piece of laminate made that way 
              in his "weird stuff" drawer

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From: Andy Dingley <[email-masked]>
Date: 7 Jun 1995 11:39:19 +0100

In article <[email-masked]>
           [email-masked] "Bob DeMers" writes:
> From what I remember, it is produced by pouring molten metal
> something.

Also known as "splat quenching".

When I was a student (Applied Physics Dept., Hull Univ.) in the early '80s,
one of the lecturers in our department had published work on the subject,
although his name escapes me know. AFAIR, this was for silicon irons for
use in power transformer laminations.

A friend's brother also worked on similar metallurgical techniques at
Vandervell bearings in Maidenhead. I assume this would have been with
tin/lead/bronzes.

I believe most of these techniques have now been replaced by plasma
deposition onto a substrate. The rapid quenching is similar, but the process
is quite different.

--
Andy Dingley                             [email-masked]

Those who refuse to learn from history are condemned to repeat their GCSEs

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From: Scott Hardy <[email-masked]>
Date: 5 Jun 1995 16:59:26 GMT

--  
S. Hardy

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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 5 Jun 1995 17:22:40 GMT

--mike