Ultrasonic Metallurgy

New ultrasonic generator technology for 3D uniformly distributed, ultrasonically assisted metal casting, mixing, forming and ultrasonic degassing of molten aluminum- and other non-ferrous melts.

New PDF: Various methods for introducing sonication in liquid aluminum and magnesium alloys (PDF, 873kB).

New Article: MMM Ultrasonic Metallurgy (150KB pdf) from Aluminium International Today, the journal of aluminium production and processing – September/October 2014. www.aluminiumtoday.com.

Breakthrough in Ultrasonic assisted industrial continuous casting

Ultrasonic continuous casting without centreline segregation, conventional degassing and grain refiners.

New Article: MMM Ultrasonic Metallurgy (4MB pdf) from Aluminium International Today, the journal of aluminium production and processing – May/June 2014. www.aluminiumtoday.com.

The quality and competitiveness of casting strongly depends on the quality of molten alloy and the technology used to produce it. With regards to quality, the casting of aluminium alloys is not easy, since alloys are prone to dendritic and heterogeneous structures, as well as the absorbtion of hydrogen during melting, which requires a specific melt processing operation in order to reduce and control the level of porosity in a microstructure after solidification. By H. Puga, M. Prokic, N. van Dongen.

For more information about the many applications of ultrasonics to metallurgy, please browse our document server at mastersonics.com

MMM ultrasonic driving creates uniform and homogenous distribution of acoustical activity on the surface and inside of the vibrating system, while avoiding the creation of stationary and standing waves, so that the whole vibrating system is fully agitated.

European Patent Application (related to MMM technology):
EP 1 238 715 A1
Multifrequency ultrasonic structural actuator for MMM – Liquid Metals Processing (Sonocrystallization & Sonochemistry)
Click on the image to download as pdf.

 

For more information about MMM please download our presentation here

Or a detailed presentation (10MB) here

Innovative Aspects

Development of a new ultrasonic electronics and a system feedback concept that allows real-time adaptation to continuously evolving acoustic conditions. Capability to ultrasonically drive any arbitrary shape or large mechanical system at high energy if needed- Ultrasonic driving of system harmonics and subharmonics gives a wideband multi-frequency effects that improves stimulation of the system. – Elimination of ultrasonic standing waves gives uniform treatment of material.

More information about our MMM sonic / ultrasonic generators here

Main Advantages

Improved metal homogenization and mixing of new alloys.- Improved crystallization and alloy characteristics in casting.- Friction reduction between a tool (e.g. casting, drawing, extruding, molding) and the material being worked improves the material flow.- Improved Surface finish on extruded or drawn materials.- Reduce or eliminate material voids or cavities in casting or molding applications. -Alloys’ density increase until theoretical limits. – Power Supply Generators are available in a standard range of 300 watts to 2,000 watts. Custom systems available to 120,000 watts.

Advantages and applications:

• Grain refinement, with significantly improved and 3D uniformly distributed micro-crystallization.
• Disintegration, elimination, wetting and dissolving of non-metallic and metallic inclusions, making smooth intermetallic transitional area.
• Alloys mixing with nano-particles, increasing density of the alloys, varying percentages of alloys ingredients.
• Improving chemical, mechanical and physical properties and corrosion resistance e.g. in Al-Li alloys and other aerospace alloys.

Ultrasonic World (www.UltrasonicsWorldGroup.com) has developed a new technology that applies high power ultrasonic energy to large, heavy irregular mass or un-tuned mechanical systems such as extruder, drawing die, mold tools, metal melt mixer, continuous casting, homogenizing, degassing, alloying, very fine and homogenous micro-crystallization, sintering, etc.
Conventional power ultrasonic systems comprising the power supply generator and piezoelectric transducers, as used in ultrasonic cleaning and welding applications, are limited in function and adaptability to new metal working applications…
A new AMMM ultrasonic generator technology has been developed to allow the use of conventional high amplitude transducers to drive large irregular shapes and un-tuned mechanical systems such as extruder heads, drawing die, injection mold tools, or a metal melt mixer.

This new technology has the unique capability to stimulate wide-band sonic and ultrasonic energy (ranging from infrasonic up to the MHz domain). The key to the technology is its use of a proprietary technique to analyze feedback signals and create custom driving wave forms to initiate and control ringing and relaxing, modulated, multimode mechanical oscillations in the harmonics and sub-harmonics of the attached mechanical system.

Controlling Cavitation:

In addition, we have real-time monitoring and measurements related to Cavitation in any liquid, which is the most significant active factor for realizing number of metallurgical processing such as: degassing, micro alloying, total surface, blind holes and micro-capillary, wetting of all kind of inclusions, uniform grain refinement, extending the natural limits in alloying, mixing, homogenizing and playing with different percentages of almost arbitrarily selectable ingredients, density increase…

We are able “to see”, measure and control the cavitation in real time (without submersing sensors for cavitation in a liquid metal).  We know what the essential parameters of ultrasonic waves are in order to create cavitation.  We know what to change, or implement during ultrasonic agitation for producing and controlling certain level of cavitation in liquids.

Our expertise in “self-sensing techniques” developed from other ultrasonic related applications [1, 2] has opened new ways to address the cavitation measurement challenge. Thus, we are now able “to see”, measure and control the cavitation in real time (without submersing sensors for cavitation in a liquid metal).  We know what the essential parameters of ultrasonic waves are in order to create cavitation.  We know what to change, or implement during ultrasonic agitation for producing and controlling certain level of cavitation in liquids.

Moreover, the dynamic of the ultrasonic transducers active power is continuously monitored with modern signal processing techniques [3, 4, 5]; this involves a novel approach which is very rarely available in standard monitoring systems. It is worth mentioning that the instantaneous parameters of the active power turn out to be closely linked to the most commonly desired structural characteristics of aluminum as well as to the total power consumption of the metallurgical process.

[1] Co-inventor of Microflow Engineering SA patent entitled:”Adaptive piezoelectric actuator control system”, October 2007

[2] Co-inventor of Microflow Engineering SA patent entitled:”Self-sensing dispensing devices”, February 2007

[3] J.-P. Sandoz, M. Prokic, ″Quasi Instantaneous Estimation of Time Evolving “Resonant Load” Parameters: a Novel Approach based on the Hilbert Transform″, IFT 2005, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

[4] J.-P. Sandoz, J.-D. Blumenthal, ″ Simple Implementation Solution of a General Purpose Hilbert Transformer Operating over more than Two Frequency Decades″, GSPx 2005, Santa Clara, California, USA

[5] J.-P. Sandoz, “Transducer to Transducer Time Domain Signal Response Shaping in Ultrasonic Applications”, IEEE Ultrasonic Symposium, Oct. 2006, Vancouver, Canada

Information about our Signal Processing is here (will be gradually updated):  http://www.mastersonics.com/documents/mmm_applications/signal_processing_applications/

 

 

Papers:

[1] H. Puga, J. Barbosa, E. Seabra, S. Ribeiro, M. Prokic – The influence of processing parameters on the ultrasonic degassing of molten AlSi9Cu3 aluminium alloy. Materials Letters, Vol. 63, pp. 806-808, 2009.

CT2M – Centre for Mechanical and Materials Technologies, University of Minho, Portugal

MP Interconsulting, Le Locle, Switzerland

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167577X09000330

 [2] H. Puga, J. C. Teixeira, J. Barbosa, E. Seabra, S. Ribeiro, M. Prokic – The combined effect of melt stirring and ultrasonic agitation on the degassing efficiency of AlSi9Cu3 alloy. Materials Letters, Vol. 63, pp. 2089-2092, 2009.

CT2M – Centre for Mechanical and Materials Technologies, University of Minho, Portugal

MP Interconsulting, Le Locle, Switzerland

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167577X09004972

 [3] H. Puga, S. Costa, J. Barbosa, S. Ribeiro, M. Prokic – Influence of ultrasonic melt treatment on microstructure and properties of AlSi9Cu3 alloy. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Vol. 211, pp. 1729-1735, 2011.

CT2M – Centre for Mechanical and Materials Technologies, University of Minho, Portugal

MP Interconsulting, Le Locle, Switzerland

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924013611001452

 [4] H. Puga, J. Barbosa, S. Costa, S. Ribeiro, A.M.P.Pinto, M. Prokic – Influence of indirect ultrasonic vibration on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of Al-Si-Cu alloy. Materials Science and Engineering A, Vol. 560, pp. 589-595, 2013.

CT2M – Centre for Mechanical and Materials Technologies, University of Minho, Portugal

MP Interconsulting, Le Locle, Switzerland

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921509312014207

[5] M. Prokic, M. Radmanovic, K. Hedrih – The change of Electrical and Mechanical resonant Characteristics under Conditions of Various Trans. Loads, GAMM, Dubrovnik, pp.1-24, 1985.

[6]M. Prokic – Multifrequency Ultrasonic Actuators with Special Application to Ultrasonic Cleaning in Liquid and Supercritical CO2. UIA Conference, Atlanta, 10-12 October 2001.

[7]M. Prokic, J. Tapson, B. Mortimer – The ultrasonic Hammer Transducer

MP Interconsulting, Le Locle, Switzerland

Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cape Town, South Africa

[8] M. Prokic, J. P. Sandoz – Innovative MMM Technology for Implementing Power Ultrasonic Technique in Food-Processing Industry. IFT Institute of Food Technologists) symposium 2005 – Advances in Power Ultrasound Research and Technology: Food and Bio-product Applications. New Orleans, USA, July 2005.

MP Interconsulting, Le Locle, Switzerland

Applied Sciences University, He-Arc, Le Locle, Switzerland

www.mpi-ultrasonics.com

Patents:

Below listed patent applications are owned by the company MP Interconsulting (and Miodrag Prokic): www.mpi-ultrasonics.com

www.mastersonics.com

[1]DISPOSITIF POUR LA GENERATION D’ONDES ULTRASONORES

Inventeurs : Miodrag Prokic et Jean Claude Padoy

N° de publication 2 743 929

N° d’enregistrement national : 96 01029

République Française, Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle, Paris, 25.07.97 & 10.04.98, bulletin 98/15

[2]Linear array of sonic and ultrasonic transducers, assembled in the form of complex, integral tube resonator

Applicants: Prokic Miodrag, MP Interconsulting, and Lee, Hee-Myong, Ilsan Suntek, 03.10.2002 – 07.04.2004

European Patent Application: EP 1 405 679 A1

[3]Ultrasonic transducer

Applicants: Prokic Miodrag, MP Interconsulting, and Lee, Hee-Myong, Ilsan Suntek, 18.06.1999 – 24.07.2002
European Patent Application: EP 1 050 347 A3

[4]Unidirectional single piston ultrasonic transducer

Applicant: Prokic Miodrag, MP Interconsulting, 8.06.1999 – 20.12.2000

European Patent Application: EP 1 060 798 A1

[5]Multifrequency ultrasonic structural actuator
Applicant: Prokic Miodrag, MP Interconsulting, 5.03.2001 – 11.09.2002

European Patent Application (related to MMM technology): EP 1 238 715 A1

Books:

[1] Miodrag Prokic – Piezoelectric Transducers Modeling and Characterization.

MP Interconsulting, Le Locle, Switzerland

January 2004

www.mpi-ultrasonics.com

[2] Miodrag Prokic – Chapter 5: Wideband Multi-frequency, Multimode, and Modulated (MMM) Ultrasonic Technology. Ultrasound Technologies for Food and Bioprocessing. Food Engineering Series, pp 125-140, 2011.

MP Interconsulting, Le Locle, Switzerland

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4419-7472-3_5