A novel electromagnetic apparatus for in-situ synchrotron X-ray imaging study of the separation of phases in metal solidification

Koe, Billy; Abraham, Colin; Bailey, Chris; Greening, Bob; Small, Martin; Connolley, Thomas; Mi, Jiawei

Abstract

As a part of a research into new techniques for purifying recycled aluminium alloys, a novel electromagnetic apparatus had been developed for investigating in real-time the separation mechanisms of detrimental inclusions in aluminium alloy melts under alternating magnetic fields. The magnetic coil was designed based on the Helmholtz coil design. A viewing gap was designed for in-situ imaging studies using synchrotron X-rays. The gap was designed to maintain a uniform magnetic field in the central region where a sample is positioned. The current setup for the magnetic coil pair is able to produce a peak magnetic flux density of ~10 mT at a frequency of 25 kHz. A separate electrical resistance furnace, designed to concentrically fit within the magnetic coils, was used to control the heating (up to ~850°C) and cooling of the samples. After a series of systematic tests and commissioning, the apparatus was used in a number of in-situ and ex-situ experiments.

Citation

Koe, B., Abraham, C., Bailey, C., Greening, B., Small, M., Connolley, T., & Mi, J. (2020). A novel electromagnetic apparatus for in-situ synchrotron X-ray imaging study of the separation of phases in metal solidification. HardwareX, 7, Article e00104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ohx.2020.e00104

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 3, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Mar 14, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-04
• Deposit Date: Aug 5, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 5, 2021
• Journal: HardwareX
• Print ISSN: 2468-0672
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Article Number: e00104
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ohx.2020.e00104
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3494215