Magnetic Field Assisted Solidification for Transforming Manufacturing and Recycling

英国最近成为世界上第一个承诺到2050年将所有温室气体排放净减少到零的主要经济体。金属工业是英国基础工业的重要组成部分，但也是深度脱碳的一个具有挑战性的领域，其重点是开发新的方法，以节能、低成本和可持续的方式生产和回收金属材料。凝固是金属及合金制造和回收的重要途径。利用磁场控制凝固已经研究了几十年，应用范围从金属净化到先进的液态金属加工。成功的例子包括去除铝熔体中的陶瓷颗粒和改善铸钢的内部质量。磁场在金属回收和高级加工等新应用中有着巨大的潜力。磁场与熔融的金属和合金有很强的相互作用。这种相互作用是由感应洛伦兹力控制的，洛伦兹力调节了液态合金的流动。我最近的文章[1]证明了磁场和熔融合金之间的相互作用是可以控制的，为优化磁场在工业规模制造和回收过程中的使用铺平了道路。我相信，这项技术将在工艺效率和材料性能方面比目前最先进的水平产生实质性的改进。我最近使用这一概念的专利(WO2020/012199A1)表明，当铝合金处于熔融状态时，受污染的铁元素可以在磁场的作用下被驱逐出去，从而有效地去除杂质，这是冶金学家经过40年的研究努力克服的挑战。该奖学金的首要目标是开发用于材料制造和回收的创新磁体组件。这项工作将以基础研究为基础，以揭示关键的潜在机制。在我之前的发现和可行性研究的基础上，在这项研究中，我将开发利用磁场的专利技术，用于(1)回收铝合金的净化，(2)高温合金的性能改进，以及(3)金属添加剂制造(3D打印)的微结构控制。该奖学金将加快将创新从实验室推向市场的进程，因为它提供了与主要行业合作伙伴合作的独特机会。我还将以我的图灵奖学金、基于同步加速器的耦合4D(3D加时间)观测、数据驱动分析和多物理建模为基础，使用多学科方法解决MHD控制的基本机制。这不仅将为工艺优化奠定坚实的基础，还将加速开发将MHD纳入制造和回收的全新解决方案。该奖学金的成功将提高英国金属行业的竞争力，包括铝回收、铸造和添加剂制造。[1]《材料学报》，2020(196)：200-209 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2020.06.041

The UK has recently become the first major economy in the world committed to bring all greenhouse gas emission to net zero by 2050. The emphasis of the metal industry, a vital part of the UK's foundation industries, but a challenging area to deep decarbonise, is to develop new ways to produce and recycle metallic materials in an energy-efficient, low-cost and sustainable manner. Solidification is an important route for manufacturing and recycling of metals and alloys. Use of magnetic fields to control solidification has been researched for several decades with a variety of applications ranging from metal purification to advanced liquid metal processing. Successful examples include removing ceramic particles from aluminium melts and improving the internal quality of cast steels. There is huge potential for magnetic fields to be used in new applications such as metal recycling and advanced processing. Magnetic fields have a strong interaction with molten metals and alloys. The interaction is governed by the induced Lorentz force, which modulate the flow of the liquid molten alloys. My recent article [1] demonstrated that the interaction between magnetic fields and molten alloys can be controlled , paving the way towards novel methods for optimizing how magnetic fields can be used in industrial-scale manufacturing and recycling processes. I believe this technology will produce substantial improvements over the current state-of-the-art in process efficiency and materials performance. My recent patent (WO2020/012199A1) using this concept has shown that contaminated iron element in aluminium alloys can be driven out by magnetic fields when aluminium alloys are at the molten state, and subsequently the impurity can be removed effectively, a challenge that metallurgists have struggled to overcome after 40 years of research. The overarching aim of the Fellowship is to develop innovative magnet assemblies for materials manufacturing and recycling. This work will be underpinned by fundamental studies to uncover key underlying mechanisms. Based on my previous discovery and feasibility studies, in this Fellowship, I will develop patentable techniques utilizing magnetic fields for (1) the purification of recycled Al alloys, (2) the property improvement of high temperature alloys and (3) the microstructure control of metal additive manufacturing (3D printing). The Fellowship will accelerate the process of bringing the innovation from the lab to the market, as it provides unique opportunities to work with key industry partners. I will also address the underlying mechanisms for MHD control using a multidisciplinary approach, building upon my Turing Fellowship, coupling synchrotron based 4D (3D plus time) observation, data-driven analytics, and multi-physics modelling. This will not only lay strong foundations for process optimization, but also accelerate the development of entirely new solutions for incorporating MHD in manufacturing and recycling. The success of the Fellowship will increase the competitiveness of the UK's metal industries including aluminium recycling, casting, and additive manufacturing. [1] Cai et a. Acta materialia, 2020(196): 200-209 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2020.06.041