JPH01132726A - Formation of intermetallic compound - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To form intermetallic compd. particles into a molten medium, such as molten metal, by projecting an arc to this molten medium to generate plasma, thereby dispersing an alloy material supplied into the medium and bringing this material into reaction with the medium.

CONSTITUTION: The arcing is started by first positioning a cell, i.e., a spark cup 2, above the material, such as Al, or on an exposed surface 16 to generate the plasma between a rod or wire 10 and the surface 16. The spark cup 22 is lowered to the pool of the molten Al, etc., formed as a result thereof and a superheated spray 24 is projected into a submerged surface 26 to rapidly dissolve the material on the surface 26 and to disperse the material into the melt 12. A coating gas is supplied at the flow rate to maximize the projection of the spray 24 into the melt 12. Further, the dispersion of the alloy material into the melt 12 is accelerated by an impeller 42, i.e., a stirring means, by which the intermetallic compd., i.e., the alloy compd., is formed.

COPYRIGHT: (C)1989,JPO

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention is to produce metal compound particles in a molten material such as molten metal. These particles may be left in the medium as alloying or reinforcing material, or they may be separated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many different methods have been employed to add alloying elements to molten metal or melt. Conventional methods typically lump,
Alloying elements are added directly to the melt in the form of bars or the like.

In this case, are the alloying elements being discharged into the ladle? I
l Added directly to the molten metal, and in other cases,
They can be placed in a ladle prior to tapping.

Another method of adding alloying elements to melts, particularly molten steel, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,999 to Oukubo et al. In the Oukubo patent, alloy formation is accomplished by feeding a wire rod into the molten metal. The wire rod is coated with an additive for the molten metal and an organic binder which decomposes in the molten metal into gaseous products. The generated gas moves through the molten metal, thus dispersing the additive components uniformly throughout the molten metal.

Kawawa U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,309Q also discloses one method of adding alloying elements to molten metal in the form of wire rods. The wire rod has dimensions and is added to the molten metal bath by inserting it at a controlled rate, thus producing a high purity select metal alloy.

The aforementioned methods of adding alloying elements to molten metal work fairly well when using alloying elements that are easily decomposed, melted or dispersed in the molten metal. However, the method does not work as well when using elements that are poorly soluble in liquid, such as lead, bismuth, tin, or elements that are easily highly oxidized, such as magnesium, zinc.

Guzowski et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,265, discloses that molten metal is alloyed with six alloys as described above. #One solution to the problem of adding materials is proposed. The method uses a high current arc generated between a molten base metal and an added alloying element. Additional alloying elements are passed through the arc, where they are melted and converted into a spray of finely divided superheated molten particles. In such conditions, the particles can rapidly dissolve into the molten metal upon contact with it. While Guzowski's alloying concept is certainly one of interest, there remains a need for methods that can provide improved results.

C.9 Means for Solving Problems According to the present invention, there is provided a method for producing one or more types of metal compounds having the following steps: a) placing an outlet in a melting medium; b) introducing into said chamber a gas comprising an ionizable gas under sufficient pressure to define an internal melting medium surface substantially in the discharge area of said chamber; C) providing a plasma within the chamber that extends substantially from at least the internal melting medium surface to a location within the chamber and away from the internal melting medium surface; and d) one or more types of metal compounds. materials having one or more types of constituents capable of reacting with each other and/or with one or more types of constituents in the molten tIi material to produce and converting the material into a superheated spray that is substantially within the plasma and transported towards the internal melting medium surface.

2. EXAMPLE FIG. 1 illustrates the addition of a wire 10 of material into the molten product or melt 12 of a molten medium in a 70-through type furnace 14. In this description, the surface of the melt 12 is
Referred to as the exposed or outer surface 16. The wire 10 is fed by a feeder 18 which feeds the wire 10 through a triple feed cable 20 into a spark cup 22. Spark cup 22 is partially immersed in melt 12. Within the spark cup 22, the alloying wire 10 is converted to a spray 24 of superheated material by passing it through a plasma arc discharge. The plasma arc discharge is caused by a submerged surface 2 of molten metal maintained within the open end 28 (see FIG. 2) of the spark cup 22.
6 and the freedom 'Is 30 of the wire 10. The plasma arc discharge is coated with a coating gas 32, preferably argon. Coating gas is provided via the feed cable 20 by an arc coating gas source 34 . In addition to providing a sheathing atmosphere for the arc within the spark cup 22, the arc sheathing gas source 34 brings the spark cup 22 to a pressure sufficient to prevent molten metal from entering through the open end 28 of the spark cup 22. Pressurize. Such pressurization also facilitates maintaining the submerged surface 26 at a predetermined depth that is lower than the exposed surface 16 (as discussed further below). Referring again to FIG. 1, it will be appreciated that the plasma arc discharge is energized by a constant current source 36 (described further below). The melt 12 acts as an anode and the wire 10 acts as a consumable electrode. An electrical circuit returning to constant current source 36 connects rod 40 immersed in melt 12.
is completed by a return wire 38 coupled to. The superheated spray produced by the plasma arc discharge is directed or projected onto the submerged surface 26 by the supply of coating gas, where the material rapidly melts into melt 1.
Dispersed in 2. The cladding gas is preferably supplied at a flow rate that maximizes the projection of the spray 24 into the melt 12. An impeller 42 or stirring means is provided to further promote dispersion of the alloy material into the melt. spray 2
4 may be maintained as long as desired by continuous advancement or feeding of wire 10 into spark cup 22.

Additionally, feeder 18 may be controlled to maintain or vary the rate of feed of wire 10 into spark cup 22.

The material may be in the form of wire or rod as previously described.
It can be provided in tube or powder form.

In powder form, the powder is packed into a hollow tube of a suitable metal, and the tube is upset or otherwise worked to reduce its diameter and compress the powder material therein. . The only real limitation is that it must have a form that allows material to be fed into its feed cable 20 in a manner that resists sealing so that the pressurized atmosphere of the spark cup 22 can be maintained. This means that it will not happen. If a pressurized atmosphere within the spark cup 22 is not maintained, the molten metal will flow into the spark cup 22.
2 through its open end 28, thereby raising the submerged surface 26 to a depth above its predetermined depth. Such lifting of the submerged surface 26 results in a reduction in the mW4 velocity as well as the dispersion rate (the importance of maintaining the submerged surface 26 at its predetermined depth will be discussed in more detail below). Although wire sealing means are not shown in FIG. 1, those skilled in the art will be aware of numerous means that may provide an effective seal. Examples of such means include elastomeric seals and pneumatic seals. Furthermore, the feeder 18
is preferably a constant feed rate traction drive.

Constant current source 36 is preferably of a type that maintains a relatively constant current regardless of voltage variations. The arc thereby generated has self-stabilizing properties and is relatively insensitive to changes in arc length that may be caused by variations in the depth of submerged molten metal. It is also desirable under conditions to further enhance arc stability by providing a plasma discharge factor using certain additives, such as alkali metals, which are known to enhance arc stability. Arc stability can also be enhanced by using various types of 7 lux known to those skilled in the art.

It is desirable to add a high frequency, high voltage component, which is particularly useful when alternating current is used, as described in Guzowski U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,265. This clearly reduces the tendency of the arc to extinguish each time the voltage passes through zero, increases the stability of the arc and reduces the difficulty of starting the arc.

The current supplied by constant current source 36 exceeds the globule/spray transition current density of the feed material. As used herein, globule/spray transition current density defines the line separating two different metal transition types that can occur in a plasma arc discharge (as pointed out by Guzowski in U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,265). , this transition point depends on alloy type, wire dimensions,
(can vary depending on factors such as wire speed).

For current densities below the transition point, the material being transferred through the arc separates into large droplets that disperse at a slow rate into the molten metal W mass. At current densities above the transition point, the transition mechanism changes, converting the material into a fine spray of superheated material. In this state,
The material contacts the submerged surface 26 and rapidly dissolves and becomes dispersed in the melt.

A cladding gas 32 that carries or projects spray 24 into melt 12 also typically enters melt 12 . However, since such sheathing gas 32 easily escapes in the form of bubbles from the melt 12 by floating past the exposed surface 16 of the melt, there is no risk of it contaminating the melt. As already mentioned, the recommended cladding gas is argon, but other cladding gases such as helium, carbon oxide and carbon dioxide may also be used in appropriate circumstances.

Preferably, spark cup 22 is cylindrical.

Such a shape is spark cup 22h' and melt 12
Provides a relatively high cup surface area to volume ratio that facilitates conductive heat transfer to the cup. It is important to promote such heat transfer to prevent overheating of the spark cup 22. Also, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such heat transfer to the melt 12
It would prove advantageous in providing a convenient way to reduce furnace fuel requirements by adding heat to the melt. Conventional methods, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,265@Guzowski et al.
Apart from some heat, they do not add much heat to their respective melts. For example, in the Guzowski et al. patent, most of the heat generated during melting of the alloy material is lost to the atmosphere because a superheated spray is formed completely above the melt surface.

The cylindrical shape of the spark cup 22 also allows the superheated spray 2
4 into the melt 12. Such projection is important in that it facilitates dissolution and dispersion of the alloy material into the mettle 12. Although cylindrical is preferred, other shapes that enhance projection and heat transfer, such as an inverted frustoconical shape, are also considered to be within the scope of the invention.

Spark cup 22 is preferably formed from a material having the following characteristics.

1. High radiant heat transfer, which maximizes the transfer of radiant heat from the arc discharge to the melt, thereby reducing the possibility of overheating in the spark cup.

2. Resistance to thermal and mechanical shock.

3. High thermal and chemical stability within the melt.

Borosilicate, alumina, mullite and silica are some of the materials known to have desirable characteristics.

The spark cup 22 is immersed and the submerged surface 26 within the open l1jA 28 of the spark cup 22 is maintained at its predetermined depth below the exposed surface 16.

Such a depth will be referred to below as a predetermined immersion depth. It has been determined that a 1-in. or 2-in. ing. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate test data revealing experiments conducted to determine the effect of immersion depth on dissolution and dispersion.

FIG. 3 illustrates data regarding immersion depth versus dissolution rate (υ/min). Figure 4 shows the actual recovery (percentage) versus immersion depth. The purpose of the experiment was to add 0.5% lead to a substantially lead-free body of molten aluminum. The experiment was conducted with a setup similar to that disclosed in FIG. 1, except that a constant voltage source was used in place of constant current source 36. The flow-through furnace used in the experiment was charged with approximately 453 N# (1000 bond) aluminum. The bath of molten aluminum in the furnace is approximately 76.2 cm
(30 inches) and a diameter of approximately 58.4 υ (23 inches). A lead wire having a diameter of approximately 3.17 mm + (1/8 in) is passed through the triple feed cable to approximately 76
．． It was fed into the borosilicate spark cup with a feed rate of 2 υ m (30 in)/min. The spark cup was cylindrical and had a lower opening similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1 having a diameter of approximately 51 mm. The spark cup length to diameter ratio was approximately 6 to 1. Argon coating gas is approximately 0.2
A flow rate of 8 m (10 ft3)/hour was fed into the spark cup via the feed cable. A plasma arc discharge is established in the spark cup between the free end of the lead wire and the submerged molten metal surface with a voltage of about 35 V and a current of about 125 A providing a current density of about 10.0 OOA/in. Ta. As such, the free end of the wire entered the arc discharge and melted into an axial spray of superheated alloy material. The spray was directed onto the submerged melt surface by a sheathing gas. An appropriate amount of lead wire is added to a bath of molten aluminum to form a 15.20 cm (6 in.) alloyed molten aluminum.
x 15.20CI! (6in) X91.40c
(36 in).

From FIG. 3, it can be seen that the immersion depth of the spark cup is approximately 12 mm.
It will be appreciated that when increased from 7 cm (5 in) to about 15.2 cs (6 in), a dramatic increase in lead dissolution rate (ie, the amount of lead dissolved into the melting medium) occurred. It will be noted that further increases in immersion depth did not appear to have a significant effect on the dissolution rate. Similarly, in FIG. 4, the coverage rate expressed as a percentage (i.e., the percentage of added alloy material actually dissolved in the melting medium) varies from an immersion depth of about 10.1 cm (4 in.) to about 1.5 in. A dramatic increase can be seen when increased to 2aA (6in). Furthermore, further increase in WI crush depth indicated further increase in fruiting cover rate.

However, they found that the increase in recovery that occurred in increasing the target from 10.1 cm (4 in) to about 15.2 z (6 in) was hardly dramatic. Actual recovery was measured by optical emission spectroscopy means.

The present invention relates to the production of metal compound particles, such as TiAl, Ni3Al and other particles. These particles are geometrically dense metal open compounds (GC
P) or locally packed (TCP) particles.

Particles such as titanium aluminide, nickel aluminide and other metal compound particles are often used as reinforcement means to strengthen or otherwise enhance metal substrates such as aluminum. Although the benefits of such are generally recognized, the cost of metal compound particles is generally considered prohibitive, and these cost factors may be so enhanced by metal compounds in cost-sensitive applications. This may impede the usefulness of the metallic ground color compound. The present invention provides a method for producing metal compounds at reduced cost when compared to other methods commonly used to produce metal compounds, such as the placement of steam or chemical vapor in a substantial volume of high temperature baths or reaction and solidification. This makes it easy to provide metal compounds such as.

For example, the production of nickel aluminide typically uses specialized induction furnaces capable of withstanding temperatures of about 1536°C (below 2800°C), an expensive operation at best, but the present invention makes it significantly more efficient. N i with low cost work
Generate 3A I.

When practicing the present invention with reference to FIG.
! ] The melting medium may have one or more constituents of said metallic compound, and the wire 10 or material fed into the spark cup 22 or chamber may consist of other constituents of said metallic compound.

For example, titanium aluminide (T i A l 3
) may be produced by feeding a wire 10, or titanium metal rod, into a spark cup 22 or chamber of FIG. 1 immersed in a melt 12 or bath of molten aluminum. The metallic titanium rod is converted into a superheated spray with titanium vapor, and the titanium thus added reacts in the molten aluminum to form titanium aluminide (TiA13) in situ within the molten aluminum. spark cup 2
The extremely high plasma energy within 2 vaporizes most, if not all, of the titanium, thus producing a vapor spray or other suitable fine spray condition;
It is believed that the spray is carried into the molten metal by the gas exiting the spark cup 22 and entering the melting medium. Thus, gas delivery is used as a mechanism to enhance the distribution of the ultrafine titanium spray into the molten aluminum so as to form titanium aluminide in situ within the molten aluminum. This allows for an extremely fine and uniform distribution of the hetitanium in the molten aluminum and instantaneous reaction therewith, allowing uniform dispersion of fine titanium aluminide particles in the molten aluminum. In this regard, typically the plasma is approximately 27,760°C (50°C
,000 below), while titanium reaches a core temperature of about 327
It is worth noting that it evaporates at 6°C (below 5930°C).

Many metals commonly used to make alloys are approximately 5537
It should be understood that Cu evaporates at temperatures below 2582°C (4680″F).
): Ti 3276°C (below 5930): Zr 43
26°C (7820'F): Nb 4930°C (890'F)
6 lower): W 5530°C (9986T): Ni 2
834"C (5135"F): Mn2040℃ (370
4 lower): AI 2448°C (4440 lower): Cd
1490°C (2715°F); Cr 2643°C (4
790 lower): Co 2879°C (5215 lower): Pb
1748°C (3180°F): Li 1330°C
(2426 lower); fvlg 1115℃ (2040 lower)
:Mo 4826℃ (below 8720):Ta 542
6℃ (below 9800): Zn 907℃ (below 1665)
:Zr4376℃(7910 lower):Fe 2885℃
(5225 below). The above numbers are approximate numbers]. Therefore,
Typical plasma core temperatures of about 27,760° C. (below 50,000° C.), if this energy is properly controlled and utilized as in the present invention, can vaporize such metals, i.e., be distributed as particulates. enough to do. Some of these applications may be accomplished by the use of a relatively small chamber or spark cup 22, as illustrated in FIG. The ionizable gas used for plasma generation may be, and preferably is, an ionizable gas that takes advantage of the significant advantages of the gas transport mechanism provided, such as N in aluminum.
When referring to a - component (nickel in i), it is intended to include elements or metals or components or substances used in the production of metal compounds. The components are typically metals such as nickel or titanium, but can be compounds, including fluids or gaseous compounds. For example, an aluminum rod can be introduced into the spark cup 22 or chamber, and the spark cup 22 is immersed with its outlet into molten aluminum. Helium is supplied as the ionizable gas and a plasma is generated as described above. Even aluminum carbide (A14C) such as methane, acetylene or other gaseous or solid carbon sources
3) is supplied to the plasma so as to generate. - When referring to a component of a metal compound, or to a component that reacts to form a metal compound, what is intended is that the component is suitable for such a reaction and that the present invention It is thus suitable in the practice of the invention. For example, titanium is not normally considered to react very well in molten aluminum. However, it is known that titanium can be reacted with aluminum under conditions such as those normally used for the production of titanium aluminide. but,
As already mentioned, the mere insertion of a titanium rod into a molten aluminum bath is normal aluminum treatment at temperatures below about 815°C (below 1500°C)! i! It is possible, and certainly not so far as the production of useful titanium aluminide particles is concerned, to achieve the said objective in an efficient manner at this temperature. Nevertheless, in embodiments of the invention where titanium is provided in a plasma arc and converted to vapor or ultrafine spray according to the invention, titanium can be reacted in molten aluminum.

The method of the invention uses one component in the form of a solid metal rod provided as material or wire 1o in the chamber or spark cup 22 shown in FIG. It is believed that it is useful to produce a number of metal compounds that are provided as a molten metal bath in which cup 22 is immersed. The table below lists examples of applications in which the present invention may be useful.

Table 1 When practicing the present invention, the yield of metal compound particles is increased by increasing the rate of addition of material or wire 10 into the spark cup 22 or chamber.

The volume fraction of metal compound particles is extremely high, 10% or 1
5% or 20% or more, and even 25%
% or volume fractions of 30% or more are also possible.

Another consideration for increasing yield is to keep the melting medium in motion as it passes along the chamber exit zone, thereby providing fresh melting medium for the reaction and removing the produced metal to the discharge zone. It is about moving compounds. If desired, particle size can be increased by holding the particles at the reaction temperature in a saturated state to increase reaction residence time. Typically, the formation of metal compounds requires elevated temperatures. In the case of titanium aluminide (TiA13),
The reaction temperature is 665'C (below 1230C). The enormous thermal energy of the plasma serves to heat the melting medium and maintain it at a temperature sufficient to foster the formation and growth of solid metal compound particles.

After the metal compound particles are produced, they can be collected individually. Is this by filtration or centrifugation, or perhaps in a suitable chemical agent? It can be performed by an I\ solution or by a combination of methods. For example, filtration or centrifugation recovers particles as occluded agglomerates. for example,
When producing nickel aluminide using aluminum as a matrix, particles are recovered together with occluded aluminum.

The recovered agglomerate may be used as is, or a subsequent treatment or separation step such as dissolution of the occluded aluminum may be desired. For example, in the production of titanium aluminide or nickel aluminide, sodium hydroxide is a useful means to dissolve excess aluminum and facilitate particle recovery. This is because sodium hydroxide dissolves aluminum but not metal compounds. In these cases, the particles are not separated but remain in the metal medium to form a metal matrix reinforced by the particles.

Another embodiment of the present invention is to combine two or more components of a desired metal compound into a spark cup to react within the chamber or spark cup 22 or in the melting medium or in both the spark cup and the melting medium. 22 is used. For example, a composite rod of titanium Ti and aluminum A1 may be delivered to a chamber within a magnesium bath and to spark cup 22.

In one embodiment of the invention, about 715°C (below 1320°C)
of aluminum bath becomes 434 kg (960 kg) every hour.
Bond). A small alternating current or spark cup 22 was fed with 3 m (1/81 n) diameter nickel wire at a rate of about 64 to 3 (142 lb) per hour and was supplied with helium gas. 230OA
A current of (approximately 190,000 watts) was supplied to the nickel wire. As a result of the above, plasma is generated in the spark cup 22 or chamber, and as a result, approximately 719 (165 bonds) of nickel aluminide (N
i 3A I ) is approximately 1315 by the method of the present invention.
Produced in aluminum heated to temperatures above 2400°C. Heating of the metal bath or medium by the method herein is of great importance in the production of metal compounds and is an important advantage of the present invention. This is because the generation and growth of metal compound particles can be facilitated by relatively high temperatures. When the melt from the molten metal part solidifies, about 17% of the agglomerate is nickel aluminide < x + 3
A I ) particles.

One embodiment of the present invention uses aluminum bodies or other materials within class 14. Murobe Spark Cup 22
is initially positioned above or substantially on the exposed surface 16 of the material, an arc is initiated and a plasma is generated between the rod or wire 10 and the exposed surface 16.

As a result of this, a pool of molten aluminum or other material is formed into which the spark cup 22 is lowered from the chamber and acts upon said pool in substantially the general manner previously described. Much the same applies to granular or bulk charges within class 14, with the difference that initially the spark cup 22 can be located with its outlet below or inside the exposed surface 16. These arrangements offer the potential for using plasma energy to aid in melting in addition to alloy formation.

Although the invention has been described in the context of several preferred embodiments, it is intended that the appended claims cover all embodiments falling within the scope of the spirit of the invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the relationship between alloy dissolution rate and spark cup immersion depth;
FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the relationship between actual recovery (%) versus immersion depth. On the drawing, 10... wire, 12... melt, 14...
...Furnace, 16...Exposed surface, 20...Feeding cable,
22...Spark cup, 24...Spray, 26
... Submerged surface, 32 ... Covering gas, 36 ... Constant current supply source, 42 ... Impeller

Claims (16)

[Claims] (1) A method of producing one or more types of intermetallic compounds comprising: a) providing a chamber with an outlet located within a melting medium; b) an internal melting medium substantially in the discharge area of said chamber; c) introducing into said chamber a gas having an ionizable gas under sufficient pressure to constitute a surface of said internal melting medium; and d) providing one or more types of components with respect to each other or in the melting medium to produce one or more types of intermetallic compounds. providing a material having one or more types of constituents capable of reacting with or with the chamber, and providing the material with the material substantially within the plasma and with the internal melting medium. A method of producing an intermetallic compound that includes the process of converting it into a superheated spray that is transported towards a surface. (2) A method of producing one or more types of intermetallic compounds, comprising: a) providing a melting medium having constituents of one or more types of said intermetallic compounds; b) an open outlet; c) introducing into said chamber a gas comprising an ionizable gas under sufficient pressure to substantially define an internal melting medium surface in the discharge area of said chamber; d) providing a plasma within the chamber that extends substantially from at least the internal melting medium surface to a location within the chamber and spaced from the internal melting medium surface; e) one or more types of metal. supplying a material having one or more types of constituents capable of reacting with one or more types of constituents in the melting medium to the location in the chamber so as to produce an intermediate compound; and converting the material into a superheated spray substantially within the plasma and conveyed towards the internal melting medium surface;
Thereby reacting one or more types of constituents of the intermetallic compound in the melting medium with one or more types of constituents in the material to generate the one or more types of constituents. and f) introducing a gas from said chamber into said melting medium to assist the passage of material from said chamber into said melting medium. (3) A method of producing a metal compound according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the intermetallic compound is configured such that a substantial amount of heat is transferred from the melting medium into the chamber. Method. (4) A method for producing an intermetallic compound according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material is introduced at a rate that substantially facilitates passage of the substance from the chamber into the melting medium. A method of producing intermetallic compounds. (5) A method of producing an intermetallic compound according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion of the material is supplied to the chamber as an elongated solid. (6) In the method for producing an intermetallic compound according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A method for producing an intermetallic compound configured such that the length of the chamber along the direction of projection into the melting medium is greater than the lateral dimension of the chamber within the melting medium. (7) In the method for producing an intermetallic compound as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, the intermetallic compound moves such that the melting medium passes along the outlet of the chamber. Methods of producing compounds. (8) In the method for producing an intermetallic compound according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A method of producing an intermetallic compound in which the molten medium is agitated to further enhance its dispersion within it. (9) The method for producing an intermetallic compound according to claim 1, wherein two or more types of constituents of the intermetallic compound are supplied to the position in step (d). A method of producing intermetallic compounds. (10) A method for producing an intermetallic compound according to claim 1, wherein one or more types of constituents of the intermetallic compound are provided in the melting medium, and one or more types of the intermetallic compound are provided. Multiple types of components form a process (d)
A method of producing an intermetallic compound configured to be delivered to said location in said method. (11) In the method for producing an intermetallic compound according to claim 10, at least a portion of the components supplied to the position in step (d) are supplied as one or more types of fluid. A method of producing intermetallic compounds structured as follows. (12) In the method for producing an intermetallic compound according to claim 2, the material supplied to the position in step (e) is configured to react with other constituents in the material. A method of producing structured intermetallic compounds. (13) A method for producing an intermetallic compound according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the material is supplied as a fluid. (14) In the method for producing an intermetallic compound according to any one of claims 1 to 13, the particles of the intermetallic compound are separated from at least a portion of the melting medium. A method of producing structured intermetallic compounds. (15) A method of producing an intermetallic compound according to claim 14, wherein the separated particles are treated to remove other substances from them. (16) A method for producing an intermetallic compound according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the product comprises at least a portion of the particles and at least a portion of the melting medium. A method of producing an intermetallic compound in which the particles are configured to remain in a melting medium to strengthen the melting medium.