Abstract: The invention comprises a method and apparatus for equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) of flat billets to control material structure and properties. The improvements of the method include the special systems of billet orientations, billet lubrication, billet ejection from dies, and a press/die control system those eliminate surface cracks, flashes and billet reshaping or deburring between passes. Therefore, multi-pass ECAE becomes a cost-effective industrial operation and may be applied to large billets.

Abstract: Cooling of the electrical coils of an electromagnetic stirrer is effected using a ferrofluid.

Abstract: A shear-extrusion method of severe plastic deformation for fabrication of metal shapes with ultra-fine structures is described. The improvements of the method include unidirectional shear of any required intensity during one step processing and under high hydrostatic pressures, fabrication of long products with different cross-sections, refinement of low ductile alloys, the increase of productivity and cost reduction. The method can be realized as forward extrusion, backward extrusion, semi continuous extrusion and extrusion of hollow shapes in portal dies with a welding chamber.

Abstract: Described is a high quality sputtering target and method of manufacture which involves application of equal channel angular extrusion.

Abstract: The invention comprises a method and apparatus for equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) of flat billets to control material structure and properties. The improvements of the method include the special systems of billet orientations, billet lubrication, billet ejection from dies, and a press/die control system those eliminate surface cracks, flashes and billet reshaping or deburring between passes. Therefore, multi-pass ECAE becomes a cost-effective industrial operation and may be applied to large billets.

Abstract: Described is a high quality sputtering target and method of manufacture which involves application of equal channel angular extrusion.

Abstract: Described is the production of a metal article with fine metallurgical structure and texture by a process that includes forging and rolling and control of the forging and rolling conditions. Also described is a metal article with a minimum of statically crystallized grain size difference in grain size at any location of less than about ±3%, as well as a dispersion in orientation content ratio of textures of less than about ±4% at any location.

Abstract: A material may include grains of sizes such that at least 99% of a measured area contains grains that exhibit grain areas less than 10 times an area of a mean grain size of the measured area. As examples, at least 99% of the measured area may contain grains with grain areas less than 8, 6, or 3 times the area of the mean grain size. The grains may also have a mean grain size of less than 3 times a minimum statically recrystallized grain size, for example, a mean grain size of less than about 50 microns, 10 microns, or 1 micron. The material may be comprised by a sputtering target and a thin film may be deposited on a substrate from such a sputtering target. A micro-arc reduction method may include sputtering a film from a sputtering target comprising grains of sizes as described. A sputtering target forming method may include deforming a sputtering material. After the deforming, the sputtering material may be shaped into at least a portion of a sputtering target.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of making transformer core laminates with bent corners from magnetic strip material having a predetermined thickness and power loss in the manufacture of a low-stress polyhedral core for a power transformer. The method includes mechanically bending corners in each laminate about predetermined bending lines while limiting the zone in each corner where the laminate is subject to plastic deformation to <5 times laminate thickness so that the specific power loss in the transformer core will equal that of the magnetic strip material except within the distance from the bending lines, where the power loss is higher due to plastic deformation of the magnetic strip material.

Abstract: Described is the production of a metal article with fine metallurgical structure and texture by a process that includes forging and rolling and control of the forging and rolling conditions. Also described is a metal article with a minimum of statically crystallized grain size and a uniform (100) cubic texture.

Abstract: Described is the production of a metal article with fine metallurgical structure and texture by a process that includes forging and rolling and control of the forging and rolling conditions. Also described is a metal article with a minimum of statically crystallized grain size and a uniform (100) cubic texture.

Abstract: Described is the production of a metal article with fine metallurgical structure and texture by a process that includes forging and rolling and control of the forging and rolling conditions. Also described is a metal article with a minimum of statically crystallized grain size and a uniform (100) cubic texture.

Abstract: Described is a high quality sputtering target and method of manufacture which involves application of equal channel angular extrusion.

Abstract: Described is a high quality sputtering target and method of manufacture which involves application of equal channel angular extrusion.

Abstract: Described is a high quality sputtering target and method of manufacture which involves application of equal channel angular extrusion.

Abstract: Described is a polycrystalline, metallic sputtering target with a minimum of statically crystallized grain size difference in grain size at any location of less than about ±3%, as well as a dispersion in orientation content ratio of textures of less than about ±4% at any location.

Abstract: Described is the production of a metal article with fine metallurgical structure and texture by a process that includes forging and rolling and control of the forging and rolling conditions. Also described is a metal article with a minimum of statically crystallized grain size difference in grain size at any location of less than about ±3%, as well as a dispersion in orientation content ratio of textures of less than about ±4% at any location.

Abstract: A stacked magnetic transformer core is disclosed with center leg curvilinear S-joints for reducing losses and for minimizing waste or scrap material during the manufacture of the laminations.

Abstract: Colloidal fluids having improved insulating and/or cooling properties. Embodiments of the invention involve colloidal fluids which comprise a carrier liquid and a dispersed phase of non-metallic particles, wherein the colloidal fluid has a saturation magnetization of less than about 50 Gauss. The compositions may be employed to insulate and/or cool electromagnetic devices, including high power devices, such as power transformers.

Abstract: Knowledge based speech recognition apparatus and methods are provided for translating an input speech signal to text. The speech recognition apparatus captures an input speech signal, segments it based on the detection of pitch period, and generates a series of hypothesized acoustic feature vectors for the input speech signal that characterizes the signal in terms of primary acoustic events, detectable vowel sounds and other acoustic features. The apparatus and methods employ a largely speaker-independent dictionary based upon the application of phonological and phonetic/acoustic rules to generate acoustic event transcriptions against which the series of hypothesized acoustic feature vectors are compared to select word choices. Local and global syntactic analysis of the word choices is provided to enhance the recognition capability of the methods and apparatus.