Appeal No. 2006-0010 Page 2
Application No. 10/170,538
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a foamed metal melt having gas bubbles therein,
the process of making a foamed metal melt and products formed from a foamed metal
melt. The invention also relates to a device for blowing gas into a foamable metal melt.
Some embodiments of the invention specify that the diameter of a largest bubble of gas
bubbles in the metal melt is less than 2.5 times a diameter of a smallest bubble of the
gas bubbles. (Brief, pp. 6-9). Representative claims 21, 39, 65 and 68 appear below:
21. A device for blowing gas into a foamable metal melt and comprising at
least one gas feeding pipe that projects into the metal melt, said feeding
pipe having a gas outlet end with a gas outlet opening and a pipe face,
wherein the gas outlet opening has a cross section of 0.006 to 0.2 mm2
and the pipe face has an area of less than 4.0 mm2.
39. A process for producing a foamed metal melt by blowing gas into a
metal melt through at least one gas outlet, wherein a size of individual gas
bubbles and a size uniformity thereof is controlled by a geometric design
of the gas outlet and by adjusting gas inflow parameters.
65. A foamed metal melt comprising a metal melt having gas bubbles
therein, wherein a diameter of a largest bubble of said gas bubbles is less
than 2.5 times a diameter of a smallest bubble of said gas bubbles.
68. A metal foam part comprising a metal matrix with pores evenly
distributed therein, wherein the metal matrix has solid particles embedded
therein, the pores are closed and have at least one of an essentially
spherical and an essentially ellipsoid shape, respectively largest
dimensions of said pores show a monomodal distribution, and inner wall
surfaces of said pores comprise at least in part oxidized metal matrix.
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