CA1100764A - Method of and apparatus for making a metal product - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

Steel scrap of known analysis, properly sized, cleaned and heated sufficiently to remove substantially all moisture is thrown through a closed chute in small pieces at a controlled rate and velocity into the ladle simultaneously with the pouring of the molten metal. The amount of added scrap is sufficient to lower the temperature of the mixture to that desired for pouring into a mold while being limited to an amount which will melt so as to obtain a homogeneous mixture. As the scrap is added to the ladle simultaneously with the hot metal, and proportionality thereto, the temperature of the steel is reduced uniformly and overcomes the problem of temperature variations which occur if scrap is added in conventional form.

Description

)'7~i~
DS-57.~o4

-2-This invention relates to a method o~ and apparatus ~or making metal products in which small pieces o~ scrap are fed simultaneously with molten metal into a recei~er ~uch as a ladle or mold. The rapid growth in the use of oxygen converters for making steel, replacing open hearth furnaces, has created an excess o~ steel scrap becau~e the oxygen converter had definite limlts on the percentage o~ scrap which can be used, in contrast to the open hearth ~urnace which has no such limits. The scrap ~enerated in steel-making plants and in steel users fabricating operations isan excellent source o~ metallics of known analysis~ and steel companies have ~or many years sought ways of best utiliæing larger proport1ons o~ this scrap than are normal to the oxygen converter process. A11 o~ the methods now in 15 common u3e, require complete remelting o~ scrap in separate ' J facilities with the attendant high cost o~ ~acilities and operations and enviro~mental controls. It is common practice in making steel to produce the steel in ~urnaces such as open hearths, oxygen converters and electrlc furnacesc ~he molten steel is then poured ~rom the ~urnace into a ladle and then from the ladle into a mold, which ma~ be an ingot n~ld, a continuous casting mold or a mold shaped to provide a casting as a finished product except ~or machining. For~various reasons the temperature o~ the molten steel a~ter being poured into the ladle may be higher than the proper ; temperature for pouring into the mold. In some instances non-metallic material~ are added either in the ~urnace or in the ladle to lower this tsmperature, but such additions do not substantially raise the ~eight of the charge and are mere1y an added expense. In other instances the molten _2-'7

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steel is held ~or a time in the ladle to allov~ it to cool, or i9 re-ladled (poured ~rom ladle to ladle) to cool it. Such practices can delay production and add expense According to my invention steel scrap Or known analysis, properly sized~ cleaned and heated su~ficiently to remove substantially all the moisture there~rom, is thrown through a closed chute in small pieces at a controlled rate and velocity into the ~adle simultaneously with the pouring of the molten metal. The amount o~ added scrap is su~ficient to lower the temperature o~ the mixture to that desired for pouring into the mold while limited to an amount which will melt so a~ to obtain ~ homogeneous mixture, Since the scrap is added to the ladle simultaneously with the hot metal~ and proportion-ately thereto, the temperature o~ the steel is reduced 15 uniformly. There are none of the temperature variations and "cold spots" rrhich will occur i~ 9 crap is added in conven-tional forms or by other methods0 The same method may be used ~n the manu~acture o~ other metals.
I have ~ound that when steel scrap o~ known analysis is properly sized, cleaned and heatsd suf~iciently to remove the moi~t~re there~rom3 ~ed to an ingot mold through a closed chute at a controlled rate and velocity along with molten stael o~ a similar analysis in an amount such that the majority thereof will not melt in the mold~ and the resulting ingot processed in the usual manner to obtain sheets~ the resulting steel is of such quality that it can be used ~or many products in the same manner as standard sheets.
In an e~ort to avoid the necessity o~ melting scrap~
it has been suggested and tried to assemble pieces of scrap ln various ways, then heat them ~o rolling temperaturo, and 11~l)'7~i4 then roll on conventional rolling equipment~ but ~hese processes proved to be uneconomical and unsatisfactory.
While it i3 known to add solids to castings, this has been done for other reaQonS than to utilize scrap. The closest art of ~hich I have knowledge are U.S. Patent No.
2,855,646 (Fromson) dated October l~, 1958 and U.S. Patent No. 3,429,361 (Brooks) dated February 25) 1969, In From~on, ~hot is made from a portion o~ a batch o~ molten metal and then fed as a solid along with the remainin~ molten metal to a mold. The temperature and volume are controlled so that there is "a total amount of heat in the mixture whioh will cause at least an inclpient ~usion o~ the solid particle~ in the mixture". The process was developed to control tempera-ture inside a cacting while pouring the casting and is more 1~ expens~ve than standard casting procedure. The ~asiG method and purpose o~ the Brooks Patent is similar to that Or Fromson~s in that it represents an approach to controlling temperature inqide a continuous casting mold while pouring.
The amount of heat in a normal mold of molten steel is n~t sufficient to melt the majority of the scrap which I add, but I have found that this is not necessary. My process does not require special temperature control or special roll~ng prac-; tices, It is therefore an ob~ect of my invention to provide a method of making a metal product which utilizes a ~ubstantialamount o~ scrap without requiring the e~pensive ~acilities needed to melt the ~crap.
Another object i3 to provide such a method ln which the scrap and molten metal are ~ed into a ladle with the amount of scrap being limited to that which can ~ ~elted.

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-5-A ~urther ob~ect is to pro~ide such a method in which the 3crap and molten metal are fed into a mold with the ~mount Or scrap being such that the ma~ority thereof will not melt.
A 9till furtherob~ect o~ the invention consists in providing an apparatus ~or ~eeding scrap into a container, such as a mold or ladle~ at the same time as molten metal i~
poured into the container.
These and other objects will become more apparent after referring to the following specifications and dra~ings, in whiCh Figure 1 is an ele~ation, partly ln ~ection, showing apparatus suitable for carrying out my invention, Figure 2 is a plain view of Figure 1 with upper parts removed;
Figure 3 is a plain ~iew showing a modified end o~
the scrap chute, F~gure 4 i9 a side ele~ation o~ ~igure 3, Figure 5 is a view taken on the line V-V o~ Figure 3 ~ igure 6 is a ~lew taken on the line VI-VI o~ Figure 5, and Figure 7 is a v~ew~ similar to Figure 1, showing a 3econd embodiment of my invention.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 28 represents a supporting struoture made up o~ verti-cal columns 30 connected by horizontal beams 32. The columnsand beams as ~hown are 4 in, x 6 in. tubing. The bottom o~
structure 28 is shown as being a carriage 34 mounted on ~heels 36. When adding scrap to a plural~ty of ingo~ molds 38, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the carriage 34 is mounted on rails 40 provided on pouring floor 42-. A standard throw~ng '7 _6-mechanism 44 i~ mounted on carriage 34. As shown, thi~ may be a Blaw-Knox Dolomite Machine, as shown on Page 1 of their Bulletin 2421 copyrighted in 1953 by the Blaw-I~nox Co. Th~s mechanism includes a belt 46 passing around idler pulleys 48 and a grooved throwing wheel 50. Scrap is ~d to the ~heel 50 through a hopper 52. As shown, the wheel 50 i9 driven from a motor 54 by means of belt 56, In one installation motor 54 is a 20~horsepower, 250 volt D,C. ~otor~ A control 58 varies the speed of the motor between 850 an~ 2200 R.P~I.I. so that the velocity of the scrap leaving the throwing meohanism and delivered to a closed chute 60 will be between 1100 and 3300 ft~ per minute. Details of the chute will be described later.
A standard vibratory feeder 621 such as a ~YNTR0~ Mo.
F4~o, is mounted above the thrower 44. This includes a motor : 15 64 and a vi~ratlng pan 66 mounted on a support 68. A control 70 for motor 64 determlnes the rate of feed and also enables the ~eed to be shut of~ quickly. The feeder 62 is supportsd on column9 30 by means of a spring biased s~pporting hanger 71 at each corner thereof. Up to 6000 lbs. of scrap per minute may be fed by the vibrator 62 from its pan 68 to hopper 52.
A hopper 72 is mounted at the top o~ supporting structure 28 with its bottom open to the pan 680 A gate 74 p~voted at 76 to hopper 72 i3 closed during loading of hopper 72 and is raised by means of chain 78 and held in rai3ed position by means o~ hook 80 50 as to permit dlscharge of the scrap into hopper 52~ An electrlc heating system 82 is provided on the outside of all four ~ides of the hopper 72.
Insulat.ion 84 covers all four sides of hopper 72 on the outside o~ the heating system. A thermostatic control 86 is preferably provided for the heating system, The h~pper 72 _6-3(~764 may be loaded with scrap ln any well-known manner. As showh, it i9 fed from a tip-over self-righting type bucket ~ mounted on rail 90. It i9 preferred that the hopper 72 be readily removable from supporting structure and that a plurality o~
such hoppers be provided for a purpose which will appear later.
The chute 60 is mounted for movement on a vertical pivot 91. ~Vhile the discharge end of chute 60 may be a plain open end as shown in Figure 1, it is preferred thak means be provided to qplit the stream of scrap in half and also to direct th~ scrap downward at adjustable angle3 to the vertical so that it will impinge on the falling stream of molten metal at various vertical locations~ One structure ~or accomplish-ing thi~ is shown in ~igures 3 to 6. The discharge end of chute 60 i~ divided into passageways 92 and 94 and a hou~ing 96 is welded or otherwise fastened to and surrounds the bifurcated ends thereof. If desired~ a baffle plate may be pivotally mounted at the forward junction of passagsways 92 and 94 and extended toward the entry end of chute 60 in order to insure equal di~tribution of the scrap lnto the two streams. By moving the ba~fle plate, equal distribution can be obtained regardless of the velocity and amount of scrap being fed~ A scrap guide 98 i~ positioned at the end of eaoh passageway 92 and 94, Each guide 98 is generally triangular in vertical section with its hypotenuse having an arcuate inside ~urfaca and each leg being open~ The one leg is substantially vertical to receive scrap from itsassociated passagsway and the other leg substantially horizontal to discharge scrap downwardly into the moldO Each guide 98 is supported by a link 100 ha~ing one end pivotally connected ~ 7~ 4 at 102 to housing 96 and its other end p~votally conne¢ted at 104 to guide 98. A U-shaped bracket 106 i9 s~cured to the top of housing 96 between links 100 and has a slot 108 therein for receiving a pin 110. h link 112 has one end pivotally connected to pin 110 and its other end pivotally connected at 114 to one o~ the links 100. A hand lever 116 has one end pivotally connected to pin 110 and is pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the other link 100. A pair o~
brackets 120 are secured to each end o~ the bottom o~ housing 96 in alignment with the centers of guides 98. A rod 122 i~ -slidably received in each pair of brackets 1~0. A rod 124 passes through each guide 98 adjacent the lower end thereo~-~
The rod 122 is welded to rod 121~ midway of its ends. A rod 128 i9 mounted for rotation in bearings 130 ~ecured to the bottom o~ housing 96. The rod 128 is rotated b~ means af hand lever 132 3ecured thereto. One end o~ a link 134 i9 secured to each end of rod 12~ for movement therewith with its other end pivotally connected to one end of an associated link 136. A bar 138 extends between and is fastened to the free ends of links 136 and is provided with openings for receiving rods 122. Collar3 140 on roas 122 on each side of bar 138 cause the rods 122 to be moved by bar 138.
Due to various factors, such as the size of the mold, the height o~ the molten metal in the mold, etc., it ma~ be desired to change the angle of disoharge o~ the scrap. This is accomplished by the above structure either before feeding of the molten metal and s¢rap or during such ~eeding in the following manner. Movement of hand lever 116 ¢ounter-clockwise as shown in Figure 3 will cause the ends of le~ers 100 carrying the guides 98 to move apart~ Since the bottom 7t;4 _g_ of guides 98 are confined by rods 122 this causes the guides 98 to tilt in such a directi~n that the two streams o~ scrap will tend to converge. Movement i~ the opposite dire~tion will cause the streams to diverge. Movement of hand lever 132 cloc~ise in Figure 6 will cause the rod 124 and the bottom of guîde 98 to move to the right. This will cause the stream~ of scrap to discharge more toward the right side of the mold 38 as shown in Figure 3. Movemen~ o~ hand lever 132 in the opposite direction will cause discharge more toward the left side o~ the mold 38. It will be noted that the various connections to the guides 98 are sloppy to permit the movements set ~orth above~
In operationJ when charging a plurality of individual ingot molds 38 as shown in Figures 1 and 2 the supporting structure 28 is moved along tracks 40 and the chute 60 pivoted into position over the rirst mold to be ~illed. The levers 116 and 132 are manipulated to direct the scrap ~eed as desired, The cleaned scrap is heated to the required temperature in hopper 72 to remove the moisture therefrom.
The gate 74 ~ s ralded and the control 58 set to cause the thrower 44 to operate at the selected speed most suitable for the particular conditions, ~hen teeming o~ the hot metal starts the control 70 is operated to cause the ~eeder 62 to feed the scrap at the desired rate ~pounds psr min.) to the thrower 44 so that it is ~ed along with the molten metal into the selected mold 38. In case the ~eed of the molten metal is stopped for any reason~ feed of scrap is ~mmediately stopped by operation o~ control 70. Throwing the scrap into the mold at a relatively high speed insures that it will penetrate the molten metal already ~n the mold rather than ~loating on top.

7~i4 The levers llfi and 132 may be operated during pouring to change the angle of discharge of the scrap into the mold.
After the mold is filled flow Or hot metal and scrap is stopped and the ladle Or hot metal and supporting structure 28 are moved into position to fill another mold 38 and the process is repeated~ The hopper 72 may be made suf~iciently large to contaln enough scrap for the entire charge in the ladle or a plurality of replaceable hoppers 72 may be provided with the scrap being heated in the ho~rs in another locatio~
It is then only necessary to replace an exhausted hopper with a filled hopper. By filling the hopper with just enough scrap to be fed to one mold the replacement can be made while movlng the ladle and scrap feeder to another mold. Another manner of operation is to heat the scrap at another location and pour the heated scrap into hopper 72 on structure 28. When the ingot mold is a continuous mold it w~ll usually be neces9ary to have replaceable hoppers or means to heat the scrap at another location for charging into the hopper. U1hile it is desirable to feed the scrap uninterrupted, there is no loss in quality e~rhen pouring of the hot metal proceeds without ~eeding of scrap. This~ however, reduces the percentage of ; scrap wh;ch can be added, ~ hile the scrap charger is shown mounted on wheels supported on a platform, it will be understood that it could be suspended from a crane or even be mounted stationary as when feeding into a continuous mold.
Figure 7 shows a second type o~ apparatus suitable for carrying out my invention which is less expensive than the first type, but which is suitable for many p~poses, especially in smaller shops. It is also suitable for )'7~;4 ~11--carrying out experimental work to determine de~ign characteristics for machines for a large shop~
In this embodiment a throwing mechanism 14l~j similar to, but smaller thanJ throwing mechanism ~L~ mounted on a supporting structure 146. A hydraulic power unit lLi8 is mounted adjacent mechanism 1l~4 and the mechanism 1l~4 is operated by a hydraulic motor 150 which drives pulley 152~ A
control 15~ starts and stops motor 150 and controls its speed and hence the ~elocity o~ scrap f'ed to chute 156. A hopper 158 is mounted on structure 1~6 above hopper 160 of throwing mechanism 144 . Heating elements 162 are provided around the outside of hopper 158 as in the second embodiment~
The bottom o~ hopper 158 is provided with a closure 16ll which is pivotally mounted at 166 and is movable between open and closed positions by means of lever arm 16~ which is pivotally mounted at 170. A link 172 has its ends pivotally connected to closure 164 and le~er arm 168. The lever arm 168 may be ~rictionally held in adjusted position or other mean~ such as a pin and holes may be provided ~or this pur-pose. The top o~ hopper 158 is provided with a plurality ofcompartments 174. A pivotally mounted gate 176 is provided at the bottom o~ each compartment 174 and is movable by a lever arm 178 connected to link 1~0 whlch in turn is connected to gate 176 by wire rope 182~ Lever arm is locked in position by bracket 184, In operation, the assembly is positioned in the desired location in any suitable manner. Scrap is loaded lnto one or more o~ the Gompartments 174 and/or in the main portion of the bin 158. The amount of scrap in each compartment and main portion of the bin is weighed. prior to loading~ In carrying 3L1~(~'7~;4 -12~

out experimental work to determine how much scrap 3hould be added to a particular casting the amount can be ~aried ~rom a small amount in the main portion of the bin to an amount which completely ~ills the bin including the compartments 174i Assuming that the maximum amount is to be added the chute 1~6 is positioned to discharge scrap into the mold and the control 154 i~ actuated to cause the throw~ng mechanism 141~ to throw scrap at the desired velocity, The closure 164 is then opened to discharge the scrap ~rom the main portion o~ hopper 158 into hopper 160 a~ter whlch it may be closed and the gate 176 of the compartments opened to discharge its scrap into the main portion of the hopper. lPlhen the initial scrap ha~ been thrown from the throwing mechanism 144 the operator open~
closure 164. This is repeated until all the scrap has been fed to the mold~ In some instances the closure 164 may remain open and the 9 crap from each compartment ~ed directly into hopper 160. It will be seen that the operator controls the rate of feed by opening the gates 176 at desired intervals. .
It will be understood that the operation o~ each a~sembly will be substantially the same regardless o~ whether the molten metal container is a ladle or a furnace and the receiver is a mold or a ladle.
In carrying out one species of my invention? a heat of molten metal o~ the desired composition i9 selected and scrap ha~ing an analysis approaching that o~ the molten metal i8 provided~. Since the invention is particularly suitable and desirable for making rolled steel products~ the molten metal i~ preferably pro~ided from a low carbon aluminum-killed teel heat which has a finishing bath temperature between 2860 and 2880F, and a ladle te~perature between )'7~

2845 and 2865~ V~ile it is preferable that the scrap analysis be tho same as that of the hot metal, the in~ention ~ay be practiced b~T using scrap o~ a~ analysis that differs somewhat from that of the ~ot metal as long as the scrap has similar physical properties as the steel of the heat. The scrap has similar physical properties as the steel of the heat. The scrap is cut into relatively small pieces~ For example, pieces 2 ~nches x 2 inches x .o24 inch thick are suitable The scrap must be cleaned before use to remove all o~ the oil, grease, dlrt and rust therefrom. To insure that all the moisture is removed in a relatively ~hort time, the scrap is preferably heated to a temperature between 400 and 500F, The scrap and molten metal are ~ed to the mold simultaneousl~J through the closed chute at a controlled rats and ~peed such that the velocity of the pieces is suf~icient to enable penetration of the molten metal in the mold! This enables better distribution of the pîeces of scrap so that a larger amount of ~crap may be added and a more uniform product obtained.
The percentage o~ scrap may vary~ but to enable a large amount of æcrap to be used it is not intended that the scrap melt~ l~hile ob~iously there will be some meltlng of the scrap, the ma~ority thereof will not melt, but will be completely encased in the molten steel as it solidifies in 2~ the mold.
~hen using 24 inch x 37 inch x 85 inch molds~ 1,330 pounds o~ scrap may be added to 14 ,670 pounds of molten steel so that the scrap is 8.3~ o~ the total weight of the ingot or 2,600 pounds of scrap may be added so that the scrap is 16.~
of the total weight of the ingot, In the ~irst instance, the U7~4 scrap is added at a steady rate for a total period o~ 30 seconds and in the second insta~lce, ~or a total period o~
25 seconds. ~he ~mount of scrap added should be a minimum of ~0 o~ the total weight o~ the ingot, but may be as high as 50%.
The steel is then permitted to solidify 9u~ficiently to handle~ removed from the mold~ and placed in a 90aking pit to heat it throughout to its rolling temperature and then rolled into slabs in the usual manner. During this rolling operation in ~ich the cross section is reduced a minimum o~
75a~0 the pieces o~ scrap are pressure welded and bonded to each other and to the steel o~ the heat. The slabs are then heated and rolled into other products~ such as hot rolled sheet steel, in the usual manner. The resulting steel product has sur~ace characteristics and physical properties making it suitable ror a wide range o~ end uses.
I have found that sheet steel scrap material having a maximum thickne~s o~ .25 inches, a minimum dimension of one inch, and a maximum dimension of ~our inches is particularly suitable, This sheet material includes hot and cold rolled sheet and strip and black plate. It is also pre~erred that the piece~ be of substantially uniform size. If other types o~ scrap are used, the maximum dimension should preferably not exceed ~our inches. It appears that scrap additions under lOa~ may not be economically justi~ied. ~ercentage additions over 2 ~ may require heating of the scrap to temperatures substantially abo~e 500F and create problems in handling and adding the scrap to the molten steel.
I have ~ound that the rolled steel product~ especially in sheet ~orm, consists o~ a mass of steel having a plurality 7~i4 0~ 9~11 steel scrap piece~ intersper~ed ln and bonded thereto. ~ecause of the scrap addition~, there ls random grain or~entation The physical properties o~ the product are comparable to those of similar conventional steel products.
Since the above procsss requires that the casting be rolled to insure that the pieces of scrap be weldsd into the ~ass of metal it cannot be used to make a casting ~n ~lnlshea ~orm except for ma¢hining. ~owever, by modi~ying the above process by limiting the amount o~ scrap to that which can be melted by the molten metal a homegeneous mixture is obtained.
In thi~ case the ~crap need not be o~ an anal~Jsis approaching that of the molten metal, but must be known so that the product will have a known analysis. In fact, the 9 crap may be selected to ~ary the analyses of the metal product. Whils this modification cannot utilize as much scrap as the first described method9 it does have the ad~antage that the product cannot be di~tin~uished ~rom a conventionally produced product and can be used to procluce an~ conventional end product.
In a third embodiment o~ my invention, the 9 crap is ~ed to a ladle 3imultaneously with molten metal ~rom a ~urnace in the same manner as described above. As in the second embodiment the scrap need not be of the substantially same analysis a~ the molten metal and must melt in the receivsr.
In fact in some instances it may be selected to modify the analysis of the resulting mixture. For exampleJ ln making steel the ¢arbon content o~ the qcrap may be higher or lower than that o~ the molten metal to raise or lower the carbon content of the mixture. If the molten metal is iron, rather than steel, which is to be used in making an iron cast~ng, steel 3crap may be added~ This method has the sams -15~

~1~J(}764 ad~antages as that Or the second embodiment, In add~tion it can be used to lover the temperature of the molten metal to that most suitable ~or pourin~ when such is necessary, thus replacing presentl-J used methods of accomplishing this.
As a resul~, increased production is obtained with min~mum added cost. In some in~tances the temperature of the molten metal may be raised intentionally at relativel~ little cost to enable a larger percentage o~ scrap to be added. ~hile the amount o~ added scrap may vary considerably depending upon the type o~ metal, the temperature o~ the b~th, etc~
it i3 doubt~ul that more than 1 ~ by ~elght o~ scrap can be added and in most instances would be limited to approximately 2 to 5%.

Claims (17)

WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. The method of making a metal product which comprises providing molten metal of a known analysis in a container,providing scrap metal of a known analysis compatible with that of the molten metal, cleaning said scrap, heating said scrap to a temperature sufficient to remove substantially all moisture therefrom, pouring said molten metal into a receiver, and simultaneously with the pouring of said molten metal throwing all of said scrap in small pieces at a controlled rate and at a controlled velocity through a closed chute into said receiver, said velocity being sufficient to enable penetration of the molten metal.

2. The method of Claim 1 in which the receiver is a ladle and the weight of said added scrap and the temperature and weight of said molten metal are such that said scrap will dissolve in said molten metal to form a homogeneous mixture.

3. The method of Claim 1 in which the receiver is a mold and the amount of added scrap is such that the majority thereof will not melt, said scrap having an analysis approach-ing that of the molten metal.

4 . The method of Claim 3 including the additional steps of permitting the mixture of scrap and molten metal to solidify into an ingot, and then hot rolling said ingot to substantially reduce its cross section.

5. The method of Claim 3 in which said molten metal and scrap are steel and the amount of added scrap is a maximum of 50% by weight of the molten metal.

6. The method of any one of Claims 2, 3 or 4 in which said scrap is directed downwardly into said mold or ladle at a controlled angle.

7. The method of any one of Claims 2, 3 or 4 in which said scrap is directed into said mold or ladle in a plurality of separate streams.

8. The method of any one of Claims 1, 2 or 3 in which said molten metal and said scrap are ferrous.

9. The method of Claims 1, 2 or 3 in which said molten metal and said scrap are steel and the added scrap is a maximum of 10% by weight of the molten metal.

10. The method of Claims 1, 2 or 3 in which the added scrap is between 2% and 5% by weight of the molten metal.

11. Apparatus for feeding small pieces of metal into a container while molten metal is being supplied to said container which comprises a supporting structure, a hopper for said pieces mounted on said supporting structure, a throw-ing mechanism for said pieces mounted on said supporting structure, a feeder mounted on said supporting structure below said hopper and above said throwing mechanism and adapted to receive said pieces from said hopper and feed them at a controlled rate to said throwing mechanism, and a chute closed around its periphery and adapted to receive said pieces from said throwing mechanism and feed them into said container.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11 including means for stopping feed of said scrap to said throwing mechanism.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11 in which the discharge end of said chute includes means for directing said scrap generally downwardly into said container.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13 including means for varying the angle of discharge of said scrap from said chute.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, including means for separating flow of scrap in said chute into two streams, and means for varying the angle of discharge of said streams.

16. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11, 12 or 13 including a vibratory feeder mounted on said framework below said hopper and above said throwing mechanism and adapted to receive scrap from said hopper and feed it at a controlled rate to said throwing mechanism.

17. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11, 12 or 13, including means mounting said chute on said framework for movement about a vertical axis.