GB972305A - Continuous system for fabricating metal products - Google Patents

Abstract

In a continuous process of forming sintered rolled strip such as Pb, Al, Cu, Nb, Ta, Mo, Ti, Zr, W, stainless steel and iron, molten metal is converted into solid particles preferably over 1000 microns in size, the particles are continuously conveyed to a heater where they are heated to above their recrystallization temperature but below their fusion point and the heated particles are then hot rolled. As shown in Fig. 1, molten metal is poured from a ladle 11 into a granulator 10, the particles or fibres are then conveyed to a store unit 15 via conveyer 13, heated in furnace 16 in hydrogen or an inert gas and finally hot rolled at 18 and cold rolled at 20. The furnace 16 may be vibrated and in the case of Al particles the heating may be carried out in air to form an oxide skin on the particles. In a further embodiment the hot rolling may be carried out in two stages with an intermediate heating step. Alternatively a single reversing mill may be used for hot rolling. The granulator may be a rotating crucible of the ceramic disc or perforated disc type. Fig. 4 shows an arc melting type granulator for W and Mo metal in which electrodes 32 and 32a are rotated by motor 33 so that the molten metal is centrifugally dispersed as it is formed by the arc. In a further embodiment, Fig. 5 (not <PICT:0972305/C6-C7/1> <PICT:0972305/C6-C7/2> shown), the metal from the arc electrodes is atomized by a stream of hydrogen. Specification 964,002 is referred to.