JPH04111722A - Manufacture of metal fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To fabricate metal fiber with good producibility by accommodating molten metal in a funnel-shaped crucible provided at its upper side wall with a number of small holes, rotating the crucible in a horizontal plane, scattering the molten metal from the small holes by the centrifugal force, and allowing it to cool. CONSTITUTION:Metal is supplied to a funnel-shaped crucible 21, and the content of a chamber 27 is substituted with Ar gas. The crucible 21 is heated by a high frequency coil 25 and a gold image furnace 26, and the metal contained is heated and melted, and the molten metal 30 is stored at the bottom of the crucible. When the crucible 21 is rotated round the axis in a horizontal plane by a motor 23, the molten metal 30 in the crucible is moved by the centrifugal force upward as creeping on the inside surface of the crucible 21, and scattered from small holes 22 to outside the crucible. If the rotation is turned on and off at this time at certain intervals, short fibers of metal 31 are obtained. The molten metal scattered solidifies in the air in the fiber form, runs against the side wall of the chamber 27, falls down, and deposits in a storage part 20 provided under the chamber 27.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Object of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing metal fibers.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as a method for manufacturing metal fibers, a molten metal spinning method is known in which metal fibers are directly formed from molten metal as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6.

The method shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) consists of an annular rotating water tank 1 that opens inward, a crucible 8 with a small hole 3 in the bottom disposed inside the tank, and a crucible 8. It uses an induction coil 4 for heating, and while the rotating water tank 1 is rotated at high speed, cooling water 5 is stored in a trough-shaped part inside the rotating water tank 1, and a metal material is stored in the ruribo 8 and the induction coil 4 rotates the rotating water tank 1 at high speed. This is a method in which metal fibers 6 are deposited by heating and melting the metal and causing the molten metal to flow down in the form of fibers into cooling water 5 from small holes 3 at the bottom.

The method shown in FIG. 5 includes a crucible 8 having a molten metal outlet hole 7 formed in the lower side wall, an induction coil 9 for heating the crucible 8, and a cooling drum disposed near the molten metal outlet hole 7 of the crucible 8. In this method, the molten metal flowing out from the molten metal outflow hole 7 of the crucible 8 is collected by the cooling drum 10 and cooled at high speed to produce metal fibers 11.

Furthermore, in the method shown in FIG. 6, a disk 12 having thin grooves discontinuously formed along its periphery is placed on the molten metal 13 so that its periphery is in contact with the surface of the molten metal, and the disk is rotated at high speed. By rotating the disk 12 at high speed, the molten metal in the grooves on the periphery is scattered by centrifugal force, and metal fibers 14 are produced.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, among the above-mentioned methods, the method shown in FIG. 4 has poor production efficiency because only one small hole is formed. However, there is a drawback that continuous operation is not possible due to the fact that fibers accumulate on the rotating drum.

Furthermore, the method shown in FIG. 5 and the method shown in FIG. 6 also had the problem of poor production efficiency.

The present invention was made in response to such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing metal fibers with high productivity.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The method for producing metal fibers of the present invention includes storing molten metal in a funnel-shaped crucible with a large number of small holes formed in the upper side wall, and placing the crucible on a horizontal surface. The molten metal is cooled by being rotated within the crucible, and the centrifugal force generated by the rotation causes the molten metal to scatter from small holes in the upper side wall of the crucible.

In the method of the present invention, the diameter of the metal fibers can be adjusted by changing the size of the small holes, and it is also possible to produce short fibers by intermittent rotation of the crucible.

(Function) Since the method of the present invention scatters molten metal from a large number of small holes formed in the upper side wall of the melting hole, metal fibers can be efficiently produced, and if necessary, short metal fibers can be directly produced. It is also possible to manufacture.

(Example) Next, the method of the present invention will be explained using the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing an apparatus used in the method of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 21 indicates a funnel-shaped melting point made of carbon with many small holes 22 formed in the upper side wall, and the motor 2
3 allows for rotation around the central axis.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), a flange 24 is formed at the top of the funnel-shaped melt 21 so as to face inward.

In addition, a high frequency coil 25 is arranged around the outer periphery of the funnel-shaped tapered part of the Maturutsuha 21, and a gold image furnace 26 is arranged above the Maturutsuho 21 to irradiate infrared rays to the Maturutsuho. .

Further, these melt 21, high frequency coil 25, gold image furnace 26, etc. are housed in an airtight chamber 27, and the present invention is carried out in this chamber 27 under an Ar gas atmosphere. There is. Code 28.2 in the figure
Reference numerals 9 denote a suction pipe connected to a vacuum pump and an Ar gas supply pipe connected to an Ar gas cylinder, respectively, for replacing the interior of the chamber 27 with Ar gas.

Next, a method for manufacturing short metal fibers using the above-mentioned apparatus will be explained.

First, copper and other metals are supplied into the funnel-shaped crucible 21, and after replacing the inside of the chamber 27 with Ar gas, the crucible 21 is heated by the high-frequency coil 25 and the gold image furnace 26, and the metal contained therein is heated. By heating and melting the
), the molten metal 30 is collected at the bottom of the crucible.

Next, when the crucible 21 that operates the mower 23 is rotated in a horizontal plane around its axis, the molten metal 30 inside the crucible is moved around the crucible 21 by centrifugal force, as shown in FIG. 2(b). It moves upward along the inner circumference and scatters out from the small hole 22. At this time, short metal fibers 31 can be obtained by intermittent rotation at appropriate intervals.

The scattered molten metal solidifies into fibers in the air and enters chamber 2.
The particles collide with the side wall of the chamber 7 and fall, and are deposited in the storage section 20 provided below the chamber 27. In addition, the obtained metal fiber 31
If the molten metal collides with the side wall of the chamber 27 and is deformed, this problem can be avoided by making the chamber 27 larger and providing a cooling water tank at the bottom to allow the scattered molten metal to fall into the water. be able to.

Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 3, if the metal material is supplied from above the funnel-shaped wire rod 32 in the form of a wire rod 32, continuous operation is possible, and each time the material is inserted, it is replaced with Ar gas. Since it is no longer necessary, production efficiency will improve,
Furthermore, the amount of Ar gas used can also be reduced.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the method of the present invention, metal fibers can be manufactured from molten metal with good productivity, and costs can be reduced and efficiency improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of an apparatus for implementing the method of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 (a) and (b) are sectional views showing the state of molten metal in the crucible in the method of the present invention. , FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing another embodiment, FIGS. 4(a) and (b) are a front view and a side view schematically showing a conventional metal fiber manufacturing method, and FIGS. FIG. 6 is also a diagram schematically showing a conventional method for manufacturing metal fibers. 21・・・・・・Funnel shaped ruha 22・・・・・・
...Small hole 23...Motor 24...Flange 25...High frequency coil 26...Gold Image furnace 27...
...Chamber 28...Suction pipe 29...A Gas supply pipe 30...Molten metal 31...・Metal fiber applicant Showa Electric Cable Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Molten metal is placed in a funnel-shaped crucible with a large number of small holes formed in the upper side wall, and the crucible is rotated in a horizontal plane so that the small holes in the upper side wall of the crucible are released by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation. A method for producing metal fibers, characterized by cooling molten metal by scattering it.