JPH1076156A - Device and method for working granular material - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reform a granular material by providing an atmosphere setting means for making a composing part, a forming part and a firing part into vacuum or atmosphere of gas other than air thereby preventing the degradation of properties of the granular material caused by executing the processes in air and being allowed to react with the desired gas. SOLUTION: A gas supply means 15 is provided with plural bombs 15a in which argon being inert gas, low reactive gas such as nitrogen and high reactive gas such as oxygen, hydrogen, hydrogen chloride are contained respectively, and a gas mixer 15b for mixing gases in the bombs in an optional ratio. The gas mixer 15b is connected to the composing device 11, the forming device 12 and the firing device 13 and the gas is supplied to each device. The inside of each device is made into the desired atmosphere by previously deaerating the composing device 11, the forming device 12 and the firing device 13 with a deaerator 14 and supplying the gas from the gas mixer 15b of the gas supply device 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processing method for a granular material, and more particularly to a processing apparatus and a processing method for compounding, shaping and firing a granular material in a controlled atmosphere. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, products obtained by processing a high-performance composite material obtained by compounding a granular material have been used in various fields. In general, a processed product made of a high-performance composite material includes a step of compounding the granules, a step of pressing the compounded granules to form a formed body having a desired shape, and a step of applying high heat to the formed body. It is obtained through a firing step of firing. The surface of the granular material is modified by the compounding, and the granular material is further modified by firing, and the granular material is fused together,
A highly functional processed product having high strength can be obtained.

[0003] Metals or ceramics are often used as powders as raw materials. For example, by using a plurality of types of metals, a metal processed product having properties different from those of the individual metals can be obtained, and by using ceramics and metals, a ceramic processed product having conductivity can be obtained.

[0004] One of the methods of compounding the granules utilizes the interaction of the granules by mechanical force. In this method, a strong force is applied to the granules to cause friction between the granules, thereby modifying the surface of the granules. For example, when a relatively low-hardness, large-diameter powder and a relatively high-hardness, small-diameter powder are used as raw materials, the former can be embedded in the surface of the former. In addition, when a relatively high-hardness large-diameter powder and a relatively low-hardness small-diameter powder are used, the former surface can be covered with the latter.

[0005] The applicant of the present application has proposed an apparatus shown in FIG. 11 for performing compounding by the above method. The composite apparatus includes a container 2 having a cylindrical side wall 2a and rotating in the circumferential direction of the side wall 2a, an inner piece 3 having a fixedly arranged head 3a opposed to the inner surface of the container side wall 2a with a small gap, The scraper 4 is fixedly arranged and substantially contacts the inner surface of the container side wall 2a. Container side wall 2a of head 3a
The surface 3b facing the inner surface of the side wall is formed as a cylindrical surface having a radius smaller than the radius of the inner surface of the side wall 2a.

The granular material contained in the container 2 is pressed against the side wall 2a by centrifugal force due to the high-speed rotation of the container 2 and rotates together with the side wall 2a as shown by the arrow, and the side wall 2a and the head are rotated. Enter during 3a. Since the distance between the side wall 2a and the head 3a becomes narrower in the direction of rotation of the container, the granular material entering at a high speed receives a sudden strong pressure substantially perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the container. Also, the side wall 2
The granular material having a thickness larger than the minimum distance between the head a and the head 3a is hindered by the head 3a and is sheared to the thickness of the minimum distance between the side wall and the head. Due to the force along the rotation direction due to the shearing and the above-mentioned pressure, the powder and the granular material friction with each other, and the powder and the granular material are combined.

After the shearing, the granular material passing through the gap between the side wall 2a and the head 3a is separated by the scraper 4 from the inner surface of the container side wall 2a. The powder separated from the side wall is mixed as small lumps and pressed against the inner surface of the container side wall 2a again by centrifugal force. The pressurization / shearing and separation are repeated, so that the complexation progresses and the granules are uniformly mixed.

The degree of compounding varies depending on the shape of the head 3a and the distance between the head 3a and the inner surface of the side wall 2a and the rotation speed and rotation time of the container 2 depending on the installation position. Of these, the control of the rotation speed and time of the container is extremely easy, and by adjusting these, it is possible to easily adjust the degree of compounding of the granular material.

[0009]

The steps of compounding, molding and firing are performed in air. Since the granules are very small and have a large specific surface area, the surface area of the granules exposed to air is large when the granules are combined with each other by friction as described above. Further, heat is generated due to friction between the powders and granules, the temperature of the powders becomes high, and the reactivity increases. For this reason, the granular material easily reacts with oxygen and trace components in the air. For example, in the case of metal powder, a metal oxide is formed on the surface.
In addition, the components in the air are taken in between the granules by mixing, and become impurities.

[0010] Also in the firing step, the surface of the granular material is exposed to air. Since the calcination is carried out at an extremely high temperature, the granules easily react with the components in the air. For this reason, even if the powder does not react with the components in the air in the compounding step, it may react during firing. Even if the contact between the granular material and air is cut off by any method in the compounding step and the firing step, if the molding step is performed in air, the components in the air enter between the granular material at this time, A reaction will occur in the firing step.

[0011] The reaction with air causes a change in the properties of the granular material. However, except in a special case where the purpose is to form an oxide film on the surface of the metal, the change in the characteristic is not affected by the change in the characteristics of the granular material. The properties are degraded, which is not preferable. In addition, property deterioration is also caused by impurities introduced between the powders.

On the other hand, when the process is performed with the intention of oxidizing the granular material, the reaction progresses slowly with air having an oxygen content of about 20%, and the treatment may take a long time. Naturally, it is impossible to react gas molecules not contained in the air with the granular material at all. For this reason, there is a limit to intentional modification of the granular material.

[0013] The present invention prevents the deterioration of the properties of powder and granules caused by performing each step in the air when the powder and granules are compounded, molded and fired to obtain a processed product. It is an object of the present invention to improve the granular material by reaction with a desired gas.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a composite section for applying a mechanical force to a granular material to composite the granular material, and a composite granular material. In a powder and granule processing apparatus comprising a molding unit for forming a molded body having a predetermined shape and a firing unit for firing the molded body, the composite unit, the molding unit, and the firing unit are set to the same atmosphere other than vacuum or air. Atmosphere setting means is provided.

When the composite section, the forming section and the baking section are made to have a vacuum or inert atmosphere by the atmosphere setting means, the reactivity of the powder and granules to air, particularly oxygen, is high, or the composite powder is formed on the surface of the powder and granules by the compounding. Even when the reactivity becomes high, the reaction with air in each part is prevented. When the composite section, the forming section, and the firing section are made to have an active atmosphere by the atmosphere setting means, the particles and active molecules in the atmosphere easily react with each other, particularly in the composite section and the firing section. Therefore, a processed product having properties different from those when processed in air is obtained.

The composite part of the above-mentioned processing apparatus for powdery and granular materials includes a container having a cylindrical side wall and rotating in the circumferential direction of the side wall; a surface disposed near the inner surface of the container side wall and facing the container side wall; A first fixing member whose distance from the inner surface of the container gradually narrows along the rotation direction of the container, and a second fixing member whose edge is substantially in contact with the inner surface of the container side wall. The powder is pressed between the container side wall and the first fixing member while being pressed against the container side wall by centrifugal force to apply a force to the powder and granular material, and passed between the container side wall and the first fixing member. It is preferable to repeat the separation of the granular material from the side wall of the container by the second fixing member, thereby combining the granular material.

The granular material pressed against the container side wall by centrifugal force enters between the container side wall and the first fixing member. However, since the distance between the container side wall and the first fixing member gradually decreases, Subject to strong pressure. Further, the portion thicker than the minimum distance between the container side wall and the first fixing member is stopped from moving by the first fixing member, and the powder pressed against the side wall is separated from the container side wall by the first fixing member. Sheared to minimum spacing thickness. By these actions, the powders and particles rub against each other, and the powders and the particles are composited. After the shearing, the granular material pressed against the container side wall is separated from the container wall surface by the second fixing member. The separated granules are pressed against the side wall again by centrifugal force, during which the granules are mixed. The mixing is repeated by the rotation of the container, and the powder and granules have a uniform composition. The degree of compounding depends on the rotation speed of the container, the rotation time of the container, and the distance between the side surface of the container and the surface of the first fixing member opposed thereto.

At the time of compounding, heat is generated due to friction between the granular materials, and the temperature of the granular materials increases, and the reactivity increases. When the inside of the container is in an active atmosphere, the surface of the granular material exposed to the gas easily reacts with the gas molecules. When the inside of the container is in a vacuum or an inert atmosphere, no reaction occurs even if the reactivity of the granular material is high.

The composite portion and the molded portion can be formed separately. In this case, the compounding section is provided with a container having an opening at an upper portion for accommodating the powder and granules and performing compounding, and a lid connected to the container and sealing the opening, and the forming section is connected to the lid. A container housing chamber for housing the container and having an opening at the top sealed by the lid, and holding the container housed in the container housing chamber and tilting the container separated from the lid to remove the powder particles in the container. A container holder for dropping, a first funnel for receiving the granular material falling from the container, a sieve for receiving the granular material falling from the first funnel and sifting the granular material by vibration,
The apparatus includes a second funnel that receives the powder particles falling from the sieve and guides the powder particles into the mold, and a press machine that presses the powder particles in the mold.

The compounding of the powders and granules is carried out inside the container in an atmosphere other than vacuum or air by means of atmosphere setting means.
The container has an opening at an upper portion for taking in and out the powdery material, and the opening is closed with the lid by connecting the lid. Therefore, the interior of the container is kept in a vacuum or a set atmosphere even after the compounding. After compounding, the container is housed through the opening in the container housing chamber of the molding section while being sealed with a lid. At this time, the opening of the container storage chamber is closed by the lid of the container. In this state, the inside of the molding portion is set to the same atmosphere as the inside of the container other than air or air by the atmosphere setting means.

The container is held by the container holder and tilted after being separated from the lid. When the container is tilted, the granular material in the container falls and is collected by the first funnel. The collected granules are sieved off by a sieve and guided into the mold by a second funnel. By pressing the granules in the mold with a press, a compact is obtained.

In the above-described configuration, while the compounding section and the forming section are separate bodies, the steps from compounding to forming are performed in the same atmosphere other than vacuum or air. Absent. Inside the molding section, the powder is guided from the container to the mold without dissipating. Since a sieve is provided in the middle of the path of the powder and granules, even if the powder and granules are stuck together at the end of the compounding, they may be broken by vibrations, and a uniform powder Granules are placed.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention further provides a compounding step of applying a mechanical force to the powder and granules to form a composite, and forming the composite powder and granules into a predetermined shape. In the method of processing a granular material, in which a molding step to form a body and a firing step of firing the formed body are sequentially performed, in a vacuum or in the same atmosphere other than air, from the start of the complexing step to the end of the firing step. Do.

When each of the steps of compounding, molding and firing, and the steps of transferring the granules in the middle, etc., are performed in a vacuum, the contamination of the granules by the substances in the atmosphere is prevented, and the gas and powder in the atmosphere are contaminated. No reaction with the granules occurs. The reaction between the granules and the gas molecules is prevented even in the inert atmosphere from the start of the complexation to the end of the calcination. Conversely, when the process is performed in an active atmosphere, the granules and the active gas Reaction with molecules is likely to occur.

The compounding of the granules is performed by accommodating the granules in a container having a cylindrical side wall and rotating the container in the circumferential direction of the side wall, thereby pressing the granules against the container side wall by centrifugal force. The gap between the inner wall of the container side wall and the fixing member provided so as to gradually narrow along the rotation direction of the container and between the fixing member and the side wall of the container to apply force to the granular material; The separation of the granular material from the side wall of the container by a separating member provided so as to substantially contact the container is repeatedly performed.

[0026]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An apparatus for processing a granular material according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of the processing apparatus 1. The processing device 1 includes a compounding device 11 for compounding the powder and granules, a forming device 12 for pressing and forming the powder and granules compounded by the compounding device 11, and a high heat applied to the compact obtained by the forming device 12. In addition, a firing device 13 for firing is provided. The compounding device 11, the forming device 12, and the baking device 13 are each configured to be airtight, so that it is possible to completely shut out gas from the outside.

The processing apparatus 1 has a degassing device 14 and an air supply device 15. The deaerator 14 includes a vacuum pump 14a, and includes a compounding device 11, a molding device 12,
And it is connected to the baking device 13 and degass each device.
In the present embodiment, the degassing device 14 allows the complexing device 1
1. The forming device 12 and the firing device 13 are each set to 10 ^-5
It can degas to a vacuum of Torr.

The air supply device 15 includes a low-reactivity gas such as nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen,
A plurality of cylinders 15a containing highly reactive gas such as hydrogen chloride, and a gas mixer 15b for mixing the gas in each cylinder at an arbitrary ratio are provided. The gas mixer 15b is connected to the compounding device 11, the forming device 12, and the firing device 13, and supplies gas to each device. By degassing the compounding device 11, the forming device 12, and the baking device 13 in advance by the degassing device 14, and supplying gas from the gas mixer 15b of the gas supply device 15, the inside of each device is set to a desired level. Atmosphere can be.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are a front view and a side view, respectively, showing a schematic configuration of the processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIGS. Composite device 1
1, the forming apparatus 12 and the baking apparatus 13 are installed on a table 21.
The support column 22 is erected so as to surround the support 2. On the upper part of the column 22, the forming device 12
A crane 25 having a carriage 23 and a motor 24 is mounted on the rail.

The compounding apparatus 11 comprises a raw material supply unit 31, a raw material sieve unit 32, a raw material feed unit 33, and a composite unit 34. In this configuration, the composite material is supplied to a compounding unit 34 via a raw material supply unit 32 and a raw material supply unit 33. The raw material supply unit 31, the raw material sieve unit 32 and the raw material feed unit 33 are integrated,
2 is supported by a support arm 26 attached to the support arm 2. The raw material feeding section 33 and the compounding section 34 are connected by a connecting section 36 so as to be separable.

The raw material supply unit 31 is connected to a deaerator 14 and an air supply unit 15 (not shown) by a pipe 37 having a branch. Similarly, the raw material feeding section 33 is connected to the deaerator 14 and the air supply device 15 via a pipe 38. Tubes 37 and 38 can be disconnected at connections 39 and 40, respectively. The connecting portions 36, 39, and 40 are provided with a sealing mechanism composed of an O-ring, and are kept airtight during connection.

The support arm 26 rotates about the column 22. Raw material supply unit 31 and raw material sieve unit 3 integrated
2 and the raw material feeding section 33 are normally set at the positions shown in FIG. 2, but by rotating the support arm 26 in a state where the connecting sections 36, 39, and 40 are separated, the upper part of the composite section 34 Can be evacuated.

Between the raw material sieve section 32 and the raw material feeding section 33 and near the upper end of the compounding section 34, shutters 41 and 42 for controlling the feeding of the granular material to the compounding section 34 are provided. ing. These shutters 41 and 42 are provided with a sealing mechanism composed of an O-ring.
By closing 2, the composite unit 34 can be kept airtight even when the raw material supply unit 31, the raw material sieve unit 32, and the raw material feed unit 33 are retracted.

The raw material supply unit 31 has a detachable upper lid, and a handle 51 is provided outside. A shaft that penetrates the upper lid and reaches near the inner bottom surface is fixed to the handle 51. The shaft, the upper lid, and the upper lid and the raw material supply unit main body are hermetically sealed by a sealing mechanism including an O-ring. A leak valve 52 is provided on the side wall of the raw material supply unit 31 to make the inside the same pressure as the outside.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the raw material supply section 31 with the upper lid removed. A hole 53 following the raw material sieve portion 32 is formed in the bottom surface inside the raw material supply portion 31, and a base plate 54 is provided in the center. In the center of the base plate 54, a groove 54a is engaged with the end of the shaft fixed to the handle 51.
Is formed, and the base plate 54 is rotated by turning the handle 51.

Six support arms 55 are provided upright on the base plate 54, and each support arm 55 is provided with a cup 56 for accommodating a powdery material as a raw material. A shaft 57 is fixed to the cup 56 above an upper and lower intermediate point, and the shaft 57 is pivotally supported by a support arm 55. Therefore, the cup 56 is rotatable with respect to the shaft 57, and can accommodate the granular material without overturning.

A rack gear 58 is provided near the hole 53, and a gear 5 is provided at the outer end of the shaft 57 of each cup 56.
9 are formed. When the base plate 54 rotates, the gear 59 engages with the rack gear 58 and the shaft 57 rotates. As a result, the cup 56 is gradually inclined, and the stored powder and granules fall into the holes 53 and are sent to the raw material sieve section 32.

FIG. 5 shows the inside of the raw material sieve section 32. A cylinder 62 having a gradually narrowing lower part is mounted on the filter 61, and the outer surface of the cylinder 62 is in contact with the inner surface of the fixed cylinder 63. Upper part of cylinder 62 and cylinder 6
Protrusions 64 and 65 are formed on the lower portion of the projection 3, respectively, and a coil spring 66 is provided between the protrusions 64 and 65. The cylinder 62 is urged downward by the coil spring 66. The filter 61 is supported by a support 67 at the center.

Below the filter 61, a rotary shaft 69 penetrating from the outside to the inside of the raw material sieve section 32 via a sealing mechanism 68 made of an O-ring is provided. The rotary shaft 69 is provided with an eccentric cam 70 that comes into contact with the support 67, and a push-up force is applied to the support 67 in accordance with the direction of the eccentric cam 70. The rotating shaft 69 is rotated by a driving force of a motor 71 provided below the support arm 26 that supports the raw material sieve section 32. The eccentric cam 70 rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft 69, whereby the cylinder 62 and the filter 61 urged downward by the spring 66 vibrate up and down. The horizontal movement of the cylinder 62 is regulated by the cylinder 63, and the cylinder 62 moves only in the vertical direction.

The granular material dropped from the hole 53 of the raw material supply unit 31 enters the cylinder 62. Most of the particles are separated from each other and fall through the filter 61, but some of the particles are stuck together to form a lump, and this lump is captured by the filter 61. To stay inside the cylinder 62. Here, the lump is loosened by vibrating the filter 61 and the cylinder 62 up and down, so that the separated powder and granular material can be dropped. If particles larger than the eyes of the filter 61 are mixed, the particles
Will be removed.

FIG. 6 shows the structure from the lower part of the raw material sieve part 32 to the upper part of the compounding part 34. A shutter 41 is provided between the raw material sieve section 32 and the raw material feeding section 33. FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the shutter 41. The shutter 41 has a shutter plate 75 having an opening 75a in the center.
The shutter plate 75 is rotated around a shaft 77 by operating a lever 76. Shutter plate 75 and raw material feeding section 33
Two O-rings 78 and 79 are interposed between the upper ends of the, and airtightness is maintained by this double sealing mechanism. The shutter 42 provided on the upper part of the composite unit 34 has the same configuration.

A flange 80 is provided at the lowermost end of the raw material feeding section 33.
Are formed at the upper end of the composite portion 34.
1 is formed. By clamping these flanges 80 and 81 between the clamps 82, the raw material feeding section 33 and the compounding section 34 are connected. This connecting portion 36 has two O
Rings 83 and 84 are interposed, and airtightness is maintained by a double sealing mechanism. When the clamp 82 is removed, the raw material feeding section 33 and the compounding section 34 are separated.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the compounding section 34. The composite unit 34 includes a container 91 having a cylindrical side wall, and a lid 9 of the container 91.
2. An inner cylinder 93 extending from the shutter 42 to the inside of the container 91, an outer cylinder 94 integrated with the inner cylinder 93 and having a lower end reaching the inside of the container 91, an inner piece 95 connected to a lower end of the inner cylinder 93, and an outer cylinder. It has a scraper 96 connected to the lower end of 94. A flange 91 a is formed on the outside of the upper end of the container 91, and a case 98 through which a bolt 97 passes is provided on the lid 92. The container 91 and the lid 92 are connected by a bolt 97. An O-ring is interposed between the bolt 97 and the inner wall of the case 98, and the case 9
8 is sealed. The upper surface of the flange 91a has O
A ring 99 is provided, and the space between the container 91 and the lid 92 is also sealed. The lid 92 is formed large so that the peripheral portion protrudes from the flange 91a.

An upper bearing 100 and a lower bearing 101 are provided at the center of the lid 92, and the lid 92 is attached to the outer cylinder 94 via a ball bearing 102. Therefore, the lid 92 and the container 91 connected thereto are rotatable with respect to the inner cylinder 93 and the outer cylinder 94 whose upper ends are fixed. An oil seal and a magnetic seal 103 are provided between the lower bearing 101 and the outer cylinder 94, so that the airtightness of the container 91 is maintained even when the container 91 and the lid 92 rotate.

The inner piece 95 has a head 95a, and a surface 95b of the head 95a facing the inner surface of the side wall 91b is formed as a cylindrical surface having a smaller radius than the inner surface of the side wall 91b. The inner piece 95 is arranged such that the minimum gap between the head 95a and the side wall 91b is about 1 to 10 mm. The scraper 96 is a container 91
Is installed at a minute interval of about 1 mm with respect to the inner surface of the side wall 91b. Here, the scraper 96 is arranged in the opposite direction to the inner piece 95,
As shown in FIG. 11, the scraper 96 may be arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the inner piece 95.

A thermocouple 104 is provided inside the scraper 96, and the thermocouple 104 penetrates the outer cylinder 94,
It is guided to a control device (not shown) from a take-out port 94a provided at the upper part of the outer cylinder. The outlet 94a is also sealed.

The compounding section 34 has a driving section 105. The driving unit 105 is configured to accommodate the container 91, and the flange 105 a provided on the outside of the upper end is
2 is in contact with the lower surface of the peripheral portion. Lid 9 by bolt 97
2 is accommodated in the drive unit 105 and the lid 92 is
The container 91 is fixed to the driving unit 105 by connecting the and the flange 105a with bolts (not shown). At this time, the bottom of the container 91 is in close contact with the inner bottom surface of the driving unit 105.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driving section 105 is connected to a motor 106 installed inside the table 21 and is rotated by receiving a driving force from the motor 106.
When the driving unit 105 rotates, the container 91 fixed thereto also rotates.

A flow path 107 for passing a liquid is formed inside the driving section 105. For example, by flowing cold water or hot water through the flow path 107, the container 91 can be cooled or heated, and the temperature inside the container 91 can be adjusted.

When the shutters 41 and 42 shown in FIG. 6 are opened, the granular material is supplied from the raw material feeding section 33 to the compounding section 34, passes through the inner cylinder 93, and is stored in the container 91 from the lower end thereof. After all the granules in the raw material supply unit 31 are accommodated in the container 91, the shutter 42 is closed to start compounding of the granules.
Is performed in a vacuum state, or after the vacuum state, the air supply device 15 is further filled with a desired gas.

When the motor 106 is driven to rotate the container 91, the powder inside the container is pressed against the inner surface of the side wall 91b by centrifugal force, and rotates in a thick layer together with the side wall 91b. The inner piece 95 is fixedly connected to the inner cylinder 93, and the powder enters between the head 95a and the side wall 91b. The surface 95b of the head 95a facing the side wall 91b is formed in a cylindrical surface having a smaller radius than the radius of the inner surface of the side wall, so that the path of the granular material gradually narrows. For this reason, the pressure in the radial direction of the container 91 and the shearing force in the circumferential direction act on the granular material. These forces cause friction between the particles, and the particles are composited.

The granular material that has passed between the head 95a and the container side wall 91b is scraped off from the side wall 91b by a scraper 96 fixed to the outer cylinder 94. The scraped-off particles are scattered and mixed with each other with the force of collision with the scraper 96, and are again mixed with the side wall 91 by centrifugal force.
b. In this way, the composite and mixing of the powder and granules proceed.

The degree of compounding can be easily adjusted by the rotation speed and rotation time of the container 91. In addition, by monitoring the output of the thermocouple 104 and adjusting the temperature or the amount of the heating or cooling liquid flowing to the driving unit 105, the inside of the container can be set to a desired temperature. The degree of compounding can be controlled.

If the inside of the container 91 is evacuated to form a composite of the granular material, the oxidation of the surface of the granular material by air can be completely prevented. In addition, it is possible to prevent components in the air from being taken in between the particles. Even when the inside of the container 91 is filled with an inert gas such as argon to perform compounding, deterioration of the surface of the granular material due to oxidation or the like is prevented. When a large amount of oxygen is put into the container 91 to perform the compounding, the oxidation of the surface of the granular material is promoted more than when the compounding is performed in the air. If highly reactive gas such as hydrogen or hydrogen chloride is mixed, for example, the surface of the metal powder can be modified.

After completion of the compounding, the raw material supply section 31, the raw material sieve section 32 and the raw material
3 is returned to normal pressure, the clamp 82 of the connecting portion 36 is removed, and the connection between the raw material feeding portion 33 and the compounding portion 34 is released. Also, the connecting portions 39 and 40 are removed to remove the raw material supply portion 31 and the raw material feeding portion 33.
From the tubes 37, 38 connected to the degassing device 14 and the air supply device 15. Then, the support arm 26 is rotated to retract the raw material supply unit 31, the raw material sieve unit 32, and the raw material supply unit 33 from a position above the compounding unit 34.

Further, the lid 92 of the compounding section 34 and the driving section 1
After disconnecting the connection unit 05, the crane 25 lifts the upper structure of the composite unit 34 including the container 91. Crane 2
5 is moved, and the upper structure of the composite section 34 is placed on the molding device 12 as shown by the dotted lines in FIGS.
During this time, since the shutter 42 is closed, the inside of the container 91 is kept in the same vacuum or in a state filled with a desired gas as when the compounding was performed.

The molding device 12 is provided with the composite powder and granular material supply section 11.
1. It is composed of a granular sieve section 112 and a forming section 113. The molding device 12 is provided with operation rods 121, 122, 123, and 124 for manually operating the inside from outside. Each operation rod is held in the apparatus by a sealing mechanism, and the airtightness of the molding apparatus 12 is maintained even during operation. Pipes 125 and 126 are connected to the composite powder supply unit 111 and the forming unit 113, respectively. The pipes 125 and 126 are branched and connected to the deaerator 14 and the air supply unit 15, respectively.

The powder supply unit 111 and the powder sieve unit 112 are provided with windows 127 and 128 having transparent glass plates for observing the inside from outside and assisting manual operation, respectively. I have. Windows 127, 128 are also sealed. A window is also provided in the molding part 113, but is not shown in FIGS.

FIG. 9 shows the internal structure of the molding apparatus 12. The powder supply unit 111 has a cylindrical shape, and a flange 131 is formed at an upper end thereof. The upper structure of the composite unit 34 is mounted on the powder supply unit 111 such that the peripheral edge of the lid 92 abuts on the flange 131, and the lid 92 and the flange 1
31 are connected by bolts 132. Flange 13
An O-ring 133 is provided on the upper surface of 1, and the upper end of the granular material supply unit 111 is sealed by the upper structure of the composite unit 34.

After the lid 92 has been connected to the flange 131, the deaerator 14 or, in addition thereto, the air supply device 15,
The inside of the molding apparatus 12 is filled with the same vacuum or a desired gas as at the time of compounding.

A lift 134 is provided at a position opposing the inner surface of the powder supply unit 111, and the lift 134 is provided with a holder 135 for holding the container 91 by engaging with the flange 91 a of the container 91. ing. When the bolts 97 (FIG. 8) connecting the container 91 to the lid 92 are loosened while the flange 91a and the holder 135 are engaged, the container 91 is held only by the holder 135. At this time, bolt 9
7 is not removed from the case 98 provided on the lid 92. As described above, the case 98 has a closed mechanism,
Even after the container 91 comes off the lid 92, the airtightness of the molding device 12 is maintained.

The holder 135 is configured to be moved up and down by the lift 134 and to be gradually rotated during the descent. Thereby, the container 91 rotates around the diameter,
The stored composite powder starts to fall. At this time,
The amount of the compounded powder particles falling from the container 91 is adjusted by the operation rod 121. A funnel 136 is provided below the powder supply unit 111, and the dropped composite powder is collected by the funnel 136.

The granular material sieve section 112 includes a filter 141,
The cylinder 142 mounted on the filter 141, the fixed cylinder 143 whose inner surface is in contact with the outer surface of the cylinder 142, the coil spring 144 for urging the cylinder 142 downward, the supporter 145 supporting the filter 141, and the outside of the molding device 12. 146, a rotating shaft 147 that rotates by receiving the driving force of the motor 146, and a cam 148 that is attached to the rotating shaft 147 and moves the support 145 up and down. These have the same configuration as the raw material sieve section 32 of the compounding apparatus 11, and perform the same operation. The rotation shaft 147 penetrates the device side wall via the sealing mechanism 149.

The composite powder particles falling from the funnel 136 enter the cylinder 142. By vibrating the filter 141 and the cylinder 142 up and down, even if the composite powder is a lump, the lump is broken. The particles separated from each other fall through the filter 141.

A cup 150 is provided below the filter 141.
Is provided, and accommodates the composite powder particles dropped from the filter 141. The cup 150 is connected to the operation rod 122 and is turned upside down by manual operation from outside. By this operation, it is possible to adjust the amount of the composite powder given to the next molding unit 113.

The forming part 113 includes a funnel 151, a lower mold frame 152 having a flange 152a formed on the upper end outside and fixedly installed, a lower mold 153 which is in close contact with the inner surface of the lower mold frame 152 and is movable up and down, and horizontal. Upper mold 1 that can be moved in any direction
54, and a fixedly installed die holder 155 with which the upper surface of the upper die 154 contacts. The upper mold 154 is retracted from a position above the lower mold 153 shown by the operation rod 124. The composite powder is supplied from the cup 150 with the upper mold 154 retracted. The supplied composite granules are guided into the lower mold frame 152 by the funnel 151. Thereafter, the upper mold 154 is returned to a position above the lower mold 153.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
A pressurizing device 156 is provided below the lower mold 153, and the lower mold 153 is pushed up by a pressurizing rod 156a which is a part of the pressurizing device 156. The composite powder granules contained in the lower mold frame 152 are compressed by the lower mold 153 and the upper mold 154 to form a compact. After the molding, the upper mold 154 is retracted, and the upper end surface of the lower mold 153 is set at the same height as the upper surface of the flange 152a.

In the molding apparatus 12, the supply amount of the composite powder to the powder sieve 112 and the powder sieve 11
It is possible to arbitrarily adjust the supply amount of the composite powder from 2 to the molding unit 113, and the composite powder 11 is divided not by molding all at once but by dividing it. Can be molded. A large number of compacts can be obtained from uniform composite powders of the same quality by compounding a large amount of the granules in advance and molding them little by little.

As shown in FIG. 3, the forming section 113 and the baking apparatus 13 are connected by a large-diameter connecting pipe 161, and the connecting pipe 161 is used to individually maintain the airtightness of the forming apparatus 12 and the baking apparatus 13. Shutter 162 is provided. The shutter 162 is closed when the upper structure of the composite unit 34 is fixed to the molding device 12.

On the extension of the center line of the connecting pipe 161, a transfer rod 164 penetrating the side wall of the baking apparatus 13 via a sealing mechanism 163 is provided. A guide 165 is fixed parallel to the center line. The end of the transfer rod 164 is provided with a handle 164a in contact with the guide 165. By moving the handle 164a along the guide 165, the transfer rod 1
Reference numeral 64 moves on the center line of the connecting pipe 161.

A tube 166 is connected to the baking device 13, and the tube 166 branches off to form the deaerator 14 and the air supply device 1.
5 is connected. An operation bar 167 for manually operating the inside from the outside and a window 168 for observing the inside are provided at an upper portion of the baking apparatus 13. Operation stick 167
Penetrates the upper wall of the apparatus via a sealing mechanism 169, and the window 168 is also sealed.

FIG. 10 shows the inside of the baking apparatus 13 and the forming section 113. The firing device 13 has a double structure,
At the center, a cylindrical heater 171 is provided. The heater 171 has a lid 172a that can be opened and closed by an external operation.
And housed in a box 172 having a heat reflection plate inside. Inside the heater 171, a tray 173 for placing the molded body is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, a motor 174 is provided below the firing device 13.
The tray 173 is fixed to the upper end of a lift 175 that moves up and down by the motor 174.

A transfer tray 176 is fixed to the end of the transfer rod 164 described above. When the transfer rod 164 is pushed in with the lid 172a of the box 172 opened and the shutter 162 opened, the transfer tray 176 enters the forming part 113 through the connecting pipe 161 and reaches the flange 152a of the lower mold frame 152. At this time, the upper surface of the transfer tray 176 is at the same height as the upper surface of the flange 152a. Operation stick 1 in this state
The molded body is pressed by 24, and the molded body is transferred from above the lower mold 153 to the transfer tray 176 via the upper surface of the flange 152a.

Thereafter, the transfer bar 164 is pulled to move the transfer tray 176 to a position above the tray 173, and the tray 173 is raised until it comes into contact with the lower surface of the transfer tray 176. The compact is not moved by the operation rod 167, the transfer bar 164 is further pulled, the transfer tray 176 is pulled out from between the compact and the tray 173, and the compact is placed on the tray 173. Next, the tray 173 is lowered and the lid 172a is closed. In this way, the formed body is
2 is transferred into the heater 171 of the firing device 13.

Prior to the transfer of the compact, the deaerator 1
4 or in addition to this, the inside of the baking device 13 is filled with the same vacuum or a desired gas as during compounding and molding by the air supply device 15. In addition, heater 1
The shutter 162 is closed before power is supplied to 71 and firing is performed.

According to the above-described molded body transfer mechanism, the molded body can be transferred while maintaining the inside of the forming apparatus 12 and the baking apparatus 13 in a vacuum or a desired atmosphere. Moreover, since no large force is applied to the molded body, the molded body is not deformed or damaged. Molding device 12
And the transfer to the baking apparatus 13 may be performed a plurality of times, and baking may be performed with a plurality of formed bodies placed on the tray 173. The fired bodies obtained in this manner are of the same quality, and the characteristics do not vary.

In the firing, the temperature of the compact becomes high and the reactivity of the surface of the powder becomes high. The reaction can be prevented. When baking is performed in an active atmosphere in the baking apparatus 13, the surface of the granular material easily reacts with gas molecules. Thereby, the molded body can be modified.

As described above, the processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment comprises the steps of:
The step of forming the composite powder and granules by the forming apparatus 12 and the step of firing the formed body by the firing apparatus 13 can be performed in exactly the same atmosphere other than air. Composite device 1
1, the internal atmosphere of the molding apparatus 12 and the firing apparatus 13 can be set individually, and the respective steps of compounding, molding and firing may be performed in different atmospheres as needed.

Although not shown in FIG.
The forming device 12 and the baking device 13 are provided with a barometer for detecting the internal pressure, and the degree of vacuum or the atmospheric pressure can be set independently of each other. Furthermore, the inside of each device can be set to 1 atm or more, and the steps of compounding and firing may be performed in a pressurized state. When the pressure is applied, the reaction between the powder and the granular material and the gas molecules is promoted when the compounding or firing is performed in an active atmosphere.

As the compounding device, in addition to the above-mentioned devices, a medium mill such as a vibration mill, a rolling mill, and a planetary mill, and a stirring type pulverizer for applying an impact force or a frictional force can also be used. An appropriate material may be used in consideration of the type of the powdery material and the degree of complexation to be achieved.

[0081]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the granular material can be compounded, molded, and fired in a vacuum or in any constant atmosphere other than air. Thus, it is possible to obtain a processed product having properties different from those when performing compounding, molding and firing. When performed in air, the properties of the processed product vary from lot to lot depending on the degree of reaction between the granular material and air, but if the atmosphere is vacuum or an inert atmosphere, the properties of the processed product will not vary. It is possible to stably obtain a processed product having the same properties. In a vacuum, the surface of the granular material is highly purified, and the granular material comes into direct contact with each other to promote compounding. By firing while maintaining this cleanliness, bonding at the grain boundary A sintered body having good properties can be obtained.

In an active atmosphere, the powder reacts with molecules in the atmosphere, which appears in the properties of the processed product. Therefore, by changing the composition of the atmosphere, processed products having different properties can be obtained using the same raw material powder. The properties of the obtained processed product are affected by the degree of compounding, the degree of firing, and the like, in addition to the raw material composition of the granular material itself. Will join. Accordingly, the properties of the obtained processed product are various, and the range of selection of the processing conditions for obtaining the processed product having the same properties is widened.

In the powder and grain processing apparatus according to the second aspect, the degree of compounding can be controlled very easily by adjusting the rotation speed and rotation time of the container. Therefore, it is easy to adjust the properties of the composited granules, and it is easy to obtain a processed product having desired properties in combination with the adjustment by setting the atmosphere. Moreover, it is possible to perform compounding with a simple device configuration.

In the powder and granule processing apparatus according to the third aspect, from the compounding section to the molding section, the compounding section and the molding section are separate bodies, but the compounding and molding can be performed without exposing the powder and granules to air. By forming the composite part and the molding part separately, the degree of freedom in designing the processing apparatus is increased, and it becomes easier to cope with restrictions due to environmental conditions such as the size of a room where the apparatus is installed. In addition, since the dissipation of the granules in the molding section is prevented, there is no loss of the granules or contamination of the molding section. Further, in order to form uniform powders after sieving, when the powders after compounding are partly formed, the amount of powders used for molding can be made substantially constant, A homogeneous molded body can be obtained.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since all the steps from compounding to firing are performed in a vacuum or in an atmosphere other than air, a processed product free from deterioration by air can be obtained. In the case of an active atmosphere, the surface of the granular material reacts with gas molecules in the atmosphere, so that processed products having different properties can be obtained depending on the atmosphere. For example, a reducing action in a hydrogen atmosphere can be used.

According to the method for processing a granular material according to the fifth aspect, the degree of compounding of the granular material can be easily adjusted. Also,
In the compounding step, by mixing the granules, the surfaces of the granules are easily exposed to the atmosphere, and the reaction between the granules and gas molecules in the atmosphere is promoted when the atmosphere is activated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a raw material supply unit.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the configuration of a raw material sieve section.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a configuration from a lower part of a raw material sieve part to an upper part of a compounding part.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a configuration of a shutter.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of the composite unit.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a configuration of a molding apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a configuration of a forming unit and a baking apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a main part of a conventional compounding apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 processing device 11 compounding device 12 forming device 13 firing device 14 degassing device 14a vacuum pump 15 air supply device 15a gas cylinder 15b gas mixer 21 units 22 support column 25 crane 26 support arm 31 raw material supply unit 32 raw material sieve unit 33 raw material supply Feeding part 34 Composite part 36 Connecting part 37, 38 Tube 41, 42 Shutter 56 Cup 61 Filter 75 Shutter plate 82 Clamp 91 Container 91b Side wall 92 Lid 93 Inner cylinder 94 Outer cylinder 95 Inner piece 95a Head 95b Head surface 96 Scraper 111 Composite Powdered granule supply unit 112 Granular material sieve unit 113 Molding unit 125, 126 Tube 152 Lower mold frame 153 Lower mold 154 Upper mold 161 Connecting tube 162 Shutter 171 Heater 173 Tray 176 Transfer tray

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Agency reference number FI Technical display location C04B 35/64 C04B 35/64 Z

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A composite section for applying a mechanical force to a granular material to composite the granular material, a molding section for forming the composite granular material into a molded product having a predetermined shape, and firing the molded product. A granule processing apparatus comprising: a baking unit; and an atmosphere setting unit that sets the composite unit, the forming unit, and the baking unit to the same atmosphere other than vacuum or air. Processing equipment. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the compounding unit includes a container having a cylindrical side wall and rotating in a circumferential direction of the side wall, a container disposed near an inner surface of the side wall, and a surface facing the side wall and an inner surface of the side wall. And a second fixing member whose edge is substantially in contact with the inner surface of the side wall, and which is accommodated in the container by the rotation of the container. The force is applied between the side wall and the first fixing member by pressing the powder against the side wall and the first fixing member while pressing the powder against the side wall by centrifugal force. The apparatus for processing a granular material according to claim 1, wherein the granular material is composited by repeatedly separating the passed granular material from the side wall by the second fixing member. 3. The compounding part and the molding part are formed separately, the compounding part has an opening at an upper part and accommodates powder and granules to perform compounding, and the container A lid that is coupled to the lid and seals the opening, wherein the molding unit accommodates a container coupled to the lid and has a container storage chamber having an opening at an upper part that is closed by the lid, and the container storage chamber A container holder for holding the accommodated container, tilting the container separated from the lid to drop the powder and granules in the container, a first funnel for receiving the powder and particles falling from the container, A sieve that receives the granules falling from the first funnel and sieves the granules off by vibration; a second funnel that receives the granules falling from the sieve and guides the granules into a mold; The granule according to claim 1, further comprising a pressurizing machine for pressurizing the granule. Of the processing apparatus. 4. A compounding step of applying a mechanical force to the granules to compound the granules, a forming step of forming the compounded granules into a predetermined shape, and firing the formed body In the method for processing a granular material in which the firing step is sequentially performed, from the start of the compounding step to the end of the firing step,
A method for processing a granular material, which is performed in a vacuum or in the same atmosphere other than air. 5. A container having a cylindrical side wall containing a granular material, and rotating the container in a circumferential direction of the side wall, thereby pressing the granular material against the side wall by centrifugal force. The space between the inner surface and the fixing member provided so as to gradually narrow along the rotation direction of the container is applied between the fixing member and the side wall to apply a force to the granular material, and substantially contacts the inner surface of the side wall. The method for processing a granular material according to claim 4, wherein the granular material is composited by repeating the separation of the granular material from the side wall by the separating member provided as described above.