JPH1143705A - Method or continuously firing long plate-like material and continuous burning device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fire method which can continuously and stably bake a brittle long plate-like materiel, and a fire device. SOLUTION: The continuos firing method of a long plate-like material, is executed by wile continuously descending the long plate-like material from the upper side to the lower side of an inclined sliding surface inclined to the horizontal plane. Further, the continuous firing device of the long plate-like material, is provided with a furnace body 112 having the inclined sliding surface 122 therein inclined to the horizontal plate, a pay-out means 201 of the long plate-like material 1C arranged at the upper side of the furnace body 112 and continuously paying out the long plate-like material to the inclined sliding surface in the furnace body and a driving means 30 for descending the long plate- like material on the inclined sliding surface of the furnace body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for continuously firing a brittle long plate-like body such as a foamed molded article containing metal powder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art First, as a method of obtaining a porous metal plate having a large degree of freedom in metal composition and a large specific surface area, the present inventors prepared a foamable slurry containing metal powder, and prepared this slurry. We developed a manufacturing method of forming into a plate, drying and firing.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In this method,
After drying, the dried plate-shaped molded product (green sheet) is fired, called degreasing, and then sintered to produce a porous sintered metal plate. This green sheet is brittle and has a length of about 30% during firing. There is a characteristic that it may shrink to some extent. Therefore, handling during firing is not easy, and cracking may occur due to shrinkage during firing. And it is difficult to continuously burn a long plate-like body, and it is difficult to obtain a large-area porous sintered metal plate.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a firing method and a firing apparatus capable of continuously and stably firing a brittle long plate-like body.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method of continuously lowering a long plate-like body from the upper side to the lower side of an inclined sliding surface inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. Provided is a method for continuously firing a long plate-like body, which is characterized by firing.

Further, the present invention provides a firing furnace having an inclined sliding surface which is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and a plate which is located on the upper side of the firing furnace and has a long plate shape with respect to the inclined sliding surface of the firing furnace. A long plate-like body feeding means for continuously feeding the body; and a driving means for lowering the long plate-like body on the inclined sliding surface of the firing furnace, which is provided below the firing furnace. A continuous baking device for a long plate-like body characterized by the above feature.

According to the method of firing a long plate-like body of the present invention, the long plate-like body is fired while continuously descending from an upper side to a lower side of an inclined sliding surface inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. Yes, the long plate-like body supported on the inclined sliding surface reduces the apparent frictional resistance to the inclined sliding surface, and the friction with the inclined sliding surface becomes very small or negative. The frictional resistance with the inclined sliding surface can be reduced to such an extent that it slides down naturally or slips down the inclined sliding surface with a slight downward force. In this state, even if the length of the long plate is reduced by about 30% due to firing and tension is generated in the long plate, little friction force is applied to the long plate. Therefore, if the contracted portion is fed out and replenished, an unreasonable force is not applied to the elongated plate, so that the elongated plate is less likely to be cut. As a result, the long plate-shaped body can be continuously fired stably.

The long plate-like body firing apparatus of the present invention can realize such a long plate-like body firing method, and has an inclined sliding surface capable of supporting the long plate-like body with low friction. Above the inclined sliding surface, a long plate-like body is continuously fed out to the inclined sliding surface to supply the long plate-like body to the firing furnace, and a feeding means for replenishing the shrinkage, and a feeding means below the inclined sliding surface. Is provided with a driving means for applying a tensile force in a direction in which the elongated plate-like body after the firing step is pulled out of the firing furnace. Therefore, it is possible to fire the long plate-shaped body so as not to apply a tensile stress as much as possible, and to continuously fire without giving a force to cut the long plate-shaped body as much as possible. Can be.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a basic configuration of a baking apparatus for a long plate-like body of the present invention. The baking apparatus 100 includes a furnace body 111 in which both ends of a rectangular tube are closed by closing plates 111a and 111b.
The furnace body 111 is supported by two furnace body inclination angle adjusting mechanisms 113 and 115, and is installed so as to be inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. A heater (not shown) is provided in the furnace body 111.

[0010] Both end closing plates 111a, 111 of the furnace body 111
b, a plate-like carrying-in port 117 and a carrying-out port 119, respectively.
Are opened, and these carry-in port 117 and carry-out port 119 are provided.
The furnace hearth plate 121 is supported by the above. The hearth plate 121 functions as a hearth for slidingly moving the long plate-like body on the upper surface thereof. For example, the hearth plate 121 is made of a heat-resistant material having a small friction coefficient, such as carbon or boron nitride, Alternatively, it is preferable to use a heat-resistant material having a surface coated with such a material, such as a carbon plate having a boron nitride film formed on the surface. The hearth plate 121 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane together with the inclination of the furnace body 111, and the upper surface thereof is an inclined sliding surface 122 for slidingly moving the long plate-like body 1C.

In the extension direction of the hearth plate 121 at the outlet 119 of the furnace body 111, a pair of drive rollers 311, 3
12 are arranged, and the driving rollers 311 and 312 are
This is driving means for rolling the long plate-like body 1D after the firing step, applying a tensile force to the long plate-like body 1C in the furnace, and sending it out of the furnace. The furnace body 111 is provided with a gas inlet pipe 123 on the furnace body outlet side and a gas discharge pipe 125 on the furnace body inlet side so as to penetrate the furnace body in order to adjust the gas atmosphere inside the furnace body. A gas for adjusting the atmosphere during firing of the shaped body is sent into the furnace. Further, a curtain gas introduction pipe 127 for supplying a gas such as nitrogen gas is disposed at the carry-out port 119, and the air around the carry-out port 119 is replaced with the curtain gas to prevent external air from entering the furnace. This prevents air from entering the atmosphere inside the furnace.

The inclination angle θ of the inclined sliding surface 122 with respect to the horizontal plane is determined by the sintering temperature, the strength of the plate, the density of the plate, the total weight of the plate on the inclined sliding surface, the inclined sliding surface. The frictional resistance varies depending on the coefficient of friction of the plate-like body, etc., but is not particularly limited, but the frictional resistance is reduced to a state where the plate-like body on the inclined sliding surface slides down naturally or stays in friction or barely stays. Is preferred. As a result, the resistance of the plate-like body on the inclined slide surface when sliding on the inclined slide surface is reduced, and the plate-like body associated with the sliding movement accompanying the transport of the plate-like body and the shrinkage due to firing. The resistance to sliding movement is almost eliminated, so that the tensile force applied to the plate-like body is extremely small, and even if the plate-like body is brittle, it is possible to prevent the plate-like body from breaking midway. Specifically, it is desirable to finely adjust the furnace body tilt angle adjusting mechanism 113 so as to tilt the furnace body at an angle such that the apparent frictional resistance, that is, the static friction coefficient is in the range of −0.1 to 0.05.

A method of continuously firing a long plate-like body using such a firing apparatus will be described. When a tensile stress to be fired is given, a long plate-like body 1C that is easy to cut is fed out along the inclined sliding surface 122. The specific configuration of the long plate-like body 1C will be described later. Then, the plate-shaped body 1C is set so as to slide between the drive rollers 311 and 312 and to slide the plate-shaped body 1C from the carry-in port 117 side to the carry-out port 119 side by the rotation of the drive roller. At this time, the inclination θ of the inclined sliding surface 122 is set so that the friction between the plate-shaped body and the inclined sliding surface is minimized. During the firing, the inclination may be finely adjusted as appropriate. FIG. 1 shows a plate-like body 1C.
Is not shown, but for example, a method of feeding the plate from a roller wound with the plate can be adopted. At this time, the furnace is heated by supplying electricity to the heater so that the inside of the furnace has a predetermined firing temperature, and an atmosphere gas is introduced into the furnace through the atmosphere gas inlet 123 to replace the air in the furnace with the atmosphere gas. Keep it. Further, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is blown from the curtain gas inlet 127 to the carry-out port 119 to seal the air from the carry-out port 119 so that air does not enter the furnace.

By rotating the driving rollers 311 and 312 at a predetermined speed, the plate 1D is driven in the direction of being pulled out of the furnace, and the fired plate is rolled. At this time, the plate-shaped body 1C is continuously fed out from an unillustrated feeding device to the inclined sliding surface 122 in the furnace. The plate-like body carried into the furnace body 111 is fired at a predetermined temperature in the atmosphere inside the furnace body, but depending on the type of the plate-like body 1C, there is one that shrinks greatly due to firing. Therefore, if the plate-like body 1C, which is the sum of the speed sent out by the drive rollers 311, 312 and the speed contribution by the contraction, is continuously fed into the furnace body 111, the plate-like body 1C is supported on the inclined sliding surface. The plate-like body is pulled by the drive rollers 311, 312 on the sliding plate surface with almost no sliding resistance, and slides on the inclined sliding surface 122. Therefore, even if the plate-like body 1C which is easy to be cut when a tensile stress is applied, it can be fired with almost no tensile stress, and as a result, the brittle plate-like body 1C is continuously fired and the long plate-like fired body 1D Can be easily obtained.

In such an oblique firing furnace 100, it is important to compensate for the shrinkage in the furnace body without applying tensile stress to the long plate-like body. The sintering furnace shown in FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which a plate-shaped body supply mechanism and a fired plate-shaped body winding mechanism are added to the sintering furnace shown in FIG. In addition, the furnace body is also divided into two so that two-stage firing can be performed. 2, the same members as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

First, the feeding mechanism 201 of the plate-like body 1C of the oblique firing furnace 101 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. The roller 211 wound around the long plate-shaped body 1C is connected to, for example, a stepping motor or a servomotor, and its rotation is controlled by a motor control device (not shown). Furnace body 1
12, a plate-like floating mechanism 22
0 is set. The levitation mechanism 220 introduces compressed air into a flat box 224 having a large number of air holes 222 on the upper surface, and blows air upward from the air holes 222. After the plate-shaped body 1C is floated by the pressure of 1 and the plate-shaped body 1C is fed out from the feeding roller 211, the fragile plate-shaped body is supported by air before being put on the hearth plate 121 so that no stress is applied to the plate-shaped body. It has become. Further, immediately before the hearth plate 121, a friction plate 240 that supports the plate-like body 1C is provided. This friction plate is for adjusting the loading speed of the plate-shaped body by giving appropriate friction to the plate-shaped body depending on the material of the friction plate 240 and the contact area with the plate-shaped body. In this case, for example, if the apparatus is installed in a case where the thickness is 5 mm or more, the carrying-in speed can be easily adjusted. The material of the friction plate is, for example, zirconia, and the contact length with the friction plate can be about 5 to 20 cm. A first sensor 251 for detecting the height of the plate-like body 1C with a laser or the like is installed above the furnace body side of the levitation mechanism 220, and the plate-like body 1C with a laser or the like is placed directly above the feeding roller 211 side of the levitation mechanism 220. A second sensor 252 for detecting the height of the object is provided. The plate-like body 1C fed from the feed roller 211 passes over the second sensor 252, passes under the first sensor 251 and passes through the hearth plate 121.
It rides on the upper inclined sliding surface 122.

When the plate 1D is pulled by the drive rollers 311, 312 at the exit side of the furnace body 112, a tensile stress acts on the plate between the feeding roller 211 and the inside of the furnace body 112. 1C approaches the first sensor 251 side. The approach of the plate-like body 1C is detected by the first sensor 251 and the signal of this sensor is sent to the motor control means.
The control means drives a motor connected to the feed roller 211 to rotate the feed roller 211, and causes the plate-like body 1C to be fed from the feed roller 211. When this feeding operation proceeds, the feeding roller 2
Since the plate-shaped body 1C between the port 11 and the carry-in entrance 117 hangs down, the plate-shaped body 1C approaches the second sensor 252. The approach of the plate-like body 1C is detected by the second sensor 252, a signal is sent to the motor control means, and the rotation of the feeding roller 211 is stopped by operating the control device, thereby stopping the feeding operation. By such an intermittent operation, slack of the plate-like body 1C is always provided between the feeding roller 211 and the furnace body entrance 117, and the plate-like body 1C is not subjected to a tensile force as much as possible, and the plate-like body is fired. The plate-like body 1C can be supplied by supplementing the 1D transport speed and the shrinkage due to the firing of the plate-like body. In addition, the floating mechanism 220 allows the plate-like body 1C to be stably supplied into the furnace body 112 even when the plate-like body is fragile, because it can be put on the hearth plate 121 from the feeding roller 211 without touching the object. It has become.

On the other hand, in the winding mechanism 301 for the fired plate-shaped body 1D, the plate-shaped body is wound up by a winding roller 315 connected to rotation control means such as a servo motor (not shown). . Take-up roller 31
Between the drive roller 31 and the drive rollers 311, 312
The first roller 317 and the second roller 319 from the sides 1 and 312
Are rotatably disposed above the driving rollers 311, 312 and the winding roller 315. The first roller 317 rotates in conjunction with the driving rollers 311, 312,
The second roller 319 idles. The fired plate-like body 1D extruded by the driving rollers 311, 312 is
Once raised, the first roller 317 and the second roller 319
After being conveyed above, it descends and is taken up by the take-up roller 315. Further, between the first roller 317 and the second roller 319, in order to buffer the winding, the sheet is transported so that the slack portion 1D 'is formed. Furthermore, the first
A third sensor 353 for detecting the height of the plate-like body drooping with a laser or the like above the plate-like body hanging down between the roller 317 and the second roller 319, and a lower height of the plate-like body similar to the lower side. A fourth sensor 354 for detecting the height is disposed.

When the feeding of the fired plate 1D by the drive rollers 311, 312 proceeds, the first roller 3
The drooping of the plate-shaped body 1D between the first roller 17 and the second roller 319 becomes large, so that the dropped plate-shaped body 1D is
Approach 4 The fourth sensor 354 detects the approach of the plate-shaped body 1D and sends a signal to the rotation control means of the winding roller, and the rotation control means rotates the winding roller 315 to start winding. As the winding by the winding roller 315 proceeds, the sag of the plate-like body 1C between the first roller 317 and the second roller 319 decreases, and the sagging bottom approaches the third sensor 353. The third sensor 353 detects this approach and takes up the winding roller 31.
5 is sent to the rotation control means, and the rotation control means
The take-up roller 31 receives a signal from the sensor 353.
Stop rotation of 5. Thus, the first roller 3
The hanging of the take-up roller 315 is performed by detecting the sag of the plate-shaped body 1D between the roller 17 and the second roller 319 by using a sensor and controlling the slack portion 1D 'of the plate-shaped body to be always present.
And the driving rollers 311 and 312 are adjusted so that tensile stress is not applied to the plate-shaped body 1D, so that the plate-shaped body 1D is prevented from being cut off and can be intermittently wound.

Further, the furnace body 112 has a cylindrical shape whose both ends are closed by an inlet closing plate 112a and an outlet closing plate 112b on the outlet side, and these closing plates have a carry-in port 117 and a carry-out port 119, respectively. Have been. The furnace body 112 has a built-in heater (not shown) such as a nichrome wire heater, a Mo heater, a Kanthal wire heater, and the like.
A tungsten heater or the like can be given. Further, a hearth plate 121 is supported across the carry-in port 117 and the carry-out port 119. The hearth plate 121 functions as a hearth for slidingly moving the long plate-shaped body 1C on its upper surface, and is made of a heat-resistant material having a small friction coefficient, such as carbon and boron nitride (BN). It is preferable to use a heat-resistant material having a surface coated with these materials, such as a carbon plate having a boron nitride film formed on the surface.

The both ends of the furnace body 112 can adjust the inclination angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane arbitrarily by using the inclination angle adjustment mechanism 113. Accordingly, the hearth plate 121 is also adjusted to the horizontal plane. The upper surface is an inclined sliding surface 122 for slidingly moving the long plate-like body.

In FIG. 2, the inside of the furnace body 112 is divided into two parts by a partition plate 130. The inlet side is, for example, a degreasing furnace 131 for performing degreasing, and the outlet side is a firing furnace 132 for performing sintering.
And the atmosphere gas inlets 135 and 137 and the outlets 139 and 14 so that the atmosphere can be adjusted.
1 are provided respectively. Further, heating heaters (not shown) corresponding to the respective firing temperatures and atmospheres can be incorporated in the furnace.

The carry-in port 117 and the carry-out port 119 of the furnace body 112
In order to prevent air from entering the inside of the furnace, curtain gas introduction pipes 128 and 129 for covering the periphery of each opening with a curtain gas such as nitrogen gas are installed toward each opening.

Next, a method for obtaining a long plate-shaped porous sintered metal plate as described below using the inclined firing furnace 101 will be described. The long plate-shaped porous sintered metal plate can be manufactured by a foaming slurry preparation step, a plate-like forming step, a foaming step, a drying step, a degreasing step, a sintering step, and the like. That is, a foaming slurry containing metal powder is prepared by slurry preparation means, formed into a plate shape, and foamed by the foaming means while continuously transporting the plate-like molded body to the subsequent step by the transportation means. After that, the resultant is dried by a drying means to obtain a long plate-like molded body. Then, the long plate-like molded body is continuously fired by using the oblique firing furnace of the present invention to obtain a long plate-like porous sintered metal plate.

First, a foamable slurry containing, for example, a metal powder, a water-soluble resin binder, a foaming agent, a surfactant, and water is prepared. The metal powder collects on the thin liquid walls that make up the fine bubbles in the foamable slurry. Then, when this is dried, it solidifies while maintaining the shape of the bubbles together with the water-soluble resin binder (binder). When this is fired, the binder disappears and the metal powders sinter together to obtain a porous sintered metal plate having a foamed three-dimensional network structure having a bubble shape. Further, since the three-dimensional network structure constituting the porous sintered metal plate is formed by sintering metal powder, the skeleton itself is porous, and therefore, the specific surface area is very large.

Since there is a high degree of freedom in the composition of the metal powder that can be used, and all metals that can be powdered and sintered can be used, various types can be selected and various types of metals can be mixed. It is also possible. The type of the metal powder used for the foaming slurry is not particularly limited, and for example, all metals and alloys to be sintered such as nickel, copper, iron, SUS, chromium, cobalt, gold, and silver can be used. The average particle diameter of the metal powder is 500 μm or less, especially 0.5 to
A range of 100 μm is preferred. When the average particle diameter is smaller than 0.5 μm, there is a risk of reacting with water at the time of preparing the slurry and causing ignition. On the other hand, when the average particle diameter is larger than 500 μm, the strength of the resulting porous sintered metal plate becomes too weak. There is. The mixing amount of the metal powder in the slurry is 5 to 80% (% by weight, the same applies hereinafter), particularly 30 to 80%.
% Is desirable.

The water-soluble resin binder has a function of maintaining the shape of the porous molded body when the slurry is dried. It also functions as a viscosity modifier for the slurry. Examples of the water-soluble resin binder include methylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose ammonium, ethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol and the like. The compounding amount of the water-soluble resin binder is 0.5 to 20.
%, Particularly preferably in the range of 2 to 10%. If the amount is less than 0.5%, the strength of the dried molded article is weak, which may hinder handling. On the other hand, if it is more than 20%,
The viscosity may be too high to make molding difficult.

The foaming agent may be any compound as long as it can generate gas to form bubbles, and may be selected from a compound which decomposes at a certain temperature to generate gas, a volatile organic solvent, and the like. As a volatile organic solvent, for example, carbon number 5
8 hydrocarbon-based organic solvents. Such an organic solvent is liquid at room temperature, is volatile, forms micelles in a slurry by the action of a surfactant, and vaporizes at room temperature or under heating to form fine bubbles. Carbon number 5
Examples of the hydrocarbon organic solvent of Nos. To 8 include pentane,
Neopentane, hexane, isohexane, isoheptane, benzene, octane, toluene and the like can be mentioned. The compounding amount of the foaming agent is 0.05 to 10%, particularly 0.1%.
A range of 5 to 5% is preferred. If the blending amount is less than 0.05%, the generation of air bubbles may be insufficient and the porosity may not be increased. On the other hand, if the blending amount is more than 10%, the micelles may have a large diameter, resulting in a molded article. Since the diameter of the bubbles formed therein also increases, the strength of the obtained molded body and sintered body may decrease. In addition, instead of using a foaming agent, it is also possible to prepare a foamable slurry by a method of vigorously mixing a gas such as air.

The surfactant has a function of stabilizing the foaming state and forming micelles of the foaming agent. Examples of the surfactant include anionic surfactants such as alkylbenzene sulfonates, α-olefin sulfonates, alkyl sulfates, alkyl ether sulfates, and alkane sulfonates, polyethylene glycol derivatives, and polyhydric alcohol derivatives. And the like. The amount of the surfactant is 0.0
A range of 5 to 5%, particularly 0.5 to 3% is preferable. 0.0
When the amount is less than 5%, the formation of micelles becomes unstable, and it may be difficult to keep fine bubbles. On the other hand, when the amount is more than 5%, no further effect may be obtained.

The liquid medium used in the preparation of the slurry is not particularly limited as long as it can be volatilized into the atmosphere by heating at a high temperature and has a lower volatility and a higher boiling point than the foaming agent, and exhibits a liquid state at room temperature. Although not always, water is usually used from the viewpoint of cost, safety and the like.

The foaming slurry according to the present invention may contain, in addition to the above components, a plasticizer, a combustible agent for promoting pore formation, and the like. The plasticizer is for imparting plasticity to the molded article, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, sardine oil, rapeseed oil, oils such as olive oil, ethers such as petroleum ether, diethyl phthalate, Esters such as di-N-butyl phthalate, diethylhexyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, sorbitan monooleate, sorbitan trioleate, sorbitan palmitate, and sorbitan stearate can be exemplified. The amount of the plasticizer is 0.1
The range is preferably from 15% to 15%, particularly preferably from 2% to 10%. If the amount is less than 0.1%, the plasticizing action may be insufficient, while if it is more than 15%, the strength of the molded article may be insufficient.

The combustible agent for promoting pore formation is intended to promote the formation of pores by disappearing during firing of the dried molded article. Therefore, it is possible to select a material which maintains its shape such as powder or fiber and disappears during firing. Specifically, a powdery material having a length of about 0.1 to 200 μm, a length of 200 μm or less, preferably 30 to 12 μm
A fibrous material of about 0 μm is preferred. Examples of the material include pulp, cotton, lint, corn starch, carboxymethyl cellulose, water-insoluble cellulose fibers, polyvinyl butyral resin, polyvinyl resin, acrylic resin, and polyethylene resin.

The foamable slurry according to the present invention can be obtained by mixing the above components. in this case,
The order of mixing is not limited, but it is preferable to mix the blowing agent last to limit foaming as much as possible during mixing. When the slurry foams, the viscosity of the slurry decreases and the moldability deteriorates.However, the time from the addition of the foaming agent to the foaming of the slurry can be controlled by the type, amount and temperature of the foaming agent. This can be controlled appropriately and molding can be performed while the fluidity is maintained. The viscosity of the slurry is 20,000 c
ps to 70000 cps, especially 30,000 to 5
A range of 5000 cps is preferred. If the viscosity is lower than 20,000 cps, the foamed structure may collapse during drying. On the other hand, if the viscosity is higher than 70000 cps, the viscosity may be too large to make molding difficult.

Next, the foamable slurry thus prepared is formed into a plate. The molding method is not particularly limited,
The doctor blade method is suitable. FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of a continuous molding device having this doctor blade device. This device has a carrier sheet 10 consisting of a belt wound around a first roll 20 and a second roll 21 with a drive. On this sheet 10, foamable slurry is applied. A release agent application device 11, a slurry reservoir 30, a foaming zone 40, and a drying zone 50 are provided in this order from the first roll 20 side to the second roll 21 side.

The release agent applying device 11 includes a release agent reservoir 12, a doctor blade 13 for applying a release agent, and a release agent dryer 14 in this order from the first roll 20 side. Release agent reservoir 12
Is in the shape of a rectangular box in contact with the upper surface of the carrier sheet 10 near the first roll 20, and a wall of the release agent reservoir 12 on the side of the carrier sheet 10 traveling direction is separated from the carrier sheet with an adjustable gap. The doctor blade 13 is provided, and the thickness of the coating film of the release agent R is
It is adjusted by the gap between the carrier sheet 3 and the carrier sheet 10. When the prepared release agent R such as a fluororesin dispersion liquid is put into the release agent reservoir 12 and the carrier sheet 10 is transported,
The release agent R is composed of the doctor blade 13 and the carrier sheet 1.
It is extruded from the gap of 0 to form a coating film having a predetermined thickness, and this coating film is carried to the carrier sheet 10 and moves to the next release agent dryer 14. The release agent dryer 14 dries and solidifies the release agent coating film formed on the carrier sheet 10 in the previous step, and for example, a hot air dryer, a far infrared dryer, or the like can be used. The release agent coating thus formed is used as a release agent for the porous sintered metal plate, and can be eliminated by baking simultaneously with sintering. The reason for forming the release agent coating film in this manner is to easily separate the dry molded body 1C from the carrier sheet 10.

The slurry reservoir 30 has a rectangular box shape in contact with the upper surface of the carrier sheet in the vicinity of the first roll 20. The wall of the slurry reservoir 30 on the carrier sheet traveling direction side has an adjustable gap with the carrier sheet. A doctor blade 60 that is separated from the carrier sheet 10 is provided, and the thickness of the molded body 1A is adjusted by a gap between the doctor blade 60 and the carrier sheet 10. When the foamable slurry S prepared is put in the slurry reservoir 30 and the carrier sheet 10 is transported, the foamable slurry S is extruded from the gap between the doctor blade 60 and the carrier sheet 10 and is formed into a plate-like shape having a predetermined thickness. The plate-shaped formed body 1A is conveyed to the carrier sheet 10 and moves to the next foaming zone 40. Before developing the slurry, the carrier sheet 1
It is also possible to apply a release agent such as a urethane paint to the surface of No. 0 and dry it to form a release agent coating film.

As the doctor blade 60, FIG.
It is more preferable to use two blades 60A and 60B as shown in FIG. This is because the two blades 60A, 60
B, large air bubbles are removed from the gap, and the large bubbles do not enter the plate-shaped molded product 1A extruded from the gap between the second blade 60B and the carrier sheet 10; This is because the thickness of the molded body 1A can be made uniform regardless of the height. In this case, carrier sheet 1
The gap G1 between the cutting edge of the first blade 60A on the upstream side and the carrier sheet is more preferably larger than the gap G2 between the cutting edge of the second blade 60B and the carrier sheet. Also, the first blade 60A and the second blade 6
The gap D of 0B is more preferably, for example, about 5 to 20 mm. Further, the gap G2 between the second blade 60B and the carrier sheet 10 is suitably in the range of 0.2 to 2 mm.

The foaming zone is a step for sufficiently completing foaming before the molded body is dried. If drying is performed immediately after molding, the surface of the molded article is dried first and a skin is formed, and foaming and evaporation of moisture inside the molded article are prevented, and foaming may be uneven. For this reason, it is preferable to provide a foaming zone between the molding zone and the drying zone.

The foaming condition is such that if the foam is dried at the same time as the foaming, cracks are likely to be formed on the surface of the molded product. Specifically, for example, when the slurry viscosity is 35
In the case of 000 cps or more, the humidity is 70% or more, preferably 90% or more. If the humidity is lower than 70%,
There is a possibility that foaming does not progress uniformly inside the molded body, or cracks are formed on the surface of the molded body during drying. The foaming temperature depends on the foaming agent used, but is usually 15 to 6
A temperature range of 5 ° C, especially 28-40 ° C, is preferred. If the foaming temperature is lower than 15 ° C., foaming may take, for example, 2 hours or more, and if it exceeds 65 ° C., the molded body may be excessively foamed and collapsed. The foaming time is usually in the range of 10 to 45 minutes.

The foamed molded product 1B foamed in the foaming zone 40 is conveyed to a drying zone 50 provided with a dryer, where it is dried to obtain a dried molded product 1C. Air bubbles before drying are maintained by the presence of the water film. At this time, the slurry aggregates at the interface between the bubbles and forms a skeletal structure (foam structure). If the water film is broken as it is, the slurry forming the skeleton flows, and the skeleton structure collapses. If dried so that such collapse does not occur, a molded article having a foam structure can be obtained. In order to dry as much as possible without causing collapse of the skeleton structure, it is necessary to dry quickly. Far-infrared drying is suitable for this. Further, in order to obtain a dry molded body having a desired foam structure without causing collapse of the skeleton structure as much as possible,
It is preferable to prepare a slurry composition such that the viscosity increases remarkably when water in the slurry evaporates slightly.

Specific conditions for the drying zone include, for example, far infrared rays, a heater temperature of 120 to 180 ° C., an ambient temperature of 40 to 80 ° C., and a drying time of 20 to 120 minutes. Thereby, the plate-shaped dry molded product 1C
Can be obtained. The thickness of the dry molded product 1C is usually 3 to 8 times the height of G2 in FIG. 4 due to foaming.

In the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.
By transporting the carrier sheet 10 on which C is placed while bending the carrier sheet 10 in the lower right-angle direction, the dried molded body (green sheet) 1C and the carrier sheet 10 are separated. The green sheet separated from the carrier sheet is taken up by a take-up roller (feeding roller in FIG. 2), and sent to the next baking step while being wound around the roller.

It is preferable that the step of firing such a long plate is a two-step process. The first stage is called degreasing, and is a step of volatilizing organic substances (such as a binder).
The second step is a step of sintering the metal powder. Also,
These steps are usually performed continuously on the same plane in order to reduce the time of very fragile state after degreasing and to obtain a sintered body of stable quality.

The degreasing step is performed, for example, in an air atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, or a hydrogen gas (which may contain a nitrogen gas).
About 300 to 900 ° C. under a reducing gas atmosphere (700 to 900 ° C. when a porous metal plate is formed)
At a temperature of 10 to 60 minutes. In addition, the sintering step may be performed in an ammonia decomposition gas atmosphere, in a reducing atmosphere such as a hydrogen gas (which may include a nitrogen gas), in a vacuum, or in an air, depending on the type of metal to be manufactured. Or under a nitrogen gas atmosphere
It is preferable to bake at a temperature of about 00 to 1400 ° C (1000 to 1300 ° C in the case of forming a porous metal) for 20 to 120 minutes.

When the dried compact 1C is fired, the metal plate shrinks by about 30% at the maximum (Ni porous metal is heated to 1200 ° C.).
In the conventional belt furnace, only a porous sintered metal plate having a length of about several tens of centimeters can be obtained. In the present invention, such a long plate-shaped molded product 1C
Is manufactured using the oblique baking apparatus shown in FIG. Since such a plate-like molded body has a structure in which metal powder is solidified with a water-soluble resin binder, it may be broken when a strong tensile stress is applied. Further, it has a property that its length shrinks by about 30% during firing. The oblique baking apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG. 2 is configured to continuously bake such a long plate-shaped body that is brittle and has a large shrinkage without cutting in the middle as described above.

First, the roller 211 on which the formed long plate-like body 1C is wound is attached to the first sensor 251 and the second sensor 25.
2 is attached to a drive shaft 212 of a rotation control device (not shown) that controls the rotation of the roller based on a signal from the control unit 2. On the other hand, the degreasing furnace 131 is set to the above degreasing conditions, and the sintering furnace 132 is set to the sintering conditions. Further, respective atmosphere gases suitable for each furnace are introduced into the furnace from the atmosphere gas inlets 135 and 137. On the other hand, curtain gas is blown from the curtain gas introduction pipes 128 and 129 to the carry-in port 117 and the carry-out port 119 to prevent air from entering the furnace. Furthermore,
Air is sent to the levitation mechanism 220 so that the plate-like body can be levitated. Then, the plate-shaped body 1C is fed out from the feed-out roller 211, one end is taken out from the carry-out port 119 through the carry-in port 117 of the furnace body 112, over the hearth plate 121 in the furnace, and passed through the drive rollers 311, 312. The end portion is wound around the take-up roller 315 with a slack so as to bend between the first roller 317 and the second roller 319. Thus, in a state as shown in FIG. 2, the long plate-shaped body 1C is connected to the winding rollers 311 and 312 from the feeding roller 211 through the inclined sliding surface 122 in the furnace body 112.

When the driving rollers 311 and 312 are driven in this state, the plate-like body 1C on the inclined sliding surface 122 in the furnace body 112 is pulled toward the outlet side of the furnace body 112, and the feeding roller 211 and the driving rollers 311 and 311 are driven. Plate 1 between 312
The tension is applied to C, and the plate-like body 1C approaches the first sensor 251. The first sensor 251 detects the approach of the plate-shaped body and sends a signal to the rotation control means of the feeding roller, and the rotation control means rotates the feeding roller 211 and
C is fed from the feed roller 211. As a result, the tension applied to the plate-shaped body 1C is reduced, and the plate-shaped body 1C is loosened and approaches the second sensor 252. The second sensor 252 detects the approach of the plate-like body and sends a signal to the rotation control means, and the rotation control means stops the rotation of the feeding roller 211. Similarly, in the case where the plate-like body shrinks due to firing in addition to the feed rate of the plate-like body sintered in this manner, the plate-like body 1C is always kept slack in a state where it is loosened.
C can be extended intermittently without applying tension. Further, the plate-like body 1C is not touched by the floating mechanism 220 between the feeding roller 211 and the inclined sliding surface 122 or the friction plate 240. There is no risk of being cut. At the same time, the drive rollers 311, 31
The height of the slack portion 1D 'of the fired plate-like body 1D extruded from 2 is detected by the third sensor 353 and the fourth sensor 354, and the rotation of the winding roller 315 is controlled based on the signals of these sensors. The control means controls the slack portion 1D 'of the fired plate 1D so as to always exist, so that the plate 1D can be wound up without applying tension to the plate 1D.

The inclined sliding surface 1 in the furnace body 112 which has been fed out
The plate-like body sliding on the slide 22 is degreased in the first furnace 131 while descending on the inclined slide surface, and is sintered in the second furnace 132. At this time, even if there is a contraction of about 30%, the feeding mechanism 201 can automatically feed the plate-shaped body without applying tension to the plate-shaped body 1C, and the friction with the inclined sliding surface 122 is very small or slightly. The frictional force is such as to cause the sliding of the drive roller 3 because the frictional force can be finely adjusted by the angle adjusting mechanism 113 of the furnace body 112 and the friction plate 240.
The plate-like body 1C between the rollers 11 and 312 and the feeding roller 211 can be hardly tensioned. In this way, no tension is applied to the plate-like body at both the unwinding side and the take-up side, and any place in between, so that the plate-like body is not cut off in the middle and is continuously long. The plate-like body can be fired to produce a long plate-like porous sintered body.

In the above description, the hearth 121 is described as a fixed plate, but a movable hearth made of a steel belt, a flexible carbon belt, or the like having a drive mechanism may be used if necessary. Can also. Further, in the above description, the firing apparatus of the present invention is used for firing the porous sintered plate-like body, but the firing method of the present invention and the object to be fired which is the target of the firing apparatus are not limited. Absent. In addition, although the upper surface of the hearth plate is an inclined sliding surface, if the bottom surface inside the furnace body is made of carbon or boron nitride which has low friction and can withstand high temperatures, it is not necessary to particularly provide the hearth plate. Further, the friction plate and the floating mechanism are not always necessary, and the feeding control and the winding control are not limited to the above-described mechanism. The furnace body may be divided into two or more parts. Further, the fired plate-like body from the furnace body may be appropriately cut, and in this case, the winding roller, the first roller, and the second roller are unnecessary.

[0050]

As described above, according to the method for firing a long plate-like body of the present invention, it is possible to continuously fire a brittle long plate-like body without giving a tensile force as much as possible. it can. Further, according to the long plate-like body firing apparatus of the present invention, a brittle long plate-like body can be continuously fired without giving a tensile force as much as possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a basic outline of a baking apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a specific configuration of a firing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of an apparatus for manufacturing a long plate-like body.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a two-blade doctor blade used for forming a long plate-like body.

[Explanation of symbols]

1C, 1D: long plate, 1C ', 1D': plate 1D
Slackened parts, 100, 101 ... firing equipment, 111, 11
2: Furnace body, 111a, 111b: Closing plate, 113, 11
Reference numeral 5: tilt angle adjusting mechanism 117: carry-in entrance, 119: carry-out exit, 121: hearth plate, 122: inclined sliding surface, 123: gas introduction pipe, 125: gas discharge pipe, 127, 128, 12
9: curtain gas introduction pipe, 130: partition plate, 131: degreasing furnace, 132: firing furnace, 135, 137: gas inlet,
139, 141: gas outlet, 201: feeding mechanism,
211: feeding roller, 212: drive shaft, 220: floating mechanism, 222: air hole, 224: flat box, 240: friction plate, 251: first sensor, 252: second sensor, 3
01 ... take-up mechanism, 311, 312 ... drive roller, 3
15 ... take-up roller, 317 ... first roller, 319 ...
Second roller, 353: third sensor, 354: fourth sensor, 10: carrier sheet, 11: release agent coating device,
12 ... release agent reservoir, 13 ... release agent application doctor blade, 14 ... release agent dryer, 20 ... first roll, 21 ... second roll, 30 ... slurry reservoir, 40 ... foaming zone, 50
... Drying zone, 60 ... Doctor blade, S ... Expandable slurry, 1A ... Plate shaped article, 1B ... Expanded molded article, 2 ... Release agent film, 60A ... First blade, 60B ... Second blade, G1 ... No. G2: gap between carrier sheet of blade edge of second blade G: gap between carrier sheet of blade edge of second blade, R: gap between first blade and second blade
…Release agent

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A continuous firing of a long plate-like body characterized in that the long plate-like body is fired while being continuously lowered from an upper side to a lower side of an inclined sliding surface inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. Method. 2. The continuous firing method for a long plate-like body according to claim 1, wherein the long plate-like body fired from the lower side of the inclined sliding surface is wound. 3. The long plate-like body according to claim 1, wherein the long plate-like body wound from above the inclined slide surface is continuously fed out to supply the long plate-like body to the slide surface. Continuous firing method. 4. A firing furnace having an inclined sliding surface which is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and a long plate-like body which is located above the firing furnace and which is continuous with the inclined sliding surface of the firing furnace. And a driving means for lowering the long plate-like body on the inclined sliding surface of the baking furnace, which is provided below the baking furnace. Continuous baking equipment for long plate-like bodies. 5. The continuous baking apparatus for a long plate-like body according to claim 4, wherein the baking furnace has a mechanism for adjusting an inclination angle of the inclined sliding surface. 6. The elongated plate-like body according to claim 4, wherein said feeding means is controlled so as to form slack of said elongated plate-like body between said inclined sliding surface and said elongated plate-like body supplying means. Continuous baking equipment for long plate-like bodies. 7. A long plate-like body fed from said roller is lifted by an upward flow of gas between a roller wound around the long plate-like body constituting said feeding means and said inclined sliding surface. 5. A levitation mechanism for causing the levitation to move.
7. A continuous baking apparatus for a long plate-like body according to any one of items 1 to 6.